Litchfield enquirer., 1846-06-25
The Hall OF the NOnteZumas.

! Montezuma III. assembled the Mexican throne
| A ID. 1902, at the age OF %, before Mexico
had been discovered by Europeans. He dlec
30th June. 1920, in the 42nd year Of his
age, Of wounds inflicted by the Spanish dlschv'
ercrs, whom he had invited to his royal palace
Historians agree in admiring his character.
On ascending the throne, not content with
the spacious residence of his father, he erected
another much more magnificent, fronting on
the plaza mayor ofthe present city Of Mexico.
So vast was this great structure, that, as one OF
the historians informs US, the place covered by
| its terraced roof might have afforded room for
thirty knights to run their courses in regu-
lar tourney. His fathers palace. although not
| so high, was 81 extensive that the visitors were
too much fatigued in wandering through the
apartments, ever to see the whole OF it. The
palaces were built of red stone, ornamented
! with marble, the arms Of the Montezuma fam
lily ian eagle bearing tiger in his talons) being
srn!ntured over the main entrance. Chrystal
| fountains, fed by great reservoirs on the nelgh-
boring hills, played in the vast halls and gar.
dens, and supplied water to hundreds of marble
baths in the interior of the palaces.
Crowds of mobiles and tributary chieifalns
were continually sauntering through the halls,
or lettering away their huurs in attendance on
the court. Rich carvings in wood adorned the
ceilings, and beautiful mats of palm leaf cover
ed the floors. The halls were hung. with cot
ton richly stained. the skins of wild animals, or
gorge GUS draper Of (eath,rwork wrought in I'M
!taton OF bids insects and flowers in glorious ra-
dience ot colurs Clouds of incense from gold
en- censnrs dlftused intoxicating odors through
splendid apal tments occupied by the nine hun
dred dnd eighty wives and 5OUU slaves of Mon.
teznma.
tie encouraged science and learning, and
III. sd
greater part of his empire. The city OF Mexi.
CO in his day numbered twice as many inhabl.
,ants as al present, and one thousand were dai.
ly employed in watering and sweeping its
streets, Keeping them so clean that man
could traverse the whole city with as little
danger OF soiing his feet as his hands. A care
ful police guarded the city. Extensive arsen-
ais, graneries, warehouses, an avlary for the
most beautiful birds, menargeries. houses for
reptiles and serpents, collection of human
mons ers. fish ponds built Of marble. and mu-
! seums and public libraries, all on the most
extensive scale, added their attractions to
the great city Of the Aztecs. Gorgeous tenn
ples-in which human beings were Q criiced.
and their blood baked in bread. or their bodies
dressed for TODD 10 be devoured by the people at
religious festivals-reared their pyramidal al
tars lar above the highest edi6ces Thousands
| of their brother men were thus sacrificed annu-
ally. The temple of Maxtil. their war god.
was so constructed that its great alarm gong.
sounding to battle, reused the. valley for three
leagues around, and called three hundred thous-
and Azlecs to the immediate service of their
monarch. So vast was the collection of birds
prey, in abuiiding devoted to them, that oOO
turkeys, the cheapest meat in Mexico, were al
lowed for their raily consumption. Such were
the " Halls of the Montezumas!' TIE sum.
| Is tt,o Ah,.b ~
Chapnltepec, ovt Hooking the city, was surroun.
ded by gardens If several miles in extent, and
here were preserved until the middle of the
last century, two statutes of the emperor and
his father. TIL" great cypress trees. under
which the Aztec sovereign and his associates
once held their moonlight revels. still shade
the royal gardens Some Of them SO feet in
circumference. and several thousand years old.
but as vet as green as in the days Of Montezu.
ma. whose ashes, or those Of his ancestors, rem.
der sacred in the eyes of the native Mexcans
the hill OF Chapoltepec. Natural decay and a
waning population now mark the power Of the
great Montezumas