The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1846-06-18
THE HALLS OF THE MoNTEzUMAs.

49,
Ii is not improbable that among the hun
dreds of our readers, there are some who
have desire-possibly design-to 'sreveI
in the Halls of The Montezumas." To such
at least, the following article, which we cut
from an exchange, will prove interesting at
this time:
"Montezuma II. assembled the Mexican
throne A. D. 1902, at the age OF %, before
Mexico had been discovered by Europeans.
He died Both June, 1920, in the 42I year of
his age, of wounds inflicted by he Spanish
discoveries whom he had invited 10 the
royal palace. Historians agree in admirng
his character.
On ascendingthe throne, not content with
the spacious residence of his father, he erec-
ted another, much more magnificent, fronting
on the plaza mayor of the present city of
Mexico. So vast was this structure, that, as
one of the historians informs US, the space
covered by its terraced roof might have afford
ed room for thirty knights to run their course
in regular tourney. His fathers place,
although not so high was SO extensive that
the visitors were too much fatigued in wan
dering through the apartment, ever to see
the whole oft.
The palace were built of red stone, orna-
mented with marble, the arms of the Monte
yuma family Gan eagle bearing tiger in his
talons) being sculpiured over the main en-
trance. Crystal fountains, fed BY great res
ervoirs on the neighboring hills, played in
the vast halls and gardens, and supplied wat
ter to hundreds of marble baths in The inte-
rlor ofthe palaces. Crowds of noble and ;rib-
uiary chieftains were continually saunterng
through the halls, or lettering away their
hours in the attendance on the court.-Rich
car wings in wood adorned The ceilings, beau
tful mats Of palm leaf covered the floors.
The walls were hung with cotton richly STAIN
ed, the skins of wild animals, or gorgeous
draperies of feather work wrought in imiia-
ton of birds, insects and flowers, in glowing
radiance of colors- Clouds of incense from
golden censors difTnsed Intoxicating odors
through splendid apartments occupied by the
nine hundred and eighty wives and FIVE thou
sand slaves of Montezuma.
He encouraged science and learning, and
public schools were established throughout
the CRATER part Of his empire. The city Of
Mexico in his day numbered twice as many
inhabitants as al present, and one thousand
men were daily employed in watering and
sweeping its streets, keeping them so clean
that man could traverse the whole city
with as little danger of soilng his feet as his
hands A careful police guarded the city.
| Extensive arsenals, granna ries warehouses,
an ayary for the most beautiful birds, man
ageies, houses for reptiles and serPents, col
lection of human monsters. fishpOnds built
of marble, and museums and public Libraries,
all ON the most extensive scale, added their
attractions TO the great city of the Aztees.
Gorgeous temples-in which human VIC
Tins were sacrificed, and their blood baked
in bread, or the bodies dressed for food TO be
devoured by the people at religious festivals
reared their pyramdial alters far above the
highest edifces Thousands of their broth
CIR men were thus sacrificed annually. The
temple of Maxtili their war god, was so con-
structed that its great alarm gong, sounding
to battle, reused the valley for three leagues
around, and called three hundred thousand
armed Azecs 10 the immediate relief OF their
monarch.
So vast was the collection OF birds of prey,
in building devoted 10 them, that 500 tur-
keys, the cheapest meat in Mexico, were al
lowed for their daily consumption. Such
were the ''Halls Of the Montezumas." The
summer residence OF the monarch, on the
hill OF Chapollype, overlooking the city, was
surrounded by gardens of several miles III
extent, and here were preserved until the
middle of the last century, two statues of the
Emperor and his father. The great sypress
trees under which the Aztec sovereign and
his associates once held their moonlight
reyels, still shade the royal gardens. Some
of them, fifty feet in circumference, are sew
eral thousand years old, but are yet as green
as in the days of Montezuma, whose ashes
or those of his ancestors, render sacred, in
the eyes of the native Mexcans, the hill of
Chapoltpec. Natural decay and waning
popula ton now mark the seat of power Of
the great Montezumas.
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