Excavación en la calle de las Escalerillas, Leopoldo Batres

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. SAN EGO

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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO

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THE UNrvmSTTY UMARYUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNfA, SAN DBGO

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SIO

ARCHAEOLOGICALEXPLORATIONS

L\

ESCALERILLAS STREET,CITY OF MEXICO,

BY

Xeopolbo Batrcs,GENERAL INSPECTOR

OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONLMENTS,

HIS EXCELLENCY GEN. POKFIRIO DIAZ,President of tbe Kepuhlic nf Mexico.

('iiii-rciriii

Hon. KZEQUIEL CHAVEZ,Hiiiinii 111' IlijrliiT Miiil Pinfcssioiinl Education.

ft *^x^^^' T?

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the authorization I li.id asked,

nion concerning- tiic dani^cr hi which, acconhng' to the Board,

I was placing- the propcrtN- situated m that street.

Fortunate] V the technical re[)ort (Doc. No. 5) was favora-ble to the Inspection of monuments, and the l^^irst Magistrate

of the Republic authorized me to prosecute the archaeological

investigations. The fioht continued as I advanced, not withouthaving a new encounter every day with the interests attacked

Ijy the exploring pickaxe.

The secontl enem}- whom I had to combat was the ano-yance of the reporters, who, with the desire of filling their co-

lumns, clothed their articles with so much fantasy, and in thisway did such a gra\e injustice to true history, that I was forced

to instruct the police not to permit so many who pretended to

represent newspapers of the capital city to approach the works.

Of course, the result of this order, dictated in behalf of truth, wasthat some of those would be reporters went to certain daylies

and ad\-iced them of the horrors which the Inspector of monu-

ments was committing. They assured to have seen with theirown eyes the Inspector constructing towers and objects of gold,

which he buried in order to make the public belie\'e that theyhad belonged to the god of the infernal regions himself.

On the other hand, certain trustworthy publications, suchas E/ Iniparcial, El Ticinpo, El Correo Espafiol, and El Pais,tried in a correct wav to o-ive a faithful account of the truth.

The third enemy was the state of infection in which the soilwas where the explorations were made, since besides the ditch

being very narrow and nearly always at a depth of five metres,

it was full of the decayed mud of the subsoil, the perpetual hu-midity of the filtrations, and the affiuence of the sewers, besides

the drainage waters from houses, hotels, and cheap restaurantson both sidewalks of the street, made that place truly terrifyingfor the timid. No word could be heard but typhus, to such anextent, that a learned doctorof medicine, etc., who had the cou-rage to approach the borders of the cavernous canal for a few

moiiU'iUs, ot course lioldin^- his nose, reproache-l ine s.-umul; ihat

he would lea\-e all those thmi^s mttMTed radiei" than expost' thecit\' to the (hsastcrs ot a eertam epidemic.

In a little compendium st\led, Kxcavations on the Siteoftile main 1 emple ot Mexico, published 1)\' l)r. Seller, m thetenth line ot the iirst i)aiL>e it saws: 0\\ini;- to these finds, the

interest not onK ! scientific circles was aroused, but that of the

entire eitw 1 his interest brought al)out a fortunate result, as

the Mexican Cioxernment ^a\e orders that the erudite and theemployees alike should watch the works ot canalization, m or-

der to see that the laborers did not madxerteiiK' oxerlook the

objects which [Ucv found, and that no sin(>"le monument waslost .

It ma\' be readilv seen that Mr. Seller wrote his work thous-ands ot miles distant trom the theatre of these operations, sincehe assures inexactitudes such as 1 ha\e )ust transcribed. No,Doctor, no one but I and m\- son, SaKador Batres, remained mthe drain tcd

since, as learned men, they are liriident. VUcy reserved the ri

Document No. i.

Since the bemnnino- of the drainage works in the citv, there

has been found in different places archaeoloirical objects ofgreateror less importance, which until today have been destroyed orsold by the workmen reoardless of beino- the property of thenation.

As the work progresses in the direction of the Main Plaza,and it is known that in this place thousands of most importantmonuments belonging- to the main Teocalli and to the Coapa-//i ?\.v& buried, I call the attention of the Supreme Governmentto the fact that if it meets with its approval, to give me authori-

tv so that I would interfere in the works referred to, and reco-ver the specimens which ma\- be discovered, and send them tothe National Museum.

W ith due respect for vou.Liberty and Constitution. Mexico, July 23, 1900.

Leopoldo Batres.

Mr. Secretary of Justice and Public Education.Present.

Document No. 2.

Office of the Secretary ot Justice and Public Education,Mexico. Bureau of Preparator\' and Professional P^ducation.No. 8956.

Acknowledging receipt of your letter of the 23d. inst.. the

lO

President of the RepuMic has been ])lease(l to i^rant \

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tuted for the timber at present in use, and that new cramj)-ir()nsbe j)ut, in order to duly arrest the weio-ht of earth, avoiding- alldanger.

Which I take pleasure in comunicatinc to vou.Liberty and Constitution. Mexico, Nov. 7, 1900.

Guiri.l-.K.MO l)]-. IIlCREDIA,Architectural KiiKiiiccr.

I ha\'e the honor of sendino- to you a report relative to thearchaeological explorations which, by the directions of your De-partment, were carried out in Kscalenllas street during the monthsof September, October, November, and December, 1900.

Very respectfully.Liberty and Constitution, Mexico, jul\- 24, 1902.

Leopoi.do Batres.

Mr. Secretary of Justice and Public Education.Present.

REPORT.

On the 31 of August, 1900, I commenced my visits of ins-pection to the sanitary works, beginning with the constructions

discovered in Santa Teresa street, near Seminary street. Oneof the contracting engineers, Mr. Braulio Martinez, had the kind-ness to tell me that, besides the constructions that I saw in the

levees, there had been discoverd a door, whose jambs were ofwell carved stone, but which was now covered with the wallsof the collector trench.

