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entry, the nobles of the court asked permission from Alverado, whom he had left in his place, to amuse their captive monarch by performing before him with this dance. This was granted. The nobles dressed themselves in the richest ornaments and began the dance; but when they were thoroughly wearied by the motion, the treacherous Spaniards, unable to resist their desire for obtaining the costly jewels of the Mexicans, suddenly fell upon them, and massacred them all. This barbarous act was the cause of the subsequent misfortunes of the Spaniards; for the natives, driven to fury by the loss of their beloved chiefs, rose upon their murderers, and expelled them from the city, as we have before

related.

The greatest and most celebrated of all the Mexican games was that called the Flyers. They first sought out the loftiest tree in the forest, stripped it of its branches and bark, and set it up in some public square. On the top they fixed a sort of movable cap or cylinder, from which hung a square frame, made of four planks. Between the cap and frame they fastened four strong ropes, long enough to reach to the ground, passing through four holes in the planks. These ropes they twisted round the tree, until their ends were nearly up to the frame. Four men, who were called the flyers, disguised like eagles, herons, and other birds, ascended the tree by means of a rope which was laced about it from top to bottom, and took hold of the ends of the rope. The force with which they swung off from the frame caused it to turn round, and as it turned, the ropes which were twisted around the tree began to unroll, and of course became longer at every revolution. All this time the wooden cap continued to turn round, being fastened to the frame; but, nevertheless, a man kept dancing upon it, waving a flag or beating a little drum,

as unconcerned as though a single false step would not dash him to instant destruction. When the ropes were so far untwisted that they almost reached the ground, some other actors, who had mounted on the frame, threw themselves off, and slid down along the ropes to the earth, amid the applause of the spectators.

The Mexicans did not paint, like other nations, merely for the purpose of preserving the form of persons or things which must soon pass away, or of affording pleasure by the representation of the beautiful, the grand, or the terrific. Their painting was their writing. By means of this art they represented their. history, their religious rites, their laws, and everything which they deemed worthy of being recorded for the instruction of their descendants. This manner of writing was, to be sure, very imperfect, but it answered all the purposes to which it was applied. They wrote on paper which they made of the bark or leaves of certain plants. Had all the paintings of the Mexicans been preserved, we should have had a complete history of the nation, from the earliest period to the arrival of the Spaniards. But the zeal of the Catholic priests was the cause of the destruction of almost all these valuable records. Suspecting that they contained the idolatrous precepts of the Mexican religion, they thought that they could best promote the cause of the true religion by destroying all the writings of the natives. Accordingly, they collected them with the greatest dili-. gence, and burnt them in the public square, to the great grief of the Mexi

cans.

The way in which they painted proper names was rather curious, and showed at least some talent for punning. All Mexican names have some meaning; and therefore they had only to paint the things which are signified by the name,

and join them to the figure of a man, or a man's head. Thus the name of their second king was Chimalpopora, which means a smoking shield. To represent

it, therefore, they painted a shield with smoke issuing from it. In like manner, if we had to express the name of Churchill, or Crowninshield, we should paint a church on a hill, or a shield with a crown in the middle.

But the Mexicans had another sort of paintings, if so they may be called, formed entirely by means of feathers, selected from the plumage of the most beautiful birds. The art consisted in disposing the feathers so as to form a picture, exact in the nicest shade. They were

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to be undertaken, several artists collected together, and each took his share of the design. They labored with the utmost care and diligence, sometimes spending a whole day in choosing and placing properly a single feather. When all the parts were finished, they brought them together, and united them, so as to form a picture of wonderful beauty. The colors were brighter than any that art could produce, and the feathers, as they were turned to the light, glittered with surpassing splendor. It is said that Mexican artists have been able to imitate exactly, by means of feathers, some of the best productions of the European painters.

ment.

CHAPTER XVIII.

Religion.-Marriages and funerals.-Govern-War.-Medicine and surgery.-General character and probable destiny of the Mexican Indians.

