Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-07-20

| York, Philadelphia. Chicago, New Or
leans and Berlin, how cheap their pan
orama" Yes. Mexico is beautiful.
So far as is known the most ancient
inhabitants of Mexico were the ToltecS. a
race coming from the north, though a
certain learned and ingenious writer has
sought 10 show their likeness TO the Israel
ties and thus prove that the ten lost tribes
left the shores of the old world and settled
in the wilderness of one which was not
discovered by Europeans until two thou
sand years later!
The Toltecs were gentle race, culti-
vating the soil and making good progress
in the arts of civilization. The remains
OF cities in some parts of Mexico, and
especially in Central America. are evi.
dences OF their skill. Their religion, while
not like the Christian, was more pure and
less revolving than many of the ancient
systems. How long they stayed in the
valley of the Anahuac or where they mi
grated is not known. The only fact in
posse sion of the historian is that they
were driven out by the warlike Aztecs
who, like the barbarian hordes of Europe
in the middle ages, came down upon fair
cities and beautiful plains with resistless
force, carry ing ruin and desolation in their
path. They then settled in the country, tax.
ing up in measure the civilization of the
Toltecs, but engrafting upon it their own
sanguinary superstitons and cruel practices
Still, after time. they themselves made
some progress in civilization. They con-
s,ructed calendar unequaled by any in
Europe. They had tolerably good code
of criminal laws. an efficient police force,
Il knowledge of many OF the mechanic
arts in some of which they displayed ex-
traordnary skill.
The government at one time slightly
resembled the feudal system, there being
the emperor and his council, then num-
ber of chiefs who had under them large
number of vassals and certain amount
of territory. From this they were re
quired to furnish the emperor with a
specific revenue, and, to prevent their be-
coming too powerful and revolving their
presence was required in the capital during
Il portion Of the year.
The emperor himself lived on scale OF
exceeding grandeur. All the adulation
and PROSTATE worship of an eastern despoi
were given him. Montezuma never wore
the same apparel twice, and as he changed
four times every day, the royal wardrobe
must have been constantly replenished
The cast off clothing was given to attend
ants. Only people of rank could serve
him. Hundreds of dishes comprised the
royal bill of fare, and fish, which only the
day before had swan in the waters of the
gulf, game which few hours before had
galloped in distant forests, gratifed the
senses of the voluptuous monarch by their
fragrance and richness. The richer the
rich the poorer the poor, hence the con
dition of the lower classes must have been
desperately abject. Poverty ground them
with an iron heel. But the most disgust.
ing thing about the Aztecs WAS their re-
ligon. This was a strange medley of truth
and error Here and there a CLEAN o
light, the rest darkness, darkness so In
tense that it could be felt. They had ira
ditions of the fall of man occasioned by :
woman. "by whom" in their own words
''sin came into the world" and of uni
versal deluge. There was also theil
pyramid of Cholua, which they said wa
erected by family of giants to serve as 8
refuge in case Of another flood (anothe
BabeD; they worshiped a cross in certain
places, and had ceremonies very mucf
resembling baptism and the eucharist
But these resemblances to the true religion
only made the points of difference COM
out in darker contrast, Says Prescott
This (the god of war;, was the patrol
deity of the nation. His fantastic imag
was loaded with costly ornaments. Hi
temples were the most stately and angus
of all the public editices; and his altar
reeked with the blood of human hekatomb
in every city of the empire.' They ha
, one supreme god, thirteen ofthe next order
and over two hundred inferior deities.
each of which was devoted special day a
a religious festival. Like the Greeks,
whom Paul spoke on Mars Hill, they wer
, ''in all things too superstitious.' At on
festival, to the god Tezcatlipoca, they sal
, rifced young man of great beauty an
accomplishments. For a year before tn
, fatal day he was kept apart, regaled wit
the choicest food while music charmed hi
ears, incense his nostrils, flowers and fa
maidens his eyes, and the adulation of tn
8 people his ambition. On the day of tn
, festival, upon the summit of a temple, wit
his fnery gone, and his glory at an end, /
= was sacrificed. Five priests with long an
matted hair and blood stained robes. pc
formed the ghastly deed. His breast W;
# opened by razor, his heart torn out, ar
. still palpitating held up toward the sui
!. This was their expiatory sacrifice.
n But this was not all. Were only o.
}. victim offered year it would be/bs
d enough. but this Tezcatlipoca was one
l. the least sanguinery of their gods. Fro
IF twenty to fifty thousand human victim
we're sacrificed annually. These victim
= we're obtained from captves taken in wa
(. from kidnapped persons, from slaves, a,
n sometimes even when other supplies faile
10 from kinsmen and friends! Victims tn
e must and would have to appease the wra
5, of their sanguinery war god. Their ter
,s pies they called teOcahIts or "houses
D. god" There were hundreds of these
le every large city, and they were usual
y made of earth encased with brick. T
o ascent was made by means of extern
% stairways, sometimes varied by landin