File:The ancient cities of the New World - being travels and explorations in Mexico and Central America from 1857-1882 (1887) (14596185260).jpg

Identifier: ancientcitiesofn00char (find matches)
Title: The ancient cities of the New World : being travels and explorations in Mexico and Central America from 1857-1882
Year: 1887 (1880s)
Authors: Charnay, Désiré, 1828-1915
Subjects: Indians of Mexico Indians of Central America
Publisher: London : Chapman and Hall
Contributing Library: Getty Research Institute
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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h Chili pepper; the best dinner not costing morethan threepence. Every human type seems to have congregated here, fromthe Egyptian sharp outline of features to the flat-nosed, flat-faced Kalmuk. Most women are bare to the waist; but asthis seems a matter of course, no one notices it. The area of ancient Tula has now been under cultivationfor three hundred years—hardly a desirable condition for theexplorer. We know that the city stood here; but its onlyvestiges are to be found on the hill overlooking the town tothe north. It was called Palpaii in the time of the Toltecs ;but now it is known as Cein^o del Tesoro, because a poorshepherd-boy, some twenty years since, whilst scratching themoist ground, discovered a vase with five hundred gold ouncesin it; but not knowing the value of his newly-found treasure,he parted with it for a few coppers. We are going to tryour luck on the same hill; and better advised than the poorshepherd, we shall not give up our discoveries in favour otany one.
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RUINS OF A TOLTEC HOUSE. CHAPTER VI. Palpan and the Toltecs. Aspect of the Hill—Mogotes—The Toltecs and their Building Propensities—AToltec House—Antiquities—Fragments—Malacates—Toltec Palace—ToltecOrganisation—Dress—Customs—Education—Marriage—Orders of Knight-hood— Philosophy—Religion—Future Life — Pulque — End of the ToltecEmpire—Emigration. The plateau on the Palpan hill, of which we give a ground plan,was occupied by a royal park, and maybe those of a few notables.Its direction is south-west, north-west, about a mile in length andhalf-a-niile in breadth, growing to a point towards the south-west,and fenced on two sides by a natural wall of perpendicular rocksoverhanging the river. The plateau is covered with mounds,pyramids, and esplanades, showing that here were the royalvillas, temples, and public edifices, but no trace of building, wall,or ruin, is visible, for the whok? area is shrouded with immense Palpan and the Toltecs. lO: cactuses, no

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