98 
In the time of Cortez, Choiiila was considered 
as a holy city. No where existed a greater num- 
ber of teocallis, of priests, and religious orders 
(tlamacazque) ; no spot displayed greater mag- 
nificence in the celebration of public worship, or 
more austerity in its penances and fasts. Since 
the introduction of Christianity among the In- 
dians, the symbols of a new worship have not 
entirely effaced the remembrance of the old. 
The people assemble in crowds from distant 
quarters at the summit of the pyramid, to cele- 
brate the festival of the Virgin. A mysterious 
dvead, a religious awe, fills the soul of the Indi- 
an at the sight of this immense pile of bricks, 
covered with shrubs and perpetual verdure. 
We have above remarked the great similarity 
of construction between the Mexican teocallis 
and the temple of Bel or Belus, at Babylon. 
This analogy had already struck Mr. Zoega, 
though he had been able to procure but very in- 
complete descriptions of the group of the pyra- 
mids of Teotihuacan*. According to Hero- 
dotus, who visited Babylon, and saw the temple 
of Belus, this pyramidal monument had eight 
stories. It was a stadium high, and the breadth 
of its basis was equal to its height. The outer 
wall which surrounded it, the was two 
* Zoega, de Origine Obeliscorum, p. 880. 