THE religion of the Mexicans was cruel, like themselves. They believed in a vast number of gods, who presided over every part of the world. There was the god of the air, a god of the day and night, another of and games sports, &c. They also worshipped the sun and moon. But the deity whom the Mexicans most venerated was Mexitli, the god of war; their city was named after him, and in his honor the great temple, of which we have given some account in a former chapter, was erected. Besides this, there were a great many other temples dedicated to the worship of their numberless deities. It is said that there were no less than two thousand such buildings in the city of Mexico.

But the place where the worship of the gods was most cultivated, was the city of Cholula, a few miles to the southeast of Mexico. Here was the famous pyramid of Cholula, to which pilgrims repaired from all parts of the empire. It

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was built of bricks and clay, and on the top was a small temple, with the image of a god, and an altar on which sacrifices were offered to him. The idol was burned by the Spaniards, and the temple thrown down; but the pyramid still remains, though much decayed. At a distance it looks like a little mountain. As the gods of the Mexicans were so many in number, they must have had a multitude of priests to perform the holy rites which were necessary to gain their favor. There are supposed to have been no less than a million in the whole empire. But they did not attend only to religious duties. It was their office to educate the young, to appoint festivals, and to take care of the picture-writings. They possessed nearly all the learning of the nation, and composed all the painted books. The chief priest was elected from the highest nobles, and it was necessary he should be a man of unspotted character and great learning. The sacrifices of the Mexicans were of the most horrible kind. The victims which they offered were human beings. All prisoners taken in war, criminals, and sometimes children, were sacrificed to their bloody deities. The wretched victim was laid upon the altar, and while five men were employed in holding him, the high priest with a sharp knife made a deep gash in his breast, and tore out his heart, yet warm and beating, and held it up in his bloody hand before the face of his god! They had another method of sacrificing, equally bloody, though not so revolting. It resembled very much the gladiatorial contests of the Romans. Two of the bravest prisoners of war were armed with a sword and shield, and compelled to fight on a stage in view of a crowd of spectators. When one was slain, another was put in his place, and so on, until the required number had been sacrificed. When any one proved five times victorious, his life

was spared, and he was declared free, amid the applause of the spectators.

When a young man had arrived at a proper age to marry, a suitable wife was singled out for him, and the astrologers were consulted to know whether the match would be prosperous. If they returned a favorable answer, the parents of the bride, after giving her a good deal of good advice, carried her in a litter to the house of the bridegroom, accompanied by a crowd of friends with music and torches. The parents of the bridegroom stood at the door, ready to receive them. The couple were seated on a beautiful mat, and were united by tying the corners of their garments together. After this simple ceremony they were declared husband and wife. A feast was set before the company, after which a dance in the court-yard of the house, lively conversation, and good wishes on the part of the guests, closed the scene.

The

Funerals were performed with great solemnity. When a man died, four old men were chosen to have the direction of the funeral rites. They first sprinkled his head with water, and then clothed the body in a dress corresponding to his profession or character in life. If he had been a soldier, they dressed him in the habit of Mexitli, the god of war; if a merchant, in the dress of the god of merchants; if a drunkard, in that of the god of wine; and so on. body was then laid on a funeral pile, and near it a jar of water for him to drink on his journey, and a little dog to lead him. They then set fire to the pile. When the body was consumed, they collected the ashes into a vase, into which they put a little gem, saying that it would serve him for a heart in the next world. They buried this vase in a deep pit, and mourned for the dead eighty days.

The Mexicans believed that after death the souls of those that died in

battle went to the palace of the sun; a place of endless delight, where they spent four years in the enjoyment of all the pleasures that this glorious deity had provided for this favored class. After this, they supposed that these happy spirits went to animate clouds, and birds of beautiful feathers and sweet song; but thus always at liberty to rise again to heaven or descend to the earth, carolling songs of praise to their glorious benefactor. The souls of children, and of those who died of wounds, went to a paradise beneath the earth, the residence of the god of water. Here, in cool retreats they passed their hours in calm and placid enjoyment, undisturbed by the cares and vexations of the world. For those who died of other diseases, a place of utter darkness was set apart. The spirits sent hither suffered no punishment, and received no pleasure; they were as though they had ceased to exist. With such a creed, it is no wonder that the Mexicans became a nation of warriors.

