OCR Text |
Show • ' H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. fccond body was about a perch 1 fs in length and breadth than the fir.fl: ; the third as much lefs than the fecond; and the re.fl: in proportion, fo that upon each body there remained a free fpace or plain which would allow three, or even four men abreaft to walk round the next body. The fl:airs, which were upon the fouth-fide, were ·made o( la~e well formed ftones, and confi.fl:ed of a hundred and fourteen ftcps, each a foot high. They were not, however, one fingle ftair-cafe continued all the way, as they have been reprefented by the altthors of the Geneneral Hiftory of Travels, and tht: Publifhers of Cortes's Letters, in Me:cico; but were divided into as many feparate ftair-rafes as there were bodies of the building in the manner 01ewn in our plate; [o that after getting to the top of the fir!l: !l:air-cafe, one collld not mount the fccond, without going along the fir!l: plain round the fecond ; nor the third, without going along the fecond plain, and fo of the reft. Thi:s will be better under.frood by confulting the plate, which is copied from thn t of the Anonymous Conqueror (b), but corrected as to the dimen, fions, from that :mthor's own defcription, and other hifiorians. Upon the fifth body was a plain, which we £hall call the upper area., which was about forty three perches long (c), and thirty-four broad, and was as well pav.ed as the great area be\ow. At the eafiern extremity of this plain were raifed two towers to the height of fifty-fix: feet, m: nearly nine perches. Eac.h was div.ided into thtee bodies, of which the lower was of ftone and lime, . and the other two of wood very well wrought and painted. The inferior body or baGs of each were properly the fant:l:uaries, where, upon an altar of ftone,. five feet high, were placed their tutelary ide>ls. One of thefe two fanCl:uaries was confc-a little more than fifty perches. Fiftf brazas, or e}ln.lrJs make two llundred and fifty .fevell Parifi:1n feet, or about forty -two perches. (b) A copy of the drawin~ of the temple made by the Anonymous Conqueror, is to br. found in the colleelion of J o. R:unulio; and another in Fathe1• Kircher's work, entitled, Odipt~ s ..IEgyftitiL'rtJ. (<') Sahagun, whofc meafurcs have been ndo1>ted by Torquemuda, allows no more th an ftt· venty Toledan feet fC]u are, which is abOLlt ten perches, to the upper area ; but it is impofliblc that five hundred l\1e xican noble,, as Cortes aflerts, could have ftood to fight againfl the Spa· niards, in fi:.Ch a narrow fpace; cfpe cially if we believe Bernard Diaz, who f:1ys, that fo11r thoufand Mc .~ icans fort iJicd tllcmfclves in that temple, and that nl!mbcrs had got up before the nobles ;tfccndecl, crated BOOK. \'I. '---v--...1 |