Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/460

454 The Spaniards drained and laid it out in squares and regular streets; built it up solid with neat, clean houses; two and three stories high. Many of them are fine mansions, with beautiful murmuring fountains, adorned with jete de eau, sparkling in the bright sun like brilliants.

The grand Catholic cathedral—a monument of art, a model of architecture, in a Roman style. On the corner is set in the stone calendar of the ancient Aztec, together with the baptistry.

The city is supplied with good and never-failing water, conducted in by an aqueduct from the Castle of Chapultepec, which fortress, on the 13th of September last, was stormed and captured by our gallant little army.

Cortez, in 1521, previous to capturing the city of Mexico, cut and partly destroyed this aqueduct. After which he rebuilt it more substantially and perfect.

The conquest of Mexico by Cortez has cost the Mexicans hundreds of thousands of lives. They were driven into their temple by droves, after which it was set on fire and all therein were burnt up alive.

The conquest has done one good thing—it has put an end to the annual sacrifice of twenty thousand to twenty-five thousand human beings, whose hearts were torn out by the barbarous Aztec priests on the piedra stone or sacrificial block, which is still preserved and placed in the museum of this city.

The Mexicans are celebrated for their fine leather work, the silver ornamental manufacture, their silk embroidery, gold and handsome jewelry. They are the most daring horsemen on this continent; they are in full national riding dress and trapping, and seated on a $400 to $500 silver-mounted saddle on a full blooded Mexican mustang.

Mexico is a great place for all kinds of people and amusements. In fact, it is spoken of as being one of the best show places known with the number of its population, which is about two hundred thousand.