The government of the Mexicans was a pure despotism; the power of the monarch was absolute. When one king died, another was immediately elected by the nobles, from the royal family, to fill his place. After the new king had been solemnly installed, and had taken an oath to govern according to the religion and laws of his ancestors, he made an expedition to obtain prisoners to sacrifice at his coronation. A reign thus barbarously commenced could not long be peaceable. In fact, the Mexican kings were always engaged in fighting with their enemies or in oppressing their subjects.

The laws which they made were very severe. Almost all crimes were punished with death. Young persons who were guilty of getting drunk were put to death; but the nobles in a much more cruel manner than the common people; for they said the former sinned more in

not setting a good example. But old men, after they had arrived at the age of seventy years, were allowed to drink as much as they pleased; for they said that it was a pity to deprive them of this pleasure, when it could do them no harm. Slanderers were punished by having a part of their lip cut off, and sometimes also of their ears, to show the danger of speaking or listening to evil.

We have before said that the Mexicans were a nation of warriors. They believed that all who died in battle enjoyed the greatest happiness hereafter, and therefore the prospect of such a death had nothing terrible in it.

The armor which the soldiers wore to defend themselves from the weapons of the enemy, consisted of a thick coat of cotton, which covered the body and

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used by the soldiers of our modern times.

The standards of the Mexicans were formed of gold and beautiful feathers; each company had its particular standard, which they preserved with great care. But the grand ensign of the empire was an object of especial veneration; when this was lost, all hope of victory was given up, and the soldiers threw down their arms and fled. We have already told how Cortez took advantage of this feeling in the natives, and thus saved his little army.

Since the people of Anahuac were so often engaged in war, it seems natural that they should have a good knowledge of medicine and surgery. This, how ever, was not the case. The remedies of their physicians consisted mostly of a few simple medicines obtained from herbs. They understood the art of blood-letting, and used for the purpose sharp lancets made of a sort of flint. But their grand specific for all kinds of sickness was the vapor-bath. It was built of unburnt bricks, very much in the form of a dome. It was about six feet high and thirty round. At one side was an entrance, large enough to allow a man to enter by creeping on his hands and knees. Opposite to the entrance was a small furnace, which was joined to the bath by a kind of soft stone, easily heated. When a person was about to take the bath, a fire was kindled in the furnace, by which the soft stones were made hot. Then, taking off all his clothes except his girdle, he entered, and threw water on the heated stones. .A cloud of steam at once filled the bath, and the patient stretched himself on a mat or cushion, which was spread in the centre of the room, to enjoy the soft and copious perspiration into which he was instantly thrown. This vapor-bath often proved an effectual remedy for some of their most obstinate diseases.

We have now given a short account of the history, manners and customs of the ancient Mexicans. Their character you can easily estimate, from what we have told you concerning them. You must not imagine, however, that, like the Indians of some parts of the United States, they are entirely extinct. Though much reduced by the cruelty and oppression of their conquerors, yet they still form much the largest class of inhabitants in the Mexican republic. Perhaps the long period of their slavery and degradation has been intended by a just Providence as a punishment for their own cruelty toward their conquered enemies. But, now that they have been declared free citizens of a great and independent republic, with the same rights and privileges as their former masters, we may hope that the night of their humiliation is passed, and that a brighter day is about to dawn on the minds of the poor degraded Mexicans, than ever shone even on the first glorious years of the reign of Montezuma.

House-Building.

WHAT a strange thing it would be if we had no houses to live in, and were forced to sleep on the tops of trees, in caves, or among the clefts and crannies of rocks and mountains! Many ages ago, mankind, then in a savage state, were obliged to make use of such wild retreats; they had not learned to build houses; and were, in this respect, not so well off as the birds, which, you know, mostly manage to build a nice warm nest, in which they bring up their young. The first houses were, in all probability, cut out of the sides of crags or banks; after this it was found, perhaps, more advantageous to build them of branches of trees, set up on end, and leaning to

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