46 
that the soldiers of Cortez^ when they buried the 
idols to conceal them from the view of the na- 
tives, transported masses of considerable weight 
very far from the satellum where they were ori- 
ginally placed, it is important to mark with pre- 
cision the spots, in which all the remains of Mex- 
ican sculpture were found. These nations will 
become particularly interesting, if a government, 
anxious to throw light on the remote civilization 
of the Americans, should make researches by 
digging round the cathedral in the chief square 
of the ancient Tenochtitlan, and the market-place 
Tlatelalco*, to which, in the last days of the 
siege, the Mexicans withdrew with their house- 
hold gods {Tepitotan)^ their sacred books (Teo- 
amoxtli,) and whatever they had of most 
value. 
When we cast our eyes on the idol represent- 
ed in the 29th plate, as it is seen in front 
(Fig. 1), behind (Fig. 3), on one side (Fig. 2), 
from above (Fig. 4), and from beneath (Fig. 5), 
we might be tempted at first to think, that this 
monument is a teotetl {divine stone)^ a kind of 
hety-lum\^ ornamented with sculpture, a rock 
on which hieroglyphic signs are engraved. But 
when we examine more closely this shapeless 
mass, we distinguish on the upper part the unit- 
Gama, Descripcmi de las Picdras, etc. p. 2. 
t Zoega, de Obel. p. 208, 
