The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1875-01-08
WONDERS.
The Great Pyramids of TlascaIn-EAu-
man ~sacrifce-The Red Hand.

The Great Pyramids of Tlascaln-HU
man Sacrffce-Thc Red Eands
In the beautiful land of Mexico-the
land that lives only on the memories O
q wonderful past-half-way between the
shores of the Bay of C~ampeachy and
the City of Mexico, which in older
Spain was styled "The Venice Of the
Western World" ore now to be found
the ruins only of the once powerful re-
public of Tlascala.
Not many leagues away lay the king
dom Of the powerful Montezuma.
Thousands of people worshiped and
dreaded him. AT the remotest parts of
bis kingdom, his subjects were filed
with awe at accounts Of his greatness.
The republic of Tlascala being COM
posed of warlike and valorous people,
it had in carly years asserted its indie
pendence, and, though lying in the
heart of the country whose numerous
and petty kings were governed by one
monarch, Montezuma, it had for years
maintained its right to self-government,
and had won the fear and admiration OF
all that fierce and warlike people.
Nature had much assisted them in
asserting aud maintaining their own
rights, having given, as she had to
Switzerland, q mountain wall Ct pro-
lection, which fortified three sides of
their country. Seve al leagues of the
remaining boundary lay open to the APP
proach Of the much dreaded Aztecg.
Straightway this little nation set to
work, nothing daunted at the pr0dig-
iouaness of the task, and built a wall
nine feet high and twenty feet thick,
for O distance of two miles-thus COM
pleting the breastworks nature had
thrown up for their benefit.
Seventy-four ye ars ago, at the head
of a c%onquering army, Napoleon eheered
his troops onward to the combat by the
cry of "Solders of France, forty CEN
look down upon you'll" This was
the battle fought at the foot of the
Egyptian Pyramids, and the
was part of the civilization of
the boyish dreams of the "Little Cap
lain.
Here, on another, continent, thousands
Of miles away, in the heart of the Tlas-
,alan republic, lies another pyramid,
one of the worlds unknown wonders.
battles have been fought at its
0ase. Terrible massaeres have bathed
is winding stairway in human blood.
Strange and awful professions have
wound around it from base to apex, a
multitude below have knelt
While sacrifices most revolving have
made on the affairs of its summit
o the "Unknown God, the Cause of
J~auses."
The great pyramid of Egypt, Cheops,
overs an area of eleven acres, and
Uses to a height Of 1876 feet. The Mex
can pyramids base covers forty-four
ores, and its sides rise to the height of
" feet, while the platform on its sum-
ait is more than an acre in extent. It's
5alls are composed of layers of brick
nd clay.
In olden times, when busy people
hronged this land, this was the great
Teocalli," or temple. On its summit
liars were reared, where worship to
be awful Hintzilopotonli was offered.
A stairway roundEthe outside of the
uilding, leading from its foot to the
pex; and on the great feast days an
IMPOSING procession of priests, carry
lg in their ranks the prisoners to be
in honor of the day, marched /,
p tho pyramids side. {
A brilliant spectacle it was, as, clad
their scarlet robes and bearing gor- {
eous banners made OF the feathers of I
leir tropical birds, they assembled the i
in full view Of the people, /
nging meanwhile chants to the God /
War; and the .God of Air" i
The victims, who for many a month :
I've lived on the best and most fatten- t
& of food the land contained, and
been trained for this ordeal, are y
forth. One by n they are c
id on the altar. A dexterous move $
emit makes the keen knife glisten in q
Q air q minute, and then a deep cash e
the side is made, the heart is torn d
il. reeking with blood and quiyering Q
th life, and the body is quickly borne
to grace some Iordly mansion. R
So on and on, through the long list T
captiyes taken in war, or the best al
d beautiful of their young men and 3
these human butchers sIay. al
Alter an attack on the City of Mexico,
d a defeat terrible for it's slaughter ~
d the prisoners taken, fernando Cor CT
with q handful of followers, resting 70
the hills above, looked down upon a d.
me like this. q
gomrade after comrade was led forth
d slain to appease the blood-thirsty,
d their hearts hung in the MONDAY
q, where they will blacken and die, II
til another day Of sacrifice chronicles L
other dreadful holocaust.
is truth is confessed; that mans worst foe ed
Is mar; ui
he alone. No tenant OF the wood =
on his kind and laps his brothers blood, a.
fellow leads where hidden pitfalls lie, y
d drinks with eestacy his dying sigh. d
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