Afterwards I went to the warehouse of the contractors, situatedin the same street of Santa Teresa, and took possession of theobjects discovered at this place, deposited there b\- these gen-tlemen.

List of Objects.

A stone idol m erect position was found, with the lowerpart broken, set upon a small base; it appeared to be whitewashed.Dimension, i'".'A human skull sculptured in stone. Height,0.23A rough stone upon which was found sculptured a hu-man face; measure, 0.36Twenty-three earthen utensils, in-cense-pots, all broken. Most of them have the form of a tumbler.They rest upon three cvlindrical feet. Different dimensions.Of some there were onlv fragmentsA shapeless porous stonewith fragments of mortar in some parts; measure, 0.5 7A frag-ment of an ornament of clav like a halo; measure: 0.65 long;

height, 0.2 1 5A rectangular stone, engraved only on its rectan-gular sides; dimensions: 2. 38 long, 1. 10 broad, 0.23 high.

I Measures are indicated in metres and decimals of metre.

MNo. O.

Discoveries of September 4.

There aj)|)eai\(l in I'Lscalerillas street. 111 the (hrection ofSeminary .street, xanous constructions ol masonrw the most no-tal)le beino- a staircase", two metres in width, formed of threesteps; each step measures 0.22 heii^ht 1)\" 0.26 tread, coated o\erwith cement ot mortar of hme. This staircase was looking' to-ward the west. \\ liere the little stairi'ase seemed to end, a slant-int^- wall was (hscox'ered, following the same (hrection as thestaircase. On (hsco\erin

I":

Stone, wihch measures 0.755 "t Hci((ht by 0.61 in diameter, oneof the most interesting; specimens which the National Museumpossesses. Of this idol I sent aphotooraphic copy to the Minis-ter of Justice and Public Iiducation (see first plate of Apendix).

This layer of debris was extended the entire leuirth of Es-calerillas street, rcachino- different depths below the level of thestreet.

No. II.


The discovery of the staircase, commenced on the fourthof this month, was completc'd. It had nine steps, the first threeincluded.

i6

No. III.

At the foot of llu' last step of the staircase, appeared lari>-cflaostones, perfectly worked and united together. T^ach stonemeasured 4.30 m thickness.

No. IV.


Four i)()ts()fclay I^ if teen earthen l)o\vlsAclaN' urn with-

out co\-er, m the shape of a hed^ehou-, painted red and \ellow;measure, 0.22 m height, 0.49 in diameterForty knives of silex.A sepulchre in rectangular form, composed of six flaostones

A broken brasier of clav, j)ainted red; the feet are spherical, andthe circumference is adorned with circular fioures; heioht, 0.23;diameter, 0.325, lackino- one foot Another brasier, the sameas the first, in good state of preservation Two large brasiers,each one resting upon three spherical feet, with Maltese crosses

of o[)en work; they are painted white, and one with the lower

border painted red on one of its sides only. The bowl of oneof them is broken at the to{); 0.45 m height, 0.42 in diameter

A cylindrical incense-pot of clay, with two feet, painted white,broken in different places; measure. 0.26 in heightNumeroushuman bones.

No. V.

Discoveries of October 28.

A little staircase composed of four steps, built of masonry,each step measuring 0.29 height, 0.22 tread.

At the foot of that staircase, always below the la\er of te-

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^^n

i8

zontlc stone, was discovered the largest number of iinportant ob-jects which the excax'ations ha\c produced, consistm^ ol two te-zoiUlc .-.tone statues re[)resentni^- the ^od Mliecatl (the ^od of

the winds), measurinoo.5 5A curious shell with the two articu-larpiecesTwent\fi\'e snail-shells of different sizes, from 0.29to o. I 2 ^, in very ii'ood state of preservation rwentvthree shells

of different dimensions and forms, one of them \erv beautiful.Six frao'ments of sann'A disk ot wood, 0.13 111 diameter bragments of a snake of stone, entirely smooth Two littleinstruments of stone, of 0.47 to 0.35A little skull of stone,verv well modeled, measuring 0.04 One hundred and twcKetlmt knues of different sizes and colors l\\o little heads ofstone, fineK' carx'cdA fragment of human bone, \-erv hnel\'carved, measurinoo.07

Ihree [)ieces of obsidian; two are small

knives with one of their extremities endino- ni a circular sur-

face, and the other in an arrow point

Iwo pieces of shell, of pa-rallelopipedic shapeThree pieces of polished stone, instrumentsfor art An uncarved stone, with a small perforation, 0.075mean diameter dWo annular pieces, 0.067 in diameter

A

perforated stone, decidedh' conical in shape, 0.06 at the base,

and 0.017 in heightFour stone disks, three carxed on oneof Its sides, and the other with a circular perforation m the cen-tre, 0.075 ""> diameterFive pieces of fine stone A necklace oftwenty beads of fine stone, ofan oblono' form. Of these beads, oneis parallelopii)edic, and the others are in the shape of a jewel

A necklace of twent\-fi\'e pieces of fine stone, most of thembeadsA necklace of forty-one beads of fine stone, and an-other piece of marbled stone representing" the head of an animalA necklace of fifty-five pieces of fine stone, most ot thembeadsA necklace of fort\-two beads of fine stoneA neck-lace of fortv-one beads of fine stoneA necklace of sixty-se-ven beads of fine stoneA necklace of fifty-six beads of finestone, also, and an amulet-A necklace of fifty-two beads offine stone, and an amulet of the same material, representing a

