HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



235 



The pavements of their courts and temples were in ge- 

 neral of the Itone of Tenajoccan ; but fome alfo were 

 chequered with marble and other precious ftones. 



Although the Mexicans are not to be compared with 

 the ''Europeans in regard to tafle in architecture, yet 

 the Spaniards were fo {truck with admiration and fur- 

 prife on feeing the royal palaces of Mexico, that Cor- 

 tes, in his firft letter to Charles V. unable to find words 

 to defcribe them, fpeaks thus : " He had. " he fays, 

 fpeaking of Montezuma, " befides thofe in the city of 

 " Mexico, other fuch admirable houfes for his habitation, 

 " that I do not believe I mall ever be able to exprefs 

 " their excellence and grandeur; therefore I fhall only 

 " fay, that there are no equals to them in Spain. " Such 

 exprefTions are made ufe of by Cortes in other parts of 

 his letters ; by the anonymous conqueror in his valuable 

 relation, and by Bernal Diaz in his molt faithful hiftory, 

 who were all three prefent at the conqueft. 



The Mexicans alfo conftructed, for the convenience 

 of inhabited places, feveral excellent aqueducts. Thofe 

 of the capital for conducting the water from Chapoltepec, 

 which was two miles diftant, were two in number, made 

 of (tone and cement five feet high, and two paces broad 

 upon a road raifed for that purpofe upon the lake, by 

 which the water was brought to the entrance of the city, 

 and from thence it branched out through fmaller chan- 

 nels to fupply feveral fountains, and particularly thofe of 

 the royal palaces. Although there were two aqueducts, 

 the water was only brought by one at a time, as in the in- 

 terval they cleared the other that they might always have 

 the water pure. At Tezcutzinco, formerly a palace of 

 pleafure of the kings of Tezcuco, may Itill be feen an 

 aqueduct by which water was conveyed to the royal 

 gardens. 



The 



