4000003871

BooK

III.

Royal _Gommentaries.

" bigger or lefs, according to the proportion of the Tree out of which they

·" were hewen.

" Abouc chis time this City conrained

700

great and principal Palaces, well

" built ofLime and Scone; the which were noc covered with Tile or Slate; bue

" rnade flac with aTarras,

·[o

diat People mighc walk on the top·.

" .The Streets are very commodious , plain and ílreighc, and

wide that

four

" Horfemen may be able to ride a-breaft wich cheir Lám:es and Targets, withoué

rouching oné the other.

" The Towh-houfe-,

here the Tribunals of Jufüce are held , hath nfüe feve–

" ral Cotms or Yards wichin it, together with a large Garden, and a fpaclous

" place, where "ihey exercifed their Sports called the

Feafti of Bulls.

Withiri

" this Houfe che Viceking

Don Antonio,de Mendofa

kept his Court, and the Vifi–

¡,

cor or Super-Iotendent

Don Francifco Te/lo de Sandóval,

wit'h three Judgés and the

'' Accountamt General were conveniently lodged1 Within .the Verge alfo of chis

" Town~houfe, the,Royal Prifon was comained, and a Houfe and Office for

" founding Bells and Cannon, as alfo the Mine for .Coinage of Money;

" Upon one fide of this Houfe-rhe Street fronts 'Jl'.pich chey call

Tacu6a,

and

" on the other fide runs che Streec of

St. Francü,

and behind is che Streec called

" che

Chafe,

all which are Principal Streers ; and on che Front of all is che open

". Place where cbey baic che Bulls

and, in fine, chis Palacé is of chac large

Cii"'

" cumference ; that it anfwers to -che eighty Ga!es belonging to.che Houfes ·of

Principal lphabirams of chat City.

· " The

Indians

of chis City live in twb great Streets called

St. Jago

and

Me:dco

" che number of whi¡¡:h are at chis t'ime reckoned -to be

200

thoufand. The

A.!

" venues to chis Cicy are four, one whereof is cwo Leágues in lengrh, and is that'

" ro che Soúth-ward, by which

Hernando Cortes

made bis entry;

Thus far are the words of

Diego Fernandez,,

_to which this Anihoúr adds, Thaé

in chofe Bays chere were

700

great capacious Houfes, he rnight mean rather

7 od

large Streecs, which may well be imagined, if we cake che Meafures thereof by

che propor.cion of that vaíl: Palace, wherein were coiltained che Vice-king's Houfe;:

che Vifi~ors A¡:,artments , w.ith the Lodgings of che

Judges

and ocher Officers of

ihe Kingdom ; as alfo che Prifon , the Min_t , and the rooms wher,ein the Be!Js·

and Cannon were founded ; all and every bf which Offices were

large chat

each of them of ic Lelf comained awhole Street; .which.this Authciur confirms

iri

che Defcription he gives of this Houfe, faying, That this Houfe is

fo_

large that

it anfwers to

great Gates belonging to che Houfes of 'Principal Citiiens.

fhort, we may pofitively affirm, that chis Imperial City of

Mexicd

is cértainly

one of thtz chief, if not the mo(l: confiderable City in the World, The which.

I prove by tbe refümony of a

Dutch

Gentleman , who having· out of ctiriofüy

.travailed to fee the moft famous Cicies cYf the Old World, did averre , that out

of curiofity onely

fee

Mexico,

he took a voyage into the new-foand World

and that, befides the pleafure he took iQ the fighc thereof, be had gained io·thou–

fand Dücats in his Countrey upo_n feveral wagers he had rnade, conterriing che

particulars he had relared thereof; to prove which a l'nan was pu'rp;ofely fent co·

chofe pares.

. ,

But

not to make too long a Digreffi0n upan thi~ Subjeét, we fhall ómit many'

parciculars which he related

me hereof, as alfo of his long Travails he rnade

chere, and che m:my years he fpent rherein , which to my beft rernembrance

he'

told me were

14.

'Palentino

reports, th~t when che,Vice-king went forrh to·rneet ·

avd receive che Vifiror or Super-Intendent, he was aecompaniéd with the Privy

Council, Judges and ochet Officers of State, as alfo wirh the Mayor and Alder–

men of che Cicy, and che Clergy, together wich

600

Gentlemen all very richly

attired and well armed; ali which was no Romance nor more cha'n che truth.

For befides other Grandeurs and pieces ofOíl:emation belonging to

Mexico;

is'

moíl: cercain, chat 'cis com;n?n and ufual on Sundays, and óther Fefüval-days., to'

fee

6 00

Gentlemen rrdmg through the Streecs, not upon defign of Marches'

or Horfe-races, or the

like,

but onely for cornrnon paíl:ime, and to cake che Air :

which for a fubordinate ,Governrnent wichout che prefence of a'King, is very rna-

gnifü:ent ¡md ·extraordinary.- ·