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/I

iiDlO*a^utji..)j^^^ ^f\

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human headA necklace ofseventv-seven ohlonir and spherical,somewhat flattened, heads of fine stoneA necklace ( ! little headsof mother of pearlA j)iece of stone sensihlv conical in shape.perforated, 0.03 5 in diameter, 0.02 in heiorhtA|)ieceot whitishstone, perforated, 0.02S loni^. Two strings of cop[)er mor-ris-bellsA small snail-shell strin_i^ Two strings ol coj)permorris-hellsA small snail-shell stringA flint knife, remark-able for its unusual dimensions, since it is 0.6 15 lon^-. An ob-ject of clay, in the form of a disk, with ornaments m the shaj)eof architectural roses on one of its faces, 0.063 in diameter

1 wo little instruments of stone, 0.047A stone mask, polished,gray-green in color, with circular perforations, and one eye ofsulphuret of copj)er, o. 1 8 high A set of very small beads ofmother of pearl, the largest measuring 0.004, and the smallest0.002-A wooden instrument in the shaj^e of a globe with anoblong additionA rectangular slab, of a very porous stone,with a snake (crotalus) sculptured on one of its sides. On thesnake's body, a series of circles in relief may be seen. The slab is0.56 long, 0.555 l^i'oad Fhree polychrome incense-pots of clay,formed of a vessel similar to a stewing-pan. One of these m-cense-pots ijas cross-shaped perforations; another cross-shai)edand circular, and the other has them in different shapes. 1 hehandle of one of these incense pots ends in a serpent's head.

On the C(3nvex side of one of these pots is a kind of owl's headin oj)en work and relief which, I believe, represents a Tlaloc.It measures 0.60 in length, 0.22 in diameter. Another of theseincense-pots represents a Tlaloc; it measures 0.625 in height,

0.245 in diameter. The other incense-pot has only six cross-shaped perforations, and the handle ends in a talon. It mea-sures 0.67 long 0.26 diameter. These three objects are very re-markableTwo polychrome pots of fine manufacture. One ofthem measures 0,25 in height (fig. i), and the other 0.24 (fig. 2)

An incense-pot ofpolychrome clay, with open work in the shapeof crosses. It is 0.23 in diameter; the handle ends in a serpent's

head, twisted at the upper part, where there is a whistle. It mea-

sures 0.41 in lengthAn incense-pot, broken at its border, sim-ilar to the preceding- one, 0.226 m diameterAn mcense-|)()t,also broken at the border, without a handle, similar to the laU

mentioned, 0.225 in diameter -An incense-pot in frai^^ments, thesame as those just nn-ntioncd. On the outside, this one has or-naments in relief, circular in form. Measure, 0.24 m diameter

Another incensepot of polychrome clav, in fragments. Itsopen work is of a sj)ecial cross-shape typeAnother incense-pot of claw in fragments, with cross-shaped open work, similar

to that one with reliefs in circular formTwo other polychromeincensepots in h'agments, with open work in the sha|)e of cros-ses. A lot of twenty handles of mcense-pots, similar to thosementioned before The neck of a polychrome vaseA frag-ment of a j)ol\chrome vase, representing a human bod\-. with thehead off.

The hieroglyphics on the in-cense-pots, and the two statues of/i/ura// CRVved on them, here dis-

covered, clearly indicate that here

was the site of a Temple of the godof the winds, and that these in-censepots were used in the feast

in honor of the sacred fire.

Two gold disks in the form ofcvmbals , with four perforations

(fig. I ). One of them was founddoubled, and afterwards we found( )ut that some one had tried to stealit. Thev are 0.13 in diameter^Six annular smooth disks, also of

gold (fig. 2), 0.05 in diameter

An ornament for the nose, representing a butterfly (fig. 3), 0.078high, 0.075 broad.

Cosies "FoRrzRia Diaz'

()"(^ ^\SPlate v. Codex Porfirio Diaz.

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Plate F represents a fi((iire taken from the Codex PorfirioDiaz. It niav be seen m this fioure, that about the lower l()I)ule

of the nose it has an attribute similar to fio-. 3, No. V. This pro\-esthat the object of gold mentioned above had been worn as anose]"ing'.

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Two small wooden heads (fio-. i)An Idol, enoraved on agreen stone tablet (fio-. 2)An idol oforay soap stone (fio-. 3).A \ery curious skull ot sulphuret of copper, sliownino- atthe back part how it was made (fio-. 4). It measures 0.06

A

shin-bone of a child, enonixcd near the higher end. The en-gra\ino- represents a rabbit (fio-. 5). It is 0.156 long^Two lit-tle heads of stone, \-cry ex(iuisitely worked. The first one has avery fine head-(h"ess; both are perforated (figs. 6. (S). Measure,0.03 and 0.045 respectivelyA piece of stone, rectangular in

sc

form, with a relief that calls to mindthose of Xochicalco. Ihis relief re-

presents a personage, seated with

the leQfs crossed, a beautitul tuft on

the head, and a s\'mhol at the ob-server's left ( fig. 7 ). It measures

o.ioS m height, 0.09 in breadth.

A piece of green stone with \er)-exquisite carving on one side, repre-

senting a tiger knight. It has a per-

foration accross the stone. It is 0.02 2

broad, 0.018 high, 0.008 thick.

An earthen x'essel of peculiarshape, haxing rugosities on its la-teral surface, with its top co\er. It

measureso.2 i inheight, 0.44 m dia-

meter An idol of porous stone,sittino- in a cowerino- manner with

the arms crossed resting upontheknees. Thehead is ornamented withscollops of relief. It is o. 1 7 high

A broken disk of fecali, carved onboth surfaces, o. i 6 in diameter

A stone idol sensibl}' laminar; it isstandino", with the hands on the

'

breast. It is 0.182 highA wood-en instrument used for weaxing,called in Aztec tzatzopazfly, a hardheaxv wood called tepeguaje. whichthey employed for tightmg the wo\'en threads. It is 0.74long Three small masks, one of marble and two of stone.

