The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-02-11
M. X. C.

ID . COmus.
vs. A Review Of the Rise and In
IN OF the Aztec Race of
se Mexico.
n Their Arts, Sciences, Religion, Civiliz.
OF ton aud Domestic Habits.
r Night came on, and with 1t the same crow
y ., that has filled Canal street all through tl
N day. Many one has rushed home for dinner
, devouTed with such haste as to suggest a tel
!. rible fit Of indigestion tonight and hurrIe
% % down again to place at the front, where
1, with one foot In the gutter, and the other sur
:. porting a 200 pound market lady, he can &c
- close inspection Of the Mistick Krewe an
r 80 study their apparel as to be able to tel
!, whether they are really silk and satln as the,
pretend to be- or only make-belleve Others
a with still greater foresight and preeautioD
: have given up all Idea of dinner, concluding
/. to feast their eyes alone to-day, keep theil
seats upon some particularly soft curbstone
take from tho deepest reeesses of their pock
ets battered. bruised and sat-on piece OF
bread and cheese and chuclle triumphantly
over their success and the disappointment
that those procrastlnators who are ALWAYS
behind time will feel, when they come down
town and find all the front seats already oc
cuped.
As usual. the Mlstick krewe breaks upop
It's audience without warming. 1t comes all
of a sudden. in a brilliant blaze of glory, that
seems to spring from the earth. a blaze Of
light, which reflects far down the street the
words.
THE AZTEC RACE"
| There are some who scratch their heads a
little at this title, and vainly search amid the
old rubbish they stored there in the long ago
time of their school days to discover what
Aztec means, but they search In vain. and
are prepared to see anything from monkey
to an angel, when the remark Of some learned
locker on that the Aztecs were the ancient In
habitants OF Mexico, and the most civilized
race OF North America, that clears no the
mystery. and all know they are to he treated
to searching review OF the history OF Mexico
| from the ages that precede the birth OF his
tory to the conquest OF Cortez
1. THE FOUNDING OF MEXICO.
From out of the wild forests of Western
North America there started, some eight CEN
turtles ago, u little band of Indians Wild and
savage were they and, to the last degree. I'M
polished and unciviized. They were wander
ers. nomads who never settled down In any
one place, bat hunted and tramped through
r1ous subsistence, ms best they could, by hunt
Ing and fishing. Where they came from they
themselves did not know or whittier bound.
but an oracle had told them that they would
continue To- wander on until some propitIous
omen should tell them where to build a CITY
that would grow great and famous Thus
tossed about. driven hther by one tribe, whose
territory they Invaded, and thither by an
dian band who called themselves Aztecs, |
wandered south until they found themselves
at last In a beautiful and fertile valley. Even
then they did not give up their nomadc life.
but tramped for q century and half through |
the valleys and over the plains OF what ls now /
the table land of Mexico.
1t is bright summer day as the wander
Ing Aztecs camp alongside the mountain
lake OF Tezcuco. convenient spot II IL for
them, for the hills which cluster around 1t I
contatn any number of caves dug by the
Chlchemecs. a rude tribe which had preceded |
them In this country by some century or two.
1t is daybreak. The Indians. aroused by the
suns rays penetrating within their cavern
GUS retreats, come forth therefrom to view
the country In which they are camped. The
scenery around Is beautiful indeed. The
ground is covered with all kinds OF cactus
and colored grasses. In the distance can be
petl, Jeweled In the sun rays. In front
stretches the beautiful lake OF Tezcuco,
frin9ed by q line OF low hills, among which
rises conspicuous object. the forest. covered
(ha n ttS n Of {hn |
But nature cannot excite or arouse the enthu-
siasm of these savages. It Is neither the
lake nor the volcano, the blooming aloes nor
the prlckly cactus, which catches their eye,
long searching. For there, In the very mid
die OF the lake, grows a cactus bush on which
al eagle has ali9hted with outstretched
wings to snatch a long green serpent which
their long, weary march end; and here In
the midst OF this lake, must they found their
future capital.
The little group of Aztecs which watch
to shade them from the SUMS Wild
glare, are four In number, not in
Guiding the pappoose which one OF them,
woman, has strung, Indian fashion, on her
a savage state they live, less advanced than
the most barbarous Of our wild or blanket In
dams. Their hair, long, black and coarse, is
nrnamented with colored feathers; their
uIobS ID Lue SkIuS OIL WHO beasts slain by them
in the chase; their belts, however are far
more wonderful than those extraordinary
things our ladies wear to-day, for they are the
sk1Es OF monstrous serpents, green and blue,
which these savaRes hang iL triumph around
their waist, since to them the serpent rattle
snake and moccasin, IL the sweetest and dear
est of reptiles. emblem of time and eternity.
Upon their backs are swung long Indian bows
and In their serpentine belts hang clubs or
tomahawks. They watch the omen atten-
lively, and, as the eagle rises from the
cactus to bear It's spoil to the hungry
are clamoriDg for a meal, set up a shout
OF triumph and demonstrate their Joy with
all the hearty simplicity and earnestness
OF savages. Que OF them evidently priest,
ments, SEXES Il red earthenhol or image, per.
haps the dread Huitz-lopochtli himself, OF the
most ugly. dtformed and offensive features
hluh IN ha air - rrl,d |