152 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



timala, and that the former was so called from its situa- 

 tion on an eminence with respect to the latter, the word 

 Tecpan meaning " above." 



According to Fuentes, Patinamit was seated on an 

 eminence, and surrounded by a deep defile or natural 

 fosse, the perpendicular height of which, from the level 

 of the city, was more than one hundred fathoms. The 

 only entrance was by a narrow causeway terminated 

 by two gates, constructed of the chay stone, one on the 

 exterior and the other on the interior wall of the city. 

 The plane of this eminence extends about three miles 

 in length from north to south, and about two in breadth 

 from east to west. The soil is covered with a stiff clay 

 about three quarters of a yard deep. On one side of 

 the area are the remains of a magnificent building, per- 

 fectly square, each side measuring one hundred paces, 

 constructed of hewn stones extremely well put together; 

 in front of the building is a large square, on one side of 

 which stand the ruins of a sumptuous palace, and near 

 to it are the foundations of several houses. A trench 

 three yards deep runs from north to south through the 

 city, having a breastwork of masonry rising about a 

 yard high. On the eastern side of this trench stood the 

 houses of the nobles, and on the opposite side the houses 

 of the maseguales or commoners. The streets were, as 

 may still be seen, straight and spacious, crossing each 

 other at right angles. 



When we rose upon the table, for some distance it 

 bore no marks of ever having been a city. Very soon 

 we came upon an Indian burning down trees and pre- 

 paring a piece of ground for planting corn. Don Sat- 

 urnino asked him to go with us and show us the ruins, 

 but he refused. Soon after we reached a hut, outside 

 of which a woman was washing. We asked her to ac- 