The one of marble measures 0.08, and the otlier two mea-sure 0.075. ^^ three are perforated Several necklaces of

stone luo necklaces of co[)per jingle -bells

Xw earthen

disk which measures o.io in (haiiieter A stone idol wliiehmeasures 0.14 m hcii^ht I^i^lit small masks ol tmc stone.one 0} which has a j:)ecullar form, is perforated, and measures0.14 An instrument of ^ray stoneA small head of stonerepresenting- a coyote. It measures o.oS 1)\- 0.064 An idolof i^orous stone whuh represents a ilaloc. It is 0.12 hi^h-

-

A bead of porous stone, measurino- 0.07An instrunnnt of Hintof j)eculiar foi'm, measuring- 0.13 in lengthA knife with white.md red hieroglyj)hics, measuring 0.24A necklace of stonebeadsSix fragments of mother of |)earl; two of circular form0.025 "1 diameter, and four with carxings; one of the last men-tioned has the shape of an c/o. and is perforated.

No. VI.


A stone idol i-epresenting the Sad In(lian,sat scjuattingwith the arms crossed and resting upor the kneesAn idol'sh(.:a(l of tezontle stone, representing Ilaloc, with a roun

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0.165, O.I 5- 0.16, o.i8respecti\cl\A necklace of four beads ofcrreen stone, and a little stone maskA necklace of lih\- hc-ads

of green stone and an amuletAnother necklace of thu-ty-eightbeads of green stone and an amulet with a star cngraxed on it-

A necklace of fifty-one beads oi green stone , w ith a long

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cylindrical objectA necklace offifty beads of i^reen stone ancl ablack perforated amulet Another with iittyfour round andCN'lindrical beads and a [perforated circular stone Another ofeiohty-oneobjectsofdifferent forms and kmds of stonesAr.otherof eio:htv nieces of stone, most ofthem beadsAnother of sixtvpieces, similar to the one just mentioned Anf)ther of ei^^hty-four beadsAnoti'erwith fifty-eight pieces, most ofthem beads Another with one humdred and forty-three little pieces ofstoneAnother with seventy-three pieces of stone, most of thembeadsAnother with one hundred and seventeen pieces, thesame as the preceding one Another with sixty-four beadsand a cylindrical objectAnother with fifty beads, a little idol,and a small rectangular object Two other necklaces, withninetv-two beads eachAnother with ninetv-oneAnother withseventy beads and a perforated diskAnother with .-eventv-seven beadsAnother with seventy-eightAnother with eightv-threeAnotherw ith fifty-four - Another with fortv-nineTwourns very well preserved, of a quadrangular form, with theirrespectiv^e top covers. These urns are 0.2 1 5 high, o. 1 3 broad

Several child skullsSeventy silex knives.

No. MI.


Thirty-tw^o idols of i)olished stone, rudel\- workedManvshells Snail-shells and jaw-bones of (juadrupcds. seemiiv^lvof tiger Two Hint km\'es, blood stainedAn idol of basal-tic stone, sitting with the arms crossed and resting u|)on theknees, with tusks sticking out of the mouth. It is 1.44 high

A basaltic stone, painted white, almost circular in form, broken,w ith reliefs on botli surfaces. It measures 0.80 in diameter on thecomplete side, and o.6o on the broken side - A long idol of

30

green stone, painted red, secminsj^ly a woman, with the arms pla-

ced ale )n

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Sign ^


An idol of green stone o. 1 4 high, looking toward the north,inside of a niche made of five flagstones, each stone measuring0.50 square. It was found inheded in the south side wall of the

trench. It seems that the figure is sittingTwo knives of silex.Near these was found a layer of hard mortar m the form of

a vessel Four long human bones, two pamted l)lack, one red,and another in its natural colorSeveral little masks of clay, andabundant copal resin.

No. YIII.


A construction in the form of a tower, crowned by fourdenticulated turrets, built on the northern side. Each turret is

0.45 high, 0.32 broad, each dentil being 0.12 broad, 0.17 high.

The crown was 6.05 in circumference, 1.90 in diameter, and0.34 in depth. The turreted part was found under the wallof the trench. In the center of the circle formed by the crown

was a hollow of rectangular form, the northern and southern

sides measuring 0.84 each, and the eastern and western sides,

0.29 each.

The drainage waters poured in torrents upon the crown ofthe tower, a circumstance which rendered impossible its explo-

ration and made the use of a pump necessary. Duly authorizedbv that Department, I caused a centrifugal pump of ten horse-power to be installed by the Sieniens & Halske Co.

Mr. Francisco Neueebauer inft)rmed me that he would go

to examine the place in order to see what was to be clone; hutasked nie to tell the Department that the compan\- would notcharge an\thmg for the use of the pump, tor the installation of

same, nor for ])o\ver; that this would be the contribution of theconi[).-in\- to die disco\-ery of those imi)nrtant relics of anti(|uity.

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No. IX.


An idol of tczontle stone, reprcsentins^ the god Tlaloc, per-fectly identified. It measures 0.20 P21even flint pieces. Eachone has a s[)here-shaped addition of copal resin of various de-mcntions. Iheir averai^e measure is 0.07.

Thisdisco\'erv shows that the laroe kni\'es of silex were notsimply cutting instruments, but that they symbolized thedevineflint, or the father of all the oods.

No. X.


Three walls constructed of the same material as those ofthe tower, coated also with lime mortar. Thev are parallel from

34

north to south, and cross thr Ircnch. They measure 0.09 each.They are 1.30 from each other. At a (bstance ot 1.53 ti-oin thefirst the last wall was discovered, which has the form of an arch.

It is 0.80 thick.

In explormi^' the wallsalar^e monkey's head was discover-ed, with open mouth, so well preserved, that e\-ery detail maybe well seen.

Three peons had hid. wrapped in [hew tnui/cs, several si-lex kni\'es and other small ol))ects. The peons, except one whofled, were taken to the proper authorities.

