Page:Vol 3 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/493

Rh adornment. On the north were ditches and wide souterrains large enough to contain stores for several months. When Galvez was Wrongfully suspected of treason, it was thought that the palace was intended to serve him as a last retreat and place of defence, should European troops be sent against him. The structure remained unfinished until devoted to other uses after the independence, and its beauty was marred by the addition of an astronomical observatory. From this point is obtained a fine view of the valley, and of the city of Mexico with its towering spires and prominent structures encircled with gardens, orchards, country villas, and shaded causeways.

At the time of Revilla Gigedo's arrival as viceroy of New Spain in 1789, the capital appears to have been in a demoralized condition morally and socially. "It had been converted," says Bustamante, "into a receptacle for immoral persons, coming from all parts of the country, and hiding with greater security in the capital than thieves in their forest haunts and dens; they act with impunity knowing that there is no police to interfere with their conduct." And in no very flattering language this writer laments that the city was not the capital of a flourishing empire, but "a cesspool, filthy and pestiferous, with its centre in the principal square."

Indeed, this plaza presented a singular appearance. Notwithstanding the orders issued after the riot of 1692, its surface was covered with booths and stands of every description and filled with half-naked hucksters. The gallows and the pillory occupied a prominent place in front of the viceregal palace to the right, and the execution of criminals could be witnessed by many thousands of spectators. A column, poorly constructed and crowned by a statue of