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Show BOOK VII. ~ 8e:cT. XXX. Kitchen and ()ther gardens aud wuuds. H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. O'ranaries were formed by placing the round and equal trunks of the ~amet! in a fqu are, one upon the othP.r~ without. any labour .except that of a fmall nitch towards their extrem1t1es, to adju!l: and umte them fo perfeetly as not to fuffer any pa~age to the light . . 'V.hen the fl:ructure was raifed to a fufficient he1ght, they covered It With another fet of crof~-beam s , and over thefe the roof was laid to defend the grain from rains. Tbofe granaries had no other door or outlet than two windows one belo'vv which was fmal1, and another fomewhat wider above. 'S ome of them were fo large as to contain five or fix thoufand, or fometimes more fanegas (o) of maize. There are fome of this fort of granaries to be met with in a few places at a ditl:ance from the capital, and amongfl: them fome fo very ancient, that they appear to have been built before the conquefi:,; and, according to the information we have had from perfons of intelligence, they prcferve the grain better than thofe which are contl:ruCl:ed by the Europeans. Clofe to fields which were fown they commonly ereCled a little tower of wood, branches and mats, in which a man defended from the fun and rain kept watch, and drove away the birds which came in flocks to confume the young grain. Thofe little towers are ftill made uie of even in the fields of the Spaniards on account of the exceffive number of birds. . The Mexicans were alfo extremely well .£killed in the cultivation of kitchen and other gardens, in which they planted with great regularity and tafl:e, fruit-trees, and medicinal plants and flowers. The latl: of thofe wer~ much in demand, not lefs on account of the particular pleafure taken in them, than of the cuO:o:n which prevailed of prefenting bunches of flowers to their kings, lords, ambaff'adors, anct other perfuns of rank, befides the exceffive qu:mtity which were made ufe of in the temples and private oratories. Amongfi the ancient garde ns, of whi~h an account has been handed down to us, the royal gardens of l\;fexico and Tezcuco, which we have already mentioned, and thofe f the lords of Iztapabpan and 1-iuax tepec, have been much celebrated. Among the gardens of the great palace of the lord of lzt<lpalap:m, there was one, the extent, difpo!ition, and beauty of which cxciteJ the (o) A CalliHan mcafurc of dry goods~ fot·mcrly mc,:tioncd by us. adii'i- II 1 S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. admiration of the Spani fh conquerors. It was laid out in four fquare s, and planted with ev.ery variety of trees, the fight and fceat of which gave infirute ple.tfure to the fellfcs ; through thof(! fquares a nu:nb:r of ro:1ds and p1ths lcJ, fome fonm:d by fruit -bearing trees, and others by efpalit:rs of flowering £hrubs and aromatic herbs. Sever,tl canals from the lake watered it, by one of which their b ~rges could enter. In the centre of of the garden was a fifh .. pond, the circu~ference of which 1neafured 1ixtcen hundred p.1ces, or four hundred from fide to fide, where innumerable water-fowl reforted, and there were fieps on every fide to def~. e :1d to the botto.n . T his garJen, agreeable to the tefiimony of Cortes and Di:-.z, who fc1w it, was planted, or rather extended and improved by Cuitlahuatzin, the brother and fuccelfor in the kingdom to Montezuma II. Ie caufed many foreign trees to be t ranfphntcd the~·e, according to the account of Hocnandez, who faw them . . The garJen of Huaxtep:!c was tl:ill more extenfi.ve and celebrated than the Jail:. lt was fix miks in circumferen ce, and watered by a beautiful river which croffl!d it. Innumerable fpecics. of trees and plants '*.'ere reared there and beautifully difpofcd, and at proper difiances fmm each oth::r dift(;:rent pleafure houfes were creCled. A gre<\t nu~nber of fi:range plants imported from foreign countries were colletted i it. The Spaniar..is for many years preferved this garden, where the}' .c?·l ·vated every kind of medicinal herb belonging oo that clime, for tl\t.ufe of the hofpital which th~y foundl'd there, in which the remarkable hermit, Gr~gorio Lopez, ferved a number of years (p). They paid no lefs attention to the prcfcrvation of the woods which fupplieJ them with fu el to burn, timber to build, and game for tl1c diverfi.on of the king. W c have formerly mentioned the woods of (}) Cortes, in his lctte t• to Charles v. of the r sth of ,l\_'flly, ; p l, told ~tim, that t:IC ~,:arden of ll u:11crepec was the mort e ~ tcn!ivc, rile mort heautlhtl, :mJ mt1 !l deli ghtful wha:h htd ever been beheld. Bernal Dias, in chap. cxlii. of his hiflory fay~. that the gurden wa• mofl wonderful, nntl truly worthy of a great prince. Hr rnandc7. frequently malces mcntiotl of it in his N;•tural Hi!l:ory, and names fcvcrul pl •tltl which were tran fp l ~n tcd th~re, _:111J :t· mong-!1 0 , hen the balfiun-trec. Cortei nlfo.' in his letter to Charles v .. of the 3oth of. Otto· bet·, 1 s.:o, rdates, thut having requcOed km~ Mt ntezumn to cau fc a vtlla to be mude m Malinultcpec for that emperor, two months were harJly elapfcJ when there were ereCted at that place four ood ho ufcs ; tixty fancgas of m ~ i7.c fown, ten of Frcuch bc11ns, two tho• •~nnd fec.t of ground plan ted with ca: no , nnd 11. vaO p•lnd, where five Jnmdred dud a were breculllg, an~ fifteen hunJred turkies were rearing in lt oufcs . C c c 2 king 37·1 BOOK Vi l. ~ |