No. XI.


One hundred and ten copper jinii^le-bells. perfectl\- finish-edSixteen lan'e silex kni\es, and a (i^reat number of snail-shells.

No. XII.


A piece of stone rectan^^ular in form, worked on one side,measuring 0.30 high, 0.24 broad (fig. i) A rectangular stone

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worked on one side, measuring 0.41 hi'^h, 0.41 hroad (fig. 2)A rectangular stone worked on one side, representmg a kmdQ>{ tlaloc. It iso.^i^ broad. 0.2 S hi irh (fitr. \) -A reccanjularstone 0.69 high and o.3

:.6

\'aton. as he confessed later, made a laê hole fifl\' eentimtreshelow the ei"o\\ ii of the towel". 1 he ol))eet ol this was to till themonument with the drain waters m order to render liirther ex-ploration im[)ossil)le, since the capacitx' of the pump in operationwas not sufficient to draw out the profuse stream from the drain-age. I he peon and Sal\-atori were taken to the proper autho-rities for in\'estio-ation of the facts, in order that the ouilt\ one

should be punished.

At the same time, I placed a proxisional coHer-dam 'ostop the waters, an operation which enabled me to continue theexplorations.

I streno'thened the tower with timber, in order to protect

the laborers, as 1 saw that it had commenced to crack.

No. XIII.

Discoveries of November 4.

A basaltic stone represcntino- a serpent's head, measurinq;0.85 in leno-th b\- 0.50 in breadth (fi^'. i ).

After the stone had been x'crv carefulK' taken out in orderml

to prevent deterioration, the excavation was deepened more.There were found eioht silex knives, smaller than, and of dif-ferent sha{)es from, those found in pre\ious days Six snail-shells, cut and perforated where the spiral end Pottery andhuman remains wêre also found, all of which was dul)' put inorder.

At five o'clock, the installation of the electric pump wasfinished and immediatel}- commenced to operate with such suc-cess that in a short while the trench was almost drv.

On the 3 I , the water inside the turreted tower was pump-ed out, and the exploration the interior was beûn. After themud had been remox'ed we foundasmall mortar coating, which

3.7

was examined. Nothino' of interest was found in the coatini^,so it was destroyed m order to contmue the exjjloration. Therewas found a threat deal of charcoal dust in the center of a smallsitting- idol which was painted red. It is 0.13 hi^li 1Wo ob-

sidian kni\'es, and many traoments of skulls and other humanbonesThere was also found a small stone w ith a circular holeiiV)the center.

No. XIV.


Two stones of porph\-r\- which represent two snake heads,same as the previous ones. They measure 0.85 in length and0.17 in height. See figs. 2 and 3 of plate XIII.

No. XV.


Two stones of basalt which measure 0.17 m height and0.85 in length (see fig. 4 of plate XIII., and fig. 5 of this plate).Thev represent snake heads like the ones mentioned before, butthese have the mouth less opened and show their lour tangs.Also the form of the upper part of the head differs from theothers.

,^H

rets and of the erown ot the tower

At li\e o'cloek I sus-

pended all work on theexploration ot the tower,

heeause we struek a \'er\'

nuid\ and hiMttle earth,whuh olti'iH'd imminentdanger ot tailing" m. Be-tore suspen(hi>" the workI took moulds ot the tur-

No. XVI,


A l)it of oTound paved with lar^e flao-stoncs. Under it onehundred c()pj)erjinole-]:)ells were foundA flint knife 0.30 lono;A small pot of clay of a yellow redish color, and numerousbroken potter\- of the same style. With these objects o-reat manybones were found, which seem to be of carnixorous animals

Afine amulet ofjade,artisticalK' polished andsculptured It has the

form of a human headwith the head-dressof the tiger knight(Ocelod)A loo- twometres lono- Twentyfragments of poly-

chrome i)ottervA small pot containing a snail-shell. It is 0.08liio-hA fragment of an earthen disk, polychrome on one side,with two circular perforations An object of tezontle stone, of

39

an annular form, measuring- 0.325Xine objects of stone, co-

nical in form, instruments for the arts.

No. XVII.


A platformof masonry coated with mortar. I nits lower partthe ground had two snake heads imbeded in it, painted yellow,

very similar to those already described, ]:)ut much better sculp-tured ( figs. 6, 7 ). The first snake head was discovered 0.90from the southern side of the trench, and the other atadistanceof 1 .09 north of

the first one. Onthe upper [)art of

the platform, on

the north-eastern

side of the trench,

is a hole 0.19 m

diameter and 0.30in depth, running

clown until it reaches one of the snake heads, with wIticIi it

communicates.

No. XVIII.


A construction in the form of a dice, with its sides co\-er-ed with human skulls and crossed thigh-bones, sculptured inhieh relief. In the ioints ot the stone blocks it mav still be seen

remains of the paint which once covered the skulls, a white coat-

ing and a light green paint.

40

On tlu' u|)i)cr and Iowxm- j)arts, all around, is sculptured arope, indicating- that the construction was tied. On the easternside a smaller construction was found, restm^- uj)()n the laro^e

construction. This smaller construction, similar in torm to the

large one, which seems to bean altar, is also covered with hu-man skulls sculptured on the small blocks ol tezontle stone. In

the center of the smaller construction is incrustated a skull of

stone.

This monument, uj) to the edge of the surface already dis-coxered. measures 1.335 ^^^^^^ surface is covered with mortar of

lime, w ith hgures j)ainte(l red and black, representing skulls andbones. The state ot preservation both of the j)ainte(l and thesculpturetl rtgures, is \'ery remarkal)le. The whole constructionis made of tezontle stone.

Near this monument were found three steps 0.22 of treadand 0.20 in height each step.

