Mexico to-day, a country with a great future; and a glance at the prehistoric remains and antiquities of the Montezumas . erplaces had to be reached either on horseback or by the uncomfort-able and jolting diligence, the railways to them not being thencompleted. The caves of Cacahuamilpa, formed by two branches of theriver San Geronimio—two days journey from Mexico City—areprobably the finest limestone formations of the sort in the world;their stalagmites and stalactites assuming fantastic shapes ofevery description. Many of the galleries and halls of thesecaves have not yet been explored. If
Mexico to-day, a country with a great future; and a glance at the prehistoric remains and antiquities of the Montezumas . erplaces had to be reached either on horseback or by the uncomfort-able and jolting diligence, the railways to them not being thencompleted. The caves of Cacahuamilpa, formed by two branches of theriver San Geronimio—two days journey from Mexico City—areprobably the finest limestone formations of the sort in the world;their stalagmites and stalactites assuming fantastic shapes ofevery description. Many of the galleries and halls of thesecaves have not yet been explored. If the traveller likes to turn aside en route to them he will berepaid by^ seeing several artificial mounds ; and also the remainsof pyramids and teocalles, or Aztec temples; these are so oftenreferred to in these pages, that I give (Plate XXXIX., at endof volume) a drawing of one that is still standing in a veryperfect condition. All the teocalles were of similar character,viz., a solid building of pyramidal form, with a steep flight ofsteps leading to the platform on the top; there was a small > XXX LU < _J. < OH ?/?. I/. CHAP. XXV. TEOCALLES. 221 dark temple on this, in which was a figure of a deity, andin front of which stood an altar. The teocalles were of variousheights and sizes, varying in proportions as do our own chapelsand cathedrals. The great temple in the City of Mexico, onthe site where the present cathedral stands, and which was onlycompleted in 1486—about forty years previous to the comingof the Spaniards—was encompassed by a wall about eight feethigh, ornamented on the outside by figures of serpents,* in hassorelievo, and pierced on its four sides by gateways opening on thefour principal streets. Over each gate was an arsenal; andbarracks near the temple were garrisoned by 10,000 temple itself was a solid structure, the base was of adobebrick, coated externally with hewn stones. It was square, itssides facing the cardinal points, and
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectmexicod, bookyear1883
