The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-02

considerable, measuring $50 feet at the
base by $50 feet high. Like all great
pyramids, they We're divided into four
stories, three of which are still visible,
but the intermediate gradationS are al
most effaced.
larger mound having a colossal statue
of the sun, made Of one single block of
stone. Its breast had a hollow in which
was placed planet of fine gold. This
statue was destroyed by Zumarraga,
first Bishop of Mexico, and the gold
seized by the Unsuitable Spaniards The
interior of the pyramid is composed OF
clay and volcanic pebbles, incruSted on
the surface with light, porous stone,
telzontli; over this was thick coating
of white stucco, such as was used for
dwellings.
Where the pyramid is much defaced,
it's incline is from thirty one to thirty
six degrees, and where the coatings of
cement still adhere forty-seven degrees.
The ascent was arduous, especially
with a burning sun beating down upon
us but when we reached the top we
were amply repaid by the glorious view
which unfolded before our enraptured
gaze.
ITO the north of the Pyramid of the
Moon is the great Path of Death, with
it's tombs and tumuli covering a space
of nine square miles; to the south and
southwest the hills of Tiascala, the
villages of st. Martin and st. Juan, the
snowy top of Iztaccihuatl towering
above the Matlacinga range, and In the
west the Valley Of Mexico, with its
lakes, while far, far away the faint out
line of the CordilleraS was percepttble
in this clear atmosphere. II by an effort
of the Imagination we were to recon-
struct this dead city, restore its dwell
ings, temples and pyramids, coated
with pink and white outer coatings,
surrounded by verdant gardens. inter-
sected by beautiful roads paved with
red cement, the whole bathed in q flood
of sunshine, we should realize the vivid
descriptions of Torquemada.
"'All the temples and palaces were
perfectly built, whitewashed and pol
ished outside, so that 1t gave one real
pleasure to view them from little dis
lance All the streets and squares were
beautifully paved, and they looked SO
daintily clean as to make you almost
doubt their being the work of human
hands, destined for human feet. Nor
am I drawing an imaginary picture,
for besides what I have been told,
myself have seen ruins of temples with
noble trees and beautiful gardens full
of fragrant flowers, which were grown
for the service of the temples
This quotation goes far to prove that
the ruins are not so ancient as some
writer's have maintained, but that tenn
pies and palaces were extant at the
time of the conquest, and that pyra-
mids were repaired by the successive oc-
cupants of the soil, even during the wars
which a displacement of races natural
Nv entailed The outline of pyramids is
everywhere visible and serves as a bea-
con to guide the traveller to the ruins
of Teotihuacan. Besides these there are
some smaller mounds to the south, in
dicatfng that the ancient city extended
as far as Matlacinga Hill, which
bounds the valley on this side, while
1t stretched six miles to the north.
No excavations have been made in
the Pyramid of the Sun, but Max
milan caused extensive excavations to
be made in the Pyramid of the Moon
with the hope of finding treasures and
was disappointed. But little work on
the pyramids has been done. Professor
Saville has found in the pyramids of
Monte Alban tombs, and Mr. Thompson
in Yucatan few months since exca-
waited a pyramid in the center of which
he found an opening below twenty five
feet deep with human bones, and still
below it another fifty feet deep with
human bones.