Page:Travels in Mexico and life among the Mexicans.djvu/551

 of the Miztecs each desired the daughter of the Mexican king for his son to marry. She was given to the Zapotec, upon which the king of the Miztecs made war upon him, and a sanguinary battle was fought upon this very hill, overlooking the palaces of the Zapotec king, and the Miztecs were defeated.

At sunset, we descended from this deserted fortress to the valley that lay below. A solitary plain stretched before us, covered with rock and stone, and a few dry bushes. It was late, and even the pasture boys had gone to their huts, and all was still. As I walked down the steep slopes, I thought upon what this valley must have been when Mitla was in its glory, swarming with the flower of Indian nobility, with men of intelligence, architects of skill, and warriors of renown. How did this little valley support them all? Was it always so dry and sterile? Where are those people now, and how long is it since they built these palaces and tombs?

On our way homeward we visited the town of Teotitlan, the "dwelling of the god," so called because the chief deity of the Indians once had his residence on a high peak overlooking the town. We were met by the alcalde, who wore nothing but a hat, shirt, and sandals, but who carried a silver-headed cane as a badge of authority. The people of the village were clad in rags and were very dirty, while the children roamed around with no covering to their nakedness but their hats, and some of these even were brimless.

A thunder-storm came over and prevented much exploration, but we discovered several large stones, one with a carved representation of a tiger on it, and bought a few very curious jars,