. The earth and its inhabitants ... Geography. ENVIEONS OF MEXICO. 125 resemblance to the Texcoco of Montezuma ; in the middle of the marshy depres- sion may still be seen numerous other chiuampas, resting on matted beds of aquatic plants and covered with soil brought from a distance. But ihase plots, which are intersected by aculotes, or trenches, are not supported by movable rafts ; on the contrary, they gradually form compact masses attached to the shore and steadily encroaching on the lacustrine basin. Ixtapalapa, or " White Town," formerly a great Mexican city with "fifteen
. The earth and its inhabitants ... Geography. ENVIEONS OF MEXICO. 125 resemblance to the Texcoco of Montezuma ; in the middle of the marshy depres- sion may still be seen numerous other chiuampas, resting on matted beds of aquatic plants and covered with soil brought from a distance. But ihase plots, which are intersected by aculotes, or trenches, are not supported by movable rafts ; on the contrary, they gradually form compact masses attached to the shore and steadily encroaching on the lacustrine basin. Ixtapalapa, or " White Town," formerly a great Mexican city with "fifteen thousand houses," according to Cortes, stands near the head of the Viga Canal at Lake Xochimilco, under the EstreUa or " Star " peak, famous in the religious history of Mexico. Here the priests Fig*. oO.^Indian Maeket-GtAedener's assembled at the end of every cycle of 52 years in order to keep up the succession of time by solemnly opening a new cycle. Fac'ng the capital at a distance of sixteen miles in a straight line on the opposite side of the lake is seen the novv* obscure town of Texcoco, which preceded Mexico and which was long its rival. Texcoco was the ancient residence of the Toltec chiefs and the " Athens " of Anahuac, for here the Nahuatl language was spoken in its greatest purity and elegance. Texcoco has the advantage over Mexico of being built on healthy ground above the level of the highest inundations. The Puerto de las Brigantinas, that is, the spot where Cortes built a flotilla to reduce Mexico, lies now consider- ably over a mile from the margin of the lake. North of Texcoco stands the still more ancient city of Otumha, formerl)^ Otompan, which would appear to have. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Reclus, Elisée, 1830-1905; Ravenstein, Ern
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