Year: 1879

A correspondent of the San Francisco


Bulletin, writing from the city of Mexico,
says: 81 am going to tell you of q trip to


the mountain of TezcOsingO, famous in
Aztec days as being the pleasure garden
and retreat of the Indian pOet-king,
NezahuaCOyOlt. The trip is wildly pic
turesque and grandly beautiful Phe


CuTiOusly constructed bath of NeZahua-
cOyOlt is cut from a solid block of granite
OyeThanging the brow Of the hill. The
rock has a smooth surface several yards
square, and dropping from its center is
a circular basin some three or four feet
deep and a dozen or more in CirCumfeT-
ence. Out of one side is cut a seat for
the accommodation of the bather, while
rising from the surface a little back is
another, having a perfect chair form,
with a rest on one side of the arm. Pro
tecting the outer side of this is a wall
a part Of the same rOck-intO which
seats have been cut, and various little
inches in the form of miniature steps,
which might have been used by the old
Indian monarch as receptacles for his
toilet paraphernalia.


Following along the still well-pre-
served path, we came to a chamber cut
into the side'Of the hills, now unrOofed
and in ruins the floor being streWn with
debris. AT the end of this vaulted
chamber was raised a platform a foot in
height and several feet square, hewn
from solid rock, and on either corner,
back of this, were inches Chiseled out,
with fragments of cement still clinging
to their sides. We have since learned
that between these, above the platform,
there still remained, at the beginning
Of the present century, a large calendar
stone, which was later destroyed by the


IeighbOring Indians in search of treas
ure. This curious work must have cost
its builders a vast deal of labor.


Separating himself from the cares of
his kingdom, NezahuaCOyOlt came for
retirement to this beautiful mountain,
and here, four times a day for forty days,
on bended knees, he offered prayer to
'the all-pOwerful God, hidden and un-
known" 1t is said that in answer to
these earnest petitions a vision appeared
to one of his servants in attendance,
directing him to go at once to his mas
ter with the comforting assurance that
the unseen God had been pleased to
accept his prayers and offerings, and
would avenge him by the hands of his
son, Axoquatsin, a boy of only seventeen
years. The king could not accept the
supernatural vision, which was, however,
fulfilled. NezahuacOyOlt, upon hearing
of the ful6Ilment of what he had Consid-
cred of false prophecy, retired in humil-
iatiOn to the garden of his palace, and.
kneeling on the ground, gave thanks to
the unknown God for his signal benefits,
promising to build atemple to his home,
to abstain from idOlatrOus worship and
human sacrifices, and to alone aCknOwl-
edge the supremacy Of the unknown
God. In compliance with his VOW, he
built a tower nine stories high, the in
terror of which he garnished with gold
and precious stones, and the exterior he
covered with black cement, embellished
with stars. The workmanship was Of
the most expensive order. In this superb
tower were stationed men, whose duty it
was at certain hours of the day to strike
upon certain plates of fine metal, at the
sound of which the monarch fell upon
his knees in PRAYER"