Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1846-06-16
The Halls Of the NIOnseZuinas.


!. NO, improbable that among the thousands Of our
-. there are some who have desire--possibly a
10 .reyeI in the Halls of the Montezumas" To
!, least the following article, which we cut from an
,us will prove interesting at this time:
,s,,ezuma II. ascended the Mexican throne a. d.
eo At the age of 49, before Mexico had been discover
- Europeans He died Both June, 1920. in the f2d
AZ hi, age Of wounds inflicted By the Spanish dis
whom he had invited to his royal palace His
80. ,yrse in admiring his character
o. ascending the throne, content with the spacious
;a,ce of his father he erected another, much more
,s..n, fronting on the pLa1a nayor Of the present
. :, Mexico So vast this great structure, that,
- r. ,be historians informs us, the space covered By
usd roof might have afforded for thirty
,;hts 10 run their in regular tourney. his
f,bcr,s palace, although not high was SO extensive
:. :. -, ;.;tor, were too much fatigued in wandering
.h,ouch the aparne ns, to see the whole OF IT.
r. na,acss were built Of red stone rnarnentcd with
,,lle the arms of the Montezuma family can eagle
hearing tiger in his taons being sculPtured over the
mai, entrance Crystal fountains, fed by great
vos on the ncighboring hills played in the vast halls
and emdeus and supplied water to hundreds OF marble
,t :, the interior of the palaces Crowds Of mobiles
and tributary cheftans were continually sauntering
.,,o,s the halls lettering away their hours in attcn-
dance on the Rich carvings in wood adorned the
Ceilings beautiful mats of palm leaf covered the hoofs
The walls were hung with cotton richly stained inc
skins Of wild animals. gorgeous draperes OF ieaer
work wrought imitation of BIRDS insects and MOVERS
IN glowing radiance of coors Clouds OF incense from
golden censors dused Intoxicating odors through spieh
did apartments occupied bv the handred and rtgJ
wives and five thousand slaves Of Montczama-
lie encouraged and learning, and public schools
established throughout the greater part OF his en-
pirc The city of Mexico in his day, numbered twice as
many inhabitants present, and one thousand men
daily employed in watering and sweeping IT'S streets
keeping them clean that man could traverse the
whole city with little danger OF song his ieet as ms
hands a careful police guarded the city Extensive
arsenas granares warehouses, avary for the most
beautiful BIRDS nenageres, houses for reptiles and
penis, collection of human monsters fish ponds built OF
marble, aud and public libraries, all on the
most scale, added their attractions to the great
city Of Aztccs Gorgeous nplesin which human
victims sacrificed and their blood baked in bread
their bodies dressed for food to be devoured by the co
plo at religions vas-reared their pyramdia altar
far above the highest edces Thousands of their broth
er men were thus sacrificed annually. The temple OF
Maali their god constructed that ITS great
alarm pong sounding TO battle, reused the valley fol
three leagues around and called three hundred thousand
armed Aztecs tho Immediate relief of their monarch
vast the collection of birds of prey, building
de voted that 500 turkeys, the cheapest il
Mexico were allowed for their daily consumption. Sucl
the "lIalls of the Montezulnas!' The summe
residence of the monarch, the hill Of Chopotcpcc
overlooking the city, surrounded by gardens of
cral miles in extent and here preserved until th
middle of the last century, two statues of the Empcro
and his father The great cypress trees, under which
the Aztec sovereign and his associates held thel
moonlight reves still shade the royal gardens Some
them fifty feet in circumference, several thousand
years old, but yet green as in the days Of Monte
yuma whose ashes those of his ancestors, render
cred in the eyes Mexicans the hill of Cha
poltpec Natural decay and a waning population now
mark the seat of power of the great Montczumas.