On the 21 I had timbered the excavation made on the j)re-vious day, in order to finish the exploration of the monument.When the whole monument was discovered, I had a photogra-phic xiewof it taken. Its final measures are: height. 1.45; pedestal,0.885; length. 2.44 and the pedestal, 2.96; width 1.96 by 1.75.

This whole constructir)n was mo\-ed to the National Mu-seum. Ihe work of removal was a hard and delicate one. As themonument was built of small blocks of stone, and its upper sur-face was coated with a \ery fine cement of mortar on whichskulls and bones were painted in green and blue colors, and thewhole monument had to be taken out of its foundations, therewas great danger of being broken into pieces.

On the 22 two fiightsof steps were discovered on the sidesof the basement u])on which the altar of the skulls is huWt.Each section of the staircase: was composed of two ste{)s. thelower one being 0.24 in height and 0.2 i of tread, and the upperone 0.19 of tread and 0.21 in height. The staircase ran towardthe west, and gave access to the large wallsurroundinir the altar

4t

on the northern and southern sides. Fortune and the courageand skill ot iii\- lanorcrs helloed me, all dan^^er was averted,and the comi)lete moiuiinent was taken away without suffering

r^

NVrlhern and Western Sides of the Altar.

liastern and Southern Sides ol the Altar

Ill the least. Now our arch acolhot possesses a genuine speci-men of the j)rehistoric architecture of thecit\ of Mexico.

Ihroui^'h a crack found on tlie upper plane of the altar, 1

could see that another monument was constructed mside. I madean opening and discovered two A/// ///^>//'////. some knives of si-lex, and se\'eral ornaments of mother ofi)eail. I made the oj)en-ino- larorer, andtoda\' thenif/nument constructed inside ma\' heseen.

No. XIX.

Discovery of November 23.

A rectanuular stone, with a rectaiii^ularhollow made m the center. It measures i'" inheight, 0.71 in width, o. 67 in (le{)th.

No. XX.


In the same place, an earthen broken

brasier of ac)'lindrical form was found.

It has a stripe around the upper part,and another near the base, close to adouble line of small circles in relief.

On the lateral exterior surface ithas attached a kind of crest of clay. Thebrasier measures 0.755 >'' hei(^ht,o.65

in diameter.

43

\o. XXI.


A brasier identical to the one just describerl, broken inpieces.

No. XXII.


An urn, incrustatecl in the wall of the trench. It is a boxof tezontle stone, perfectly wrought. It is 0.46 long, 0.46 broad,

0.42 high, the walls being 0.05 thick. The top cover is formedby a flagstone, upon which is a large sphere of porphyry,supported by a small circular fluted base. The sphere meas-ures 0.75 in diameter; from the base, 0.58, and 0.75 in thicknessThree conical pieces of tezontle stone, in the form of a spike,l)ainted white on one of their ends. Each measures 0.25 bv0.14 Within the urn, sixteen silex kniv^es of different sizeswere found^Several human bones Fift\' beads of jade Asmall pot of clay, su{)ported by three fet with two handles ofpeculiar form. It is 0.07 high, 0.056 in diameter at the mouth.

No. XXIII.


Three spheres of j)orphyry, perfectly- made; two of theseare painted, one blue and the other red. Each has a diameterof o. 1 5.

oNo. XXIV.


T\ventv-t\v() knixcs ofsilcx, and two more sphcM'cs of por-phyry, measLirino- o. 1 5 an

45

No. XXV.

Discoveries of December 7.

Another skull monument, in ruins, of whieli there rcmamsonly the lower part and the nucleus, consistm^' of two c\lin-(lers of stone. One measures 0.65 m leni>"th and 0.3.^ mchame-

ter, having the s}'mbol Miquizfli. The other is 0.46 in leu'^thand 0.22 m diameter at its base. Each cylinder represen'iS A7////-mo/pi/Ii, or tie of years. The smaller one is })ainted hkie andyellt)W.

I oday I began to |)rej)are m\' work for remoxing the monu-ment of tezontle stcMie called altar.

No. XXVI.


I here were blocks of stone belonging to the monument inruins, and another altar similar to the ones mentioned before.This was left incrustated in the northern wall of the trench.

46

B>o

a

47

No. XXVII.


An idol of j)nri)h\ry, |)ainte(l red. Fhc idol is in a sittiiKJ-position, havino- on the breast a shield with a kind of circularcoatFour pots of clay, restino^ upon a circular base. Each hasmodeled a hiunan head on one side and also two handlesTwocylindrical pieces of clay, which seem to l)e tepoiuixties withtheir reeds or tongues. At one end of each of them, there is al-so a cylindrical piece of clay, and at the other end each one hasa circular hole. Length, 0.20; diameter, 0.10Seven pieces, si-milar to the precedmg ones, but restmg uj)on a fluted circularbase. Length, 0.155 and o. i 2; diameter, o.oS and 0.45 Fi\'eobjects of clay, of regular form. On the obverse of each are en-graved several stripes, and have attached an apendix of sj)her-ical shape. On the edges they hav^e four ornaments in front ofeach other, representing the hieroglyphic Z^'/z^^r//. On the backsurface is a circular perforation with an edge arround in thef )rmof a cord. They are o.ii in length l\vo objects similar tothe first five mentioned, but instead of four, these ha\'e onK'twoornaments. They are 0.12 longA flute ot clav, 0.22 long

Two broken rattles of cla\' in the shape of egg beaters. Theyare composed of a cylindrical handle and a pomgranate shapedbox at one end. They measure 0.13 and o. i 2 respectix'elySix fragments of rattles, similar to the preceding ones Anobject of cla)', representing a human fluted thigh-bone, 0.16longA set ol three objects of cla)-, similar to the one justmentioned, both broken in two fraonientsThree fraomentsofobjets like the preceding ones A set of twent\-foiir differentfragmentsA turtle of clay, made of two pieces. On the upperpart is a circular piece resembling a twisted cord. It is 0.12

