r own reckoning according to the unreformed Julian calendar,
was really eleven days in error, compared with that of the
barbarian nation whose civilization they so speedily effaced.

In 1790 there was found in the Square of Mexico a famous relic, the
Mexican Calendar Stone, "one of the most striking monuments of American
antiquity." It was long supposed to have been intended for chronological
purposes; but later authorities call it a votive tablet or sacrificial
altar.[15] Similar circular stones have been dug up in other parts of
Mexico and in Yucatan.

[Footnote 15: Pp. 68-70, _v._ p. 95.]

Both the Mayas and the Aztecs excelled in the ordinary arts of civilized
life. Paper-making has already been spoken of. Cotton being an important
produce of their soil, they understood its spinning, dyeing, and weaving
so well that the Spaniards mistook some of the finer Aztec fabrics for
silk. They cultivated maize, potatoes, plantains, and other vegetables.
Both in Mexico and Yucatan they produced beautiful work in feathers;
metal working was not so important as in some countries, being chiefly
for ornamental purposes. In fact, it was the comparative plenty of gold
and silver around Mexico that delayed the invasion of the Mayan country
for more than twenty years. The Mayas had developed trade to a
considerable extent before the Spanish invasion, and interchanged
commodities with the island of Cuba. It was there, accordingly, that
Columbus first saw this people, and first heard of Yucatan.

Of the Mexican remains on the central plateau, the most conspicuous is
the mound or pyramid of Cholula, although it retains few traces of
prehistoric art. A modern church with a dome and two towers now occupies
the summit, with a paved road leading up to it. It is chiefly noted,
first, by antiquaries, as having originally been a great temple of
Quetzalcoatl, the beneficent deity, famous in story; and, secondly, for
the fierce struggle around the mound and on the slopes between the
Mexicans and Spanish. (_V._ pp. 130-133.)

Another mound in this district, Yochicalco, lies seventy-five miles
southwest of the capital. It is considered one of the best memorials of
the extinct civilization, consisting of five terraces supported by stone
walls, and formerly surmounted by a pyramid.

Passing from the traces of Aztec and Mayan civilization, we may now
glance at the antiquities of the Colombian states. There are no temples
or large struc