Emperor.--Torturing an Emperor to Death.--The Children paying the
Penalty of their Fathers' Crimes.--The Aztecs and other
Indians.--The Difference is in the Historians.--The Superstitions
of the Indians.--The Valley of Mexico.--An American Survey of the
Valley.--A topographical View.--The Ponds Chalco, Xochimulco, and
Tezcuco were never Lakes. 167

CHAPTER XV.

The Two Valleys.--The lake with a leaky Bottom.--The Water could
not have been higher.--Nor could the Lagunas or Ponds have been
much deeper.--The Brigantines only flat-bottomed Boats.--The
Causeway Canals fix the size of the Brigantines.--The Street
Canals.--Stagnant Water unfit for Canals.--The probable
Dimensions of the City Canals.--Difficulties of disproving a
Fiction.--A Dike or Levee.--The Canal of Huehuetoca.--The Map of
Cortez.--Wise Provision of Providence.--The Fiction about the
numerous Cities in and about the Lake 176

CHAPTER XVI.

The Chinampas or Water Gardens.--Laws of Nature not set
aside.--Mud will not float.--The present Chinampas.--They never
could have been floating Gardens.--Relations of the Chinampas to
the ancient State of the Lake in the Valley 186

CHAPTER XVII.

The gambling Festival of San Augustine.--Suppressed by
Government.--The Losses of the Saint by the Suppression of
Gambling.--How Travelers live in the Interior.--A Visit to the
Palace 192

CHAPTER XVIII.

Visit to Contreras and San Angel.--The End of a brave Soldier.--A
Place of Skulls.--A New England Dinner.--An Adventure with
Robbers--doubtful.--Reasons for revisiting Mexico.--The Battle
at the Mountain of Crosses.--A peculiar Variety of the
Cactus.--Three Men gibbeted for robbing a Bishop.--A Court upon
Horseback.--The retreat of Cortez to Otumba.--A venerable Cypress
Grove.--Unexpectedly comfortable Quarters.--An English Dinner at
Tezcuco.--Pleasures unknown to the Kings of Tezcuco.--Relics of
Tezcuco.--The Appearance of the Virgin Mary at Tezcuco.--The
Causeways of Mexico 196

CHAPTER XIX.

The Streets of Tacuba.--The Spaniards and the Indian Women.--The
Retreat of Cortez.--The Aqueducts of Mexico.--The English and
American Burying-grounds.--The Protestant President.--The
rival Virgins.--An Image out of Favor.--The Aztecs and the
Spaniards