49 
VIEW 
OF THE 
GREAT SQUARE OF 
PLATE III. 
The city of Tenoclititlan, the capital of Ana= 
liuac, founded in the year 1325^ on a small group 
of islands, situate on the western part of the salt 
lake of Tezcuco, was totally destroyed during* 
the siege carried on by the Spaniards in 1521, 
which lasted seventy-five days. The new city, 
which contains nearly 140,000 inhabitants, was 
rebuilt by Cortez on the ruins of the old. The 
streets were ranged in the same lines, but the 
canals, which crossed the streets, were filled up 
by degrees ; and Mexico, greatly embellished by 
the Viceroy, count of Revillagigedo, may at 
present vie with the finest towns of Europe. 
The great square, represented in the third plate, 
is the spot on which formerly stood the spacious 
temple of Mexitli ; which, like all the teocalh\ 
or houses of the Mexican divinities, was a pyra- 
VOL. XIII. 
.'-r 
MEXICO* 
E 
