. Young folks' history of Mexico. nd this he did; for one queen more or less matterednot to Nezahualpilli. His first queen was the mother ofCacamatzin, who succeeded his father to the throne; thesecond was mother of three other sons, two of whomwill figure conspicuously in the period of the Spanish Con-quest. We shall see then how the sins of these two mon-archs were visited upon their sons, and were instrumentalin causing the destruction of their people. [A. D. i486.] The Mexicans had chosen Ahuiizotl astheir eighth king, at the death of Tizoc, brother of their twoprevious monarchs. For four
. Young folks' history of Mexico. nd this he did; for one queen more or less matterednot to Nezahualpilli. His first queen was the mother ofCacamatzin, who succeeded his father to the throne; thesecond was mother of three other sons, two of whomwill figure conspicuously in the period of the Spanish Con-quest. We shall see then how the sins of these two mon-archs were visited upon their sons, and were instrumentalin causing the destruction of their people. [A. D. i486.] The Mexicans had chosen Ahuiizotl astheir eighth king, at the death of Tizoc, brother of their twoprevious monarchs. For four years, this fiend devoted him-self to war and the accumulation of victims for a sacrificewithout a parallel in history. At the end of this time thegreat temple was finished, from the material gathered byKing Tizoc, and by the aid of an incredible number of 100 Mexico* workmen. Such a temple was called by the Aztecs aTeocalli^ — or holy pyramid. The first ones, constructedat different periods, had been of wood; but this one fin-. TEOCALLI. ished by King Ahuitzotl, in i486, was of stone — a greatpyramid of earth faced with cut stone, one hundred andtwenty feet high. Two altars were erected upon the * Teocalli, or Teopanjliterally House of God. The Great Sacrifice. 101 flat surface of the pyramid, the tops of their cupolasbeing one hundred and seventy feet above the pavementof the great square in which the temple was erected.*The pyramid was built in five stages, or stories, and stepsled up to each in such a manner that the whole structuremust be encircled before the ascent could be made fromone to the other. When he had completed the temple, and had placed thegod of war, the terrible Huitzilopochtli, in position in oneof the adoratories on the summit, Ahuitzotl invited the twoallied monarchs to be present at the dedication. He alsoextended invitations to all persons of distinction within thevalley. Even people at war with the Mexicans came towitness the ceremonies, and were a
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Keywords: ., bookauthoroberfred, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookyear1883