A set of twenty-four different fragments of turtle like the one

49

just describedTwo pieces of tezontle stone, resembling" tepo-jiaxtles of clay, but without the circular reeds or tongues. Theyare o. i (S5 long eachTwo long engraved pieces of tezontle stone,measuring 0.35 and 0.29 respectively. They represent c[uivers.Three pieces of tezontle stone composed of a long handle anda kind of globe attached at one end. They are o. 1 8 and o. i 7 res-

pectivelyA turtle of redish stone, o. i 5long and o.c; high An instrument oftezontle stone 0.31 longA teponaxtlc,with its reeds on!)' engraved, o. 1 9 long

A icponaxtle, identical to the prececHngone, with circular perforations on the lower

part. It is o. I 7 longA pot of clay witha human head sculptured on its surface.I leight, o. I I ; diameter at the mouth of thej)ot, 0.1 ITwo objects of clay, smiilar tothose already describedAn object of clay,which seems to be a quiver, 0.225 long

A rattle of clay, the shape of its box being that of a poppy-fruit.The rattle has the form of an egg-beater. It measures 0.145in lengthA human thigh-bone of clay, with [)arallel fiutingscarved on it. It is 0.145 long.

All these objects are pamted with \ermilion red. Judgingb)' the fact that these objects are musical instruments, it is ra-tional to believe that the deity mentioned at thebeeinnino- of thisNo. was the Euterpe of the ancient Mexicans.

Front Viewof the Re'.l Idol Oesn ibed above.

APPENDIX

Discovery of September 6.

J//(////J;///Death.

I'his is a statue of oreen stone, o. 7 5 high

and 0.6^ in diameter.

This monument, although mutilated at sex'eral places, has

its hieroolvphs preserved well enough to show us what it un-doubtedl)' represents.

The face of the idol is characterized by the front part of ahuman skull resting u[)on the vertex of the truncated cone which

forms the body of the dcitw ()nthe surface of the skull there are

sculptured mhi^h-i'cliet, hieroi^l)'-

phics that usualK' acconipan\' this

o-oddess m the dittereiit h-fcciias.

or terms ot thirteen days, ot the

Tonalainall.

The hieroo'lvphies referred to fig. 2.

are on the lateral sides ol the hody,on the to}) of the skull, on the fringe of

the robe, on the Hat surface of the idol,

and on both sides of the skull, at the

parietal regions.

I. I. mark two of the four hands

that fall from the neck at the sides of

the bodw In \w\ conception, they re-present four nuicui/Iis, which simbo-lize the number 20, which is the lastda}' in the fioure Miquiztli'\r\ the ca-

lendar of the Tonalaviatl.

Fig. 2 represents one of the skulls

that form the fringe of the goddess's

robe, and means Miqiiiztli with Mi-quizHi in the seventh trecejia.

Fig. 3 represents one of the hiero-

glyphics on the lateral side of the skull

,

and means Miqiiiztli accompanied byTecpatl {%iX\\.) in the tenth trecoia (No. \.)

53

II. marks the four paws of Ocelot! {(x^^^x), acompanied by Mi-qtihtlim the second and fifteenth trecenas. III. marks the hiero-

glyphic of Ccnfcofl, companion of Miq2iizf/i in the thirteenthtrecena. I \' . marks the i)rmcipal hieroglyph ic of Tcpeyolotl {\\

Great Temple of the City of Mexico.

Lines showinir the extension of the Great Temple of Mex-ico, and the position of the two chapels, one dedicated to Huit-

zilo|)ochtli and the other to Tlaloc,Trace of Escalerillas street, where the descoveries were

made.Coateocalli, tem[)le situated at the north-east corner of the

Coapantli, discovered by Captain of Enoineers Porfirio Diaz

durino- the works of rebuildino; the house No. 8 Reloi and Cor-

dobanes streets.No. I marks the place where the precious tiger, which I

caused to be taken to the National Museum, was discovered.

No. 2 marks the place where the great serpent headof stone wasfound, which also was taken to the National Museum. In 1892

1 located this temple in the plan which I made by the directionsof the Geographical an Statistical Society, under the title P2say

on the Reconstruction of the Ancient City of Tenoxtitlan, as

it was in the year 1521 A. D., since it was undoubtedly located

b\' the descovery made by Mr. Porfirio Diaz. Jr.The city of Mexico at the coming of the Spaniards must

ha\e been 3.20 below^ the present level. This is shown by thedepth at which the four flagstones which formed part oi thecourt of the area occupied by the great Temple and the subor-dinate edifices within the enclosure of the serpents were found.

This court corresponds to the last step of the Coateocalli.NoTA Bene. I have not marked the five bodies or stories

of the basement of thegreat teocalli, on account of the small pro-

jection of the illustrati(.)n.

uMoi'K . It t

CncLE DE CORDOBAIveS .

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CALLS oe LAS ESCAueiflLLAS

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Plan of the Great Temple of Mexico,

Published by Dr. Seller.

a. Teucalii, the Temple,1). Oiiaiihxicalli, the vase of the cao-le knigfhts.

c. Calmecatl, the priest's dwellings,

(1. Yxnioinoztli, the front or outer altar,

e, Otiauhcalli, the dwelling of the eagle knights.

f Tciitlac/itli, the ball play-ground of the god.g. Tzinupanfli, the platform of the skulls,

h. Yopico fciicalli, the temple Yopico, the temple of Xipe.i, Tertialacafl, the stone in the form of a wheel.k, ColJmacaii, the temple of Colhuacan.

1. MaciLil ciietzpalli, the god Five Eft,m, Maaiil cai/i, the god Five House.

n. Ytvalli, the dancing esplanade, or the court of theTemple,

o, Coatcjiaiuit/, the wall of the serpents.

p. Tcuquiyaoatl yo excan callacovalla, the doors of thegods; through them it could be entered from three different sides

The location and object of the buildings is shown by a kindof plan, as seen in plate I. In this j)lan the letters a-p have beenplaced according to the preceding ennumeration.

The great pyramid with gratles is marked by the letter ain the plan. On the upper platform were the sanctuaries of thenational gods, Uitzi/opocht/i -aw^X T/d/oc, the god ot Rain, sideby side. Both sanctuaries are marked in our plate, where it maybe seen that each one was reached bv a special stairway.

I shall add that accordino- to the ineciuixocal lano-uao^em Tezozomoc's Cj^oiiica Mcxicana, ' the upper platform was

I Cap.' 30.

58

reached hv three fliohts of steps, and that the main front of theTemple looked toward the south, that is to say. toward theplaza which at |)resent forms the center of the cit}'. According;to Tezozomoc also, as shown m oiir illustration, the court ot theTemple could >be entered throuo^h three gates made m the walls.This corrects Durans erroneous statement m his description of

the threat Temple, ' that there werefour entrances to the lour j)rin-

cipal wa\s.The numl)er()l steps, accordino- to Tezozomoc, corresponded

to the numhcr ot daws m the year, or 360, each Hi^ht haxm^120 steps. This is corroborated 1)\- Cortes, who m his report otthe conquest ' says, that o\'er one hundred steps gave accessto the [)latform of the Temple. Motolim'a^ afhrms the same thing,

and Andres de Tapia, ^ one of the conquerors, is still morespe-citic, as he states that the number ot steps was ot 1 13. ^

Explanation of the Plan of the Excavations inEscalerillas Street.

The dotted horizontal lines mark, in red fii^ures, the dis-tance between the corner of Escalerillas and Seminario streetsand the place where the discox'ery was made.

The \ertical lines from the loni^itudinal section to the cen-tral plane of the street mark, in metres and centimetres, the depthat which the objects were found.

The Roman numbers o\'er each one of the lines correspondwith the same numbers in the text, where the dates in whichtile discoveries made are to be found.

The arrow at the right hand end of each horizontal linemarking the distance, touches the vertical line marking- the depthof the finding. The coincidence of these points of interesectionmeans that both the i";oriz')ntal and xertical lines correspond tothe same disco\'ei"\'.

The hea\-v dotted line alon >- the center of the street repre-sents the drainage trench in whicli the ex{)lorations were made.

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TIP Y LIT Lf\ FJROPZA f

MY TRIP TO NEW YORK CITYon the

Mexican Central, Rock Island, Michigan Central, and New YorkCentral Railroads.

TH iiEXKAN CCNTRAL.Tb? ^1J^!cal) Central Railrway, which connects tlie Republic of Mexico

with the Uhited States is, without doubt, the safest and most comfortable of allraihvaj' lines reaching our nortlien border line. With its magnificent Pullmancars, in which the traveler can enjo^ the neccessarj' rest and an excellent and wellsupplied buffet, saves him the annoyance of alighting for meals in the restaurantsat the stations. Besides it passes through the heart of the Republic, touc;iinghistorical points, such as the cit}' of Queretaro, where the CERRO DE LASCAMPANAS [Bells Hill] may be seen, on wliich the high personages of theunfortunate Empire Maximilian, Mejia and Miramon, were executed.

The next important place is Silao, Guanajuato, where may be obtained a verylarge variety of articles of industries purely Mexican, which are taken for sale tothe stations b}- the makers themselves.

Farther on is the picturesque Aguascalientes, where the linen drawn work,whic 1 gives so much delight to the ladies, is made. This is also sold at the station.Here the branch line to San Luis Potosi and Tampico may be taken, along whichthe grandest ttopical scenery can be contemplated.

Travelling on Zacatecas is passed, and then Torreon, where there is change ofcars for Durango and Eagle Pass, Texas.

ROCK ISLAND.In connection with the Mexican Central run the Rock Is'aDd Railway

trailjS. T.ie Rock Island is the best constructed railroad line between El Paso,Texas, and Chicago. Of all the railroads connecting the last two named cities,the Rock Island has the advantage of saving the traveler twelve hours on the trip,to say nothing of the convenience and comfort of its elegant vestibuled trains andfine dining cars, provided with the most excellent cuisine of French and Americanstyle, at very moderate prices, if the high quality of meals served is taken inconsideration.

On this line is located Kansas City, a place of the greatest importance, wherethe best stables of live stock of all kinds are found. The Rock Island has a branchline to Denver, Colorado, on which the Company, wishing to accommodate thepublic, has established a train whicli may be considered the best in the UnitedStates on account of the magnificence displayed in its service and for the excep-tional comfort it affords to tie travelers.

(SOLPCN STAT LIKITCP.The finest train in the World. 28 hours El Paso to Kansas Citv; 42', hours

to Chicago; 66 hours to New York City. Two trains daily from El Paso to allpoints East.

Tlie Company has in all its offices very courteous employes, who cheerfullyfurnish every valuable information needed, not only about their lines, but al.so ofother roads.

MICHIGAN CENTRALFrom Chicago the riicbigai) Central is taken, which carries the traveler as

far as Buffalo, passing along tlie Niagara falls. From the cars a splendid view ofthe most imposing water falls in the world may be obtained, these falls being justlycelebrated for their grandeur.

NW YORK CCNTRAL.In Buffalo the N?W York Ccotral Railway takes the passenger without

transfer to the citv of New York. By taking this route one may be sure to enjoya comfortable, economical and pleasant trip. Having experienced" this myself, it isnothing but paying tribute to justice to recommed these lines to the travelers, if youwant to have a truly enjoyable trip from the city of Mexico to the city of New York.

LEOPOLDO BATRES.

UCS0UTHFRFjR5,rj,

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Documents

Excavación en la calle de las Escalerillas, Leopoldo Batres