Mexico

The first wave of migration, 70--Traces of Mayas in Yucatan, 70--A great empire, 71--Nachan, the town of serpents, 72; its ruins discovered, 72--Palace at Palenque, 72--Lofty chambers and strange bas-reliefs, 73--The Temple of the Cross, 74--An emblem of Christian faith, 75--Meaning of the tablets, 75--Chichen-Itza, 76--A religious centre, 77--Paintings and bas-reliefs, 78--Chaak Mool, the tiger-chief, 78--The beautiful Kinich, 78--Tomb of Chaak Mool, 78--Paved roads of Yucatan, 79--Votan and Zamna, 80--Mayan legends, 80--Weapons and armor, 81--War with the Toltecs, 82.

IX.

AZTECS 83-95

Best known of the Anahuac tribes, 83--Aztlan, 83--The migration, 84--Six centuries of wanderings, 84--The name Mexican, 84,--Their adopted home, 84--Chapultepec, 86--Driven to the islands, 87--A wretched life, 87--Valor of the slaves, 87--An abiding city, 87--Tenochtitlan, or Mexico, 88--Advances in civilization, 88--Results of modern research, 89--A king chosen, 90--Early years of the kingdom, 91--The Princess of Cloth, 92--Canoas, 92--Chimalpopoca, 94--The usurpation, 94--Maxtla, 95.

X.

MEXICANS 96-110

Itzcoatl, 96--Alliance with Texcuco, 96--War with Maxtla, 96--Victory of the allies, 97--Fall of the Tepanec monarchy, 97--"The Valley Confederates," 98--Reign of Motecuhzoma, 98--Height of the Mexican power, 98--Conquest of the Chalcas, 99--Inundation and famine, 99--Raid upon neighboring provinces, 100--Laws of Motecuhzoma, 100; his successor, 101--Tizoc, 101--The Drinking-cup of the Eagle, 101--Human sacrifice, 102--Temple built by Tizoc, 105--Dikes, 105--A despot, 106--Extent of the kingdom, 106--Religious fanaticism, 108--Doubtful records, 109.

XI.

AZTEC CHARACTER 111-123

Unreliable testimony, 111--Hieroglyphics, 111--Paintings, 112--"Wanderings of the Aztecs," 112--Religion, 114--A future life, 114--Funeral customs, 114--Domestic life, 115--Laws, 115--Music, 115--The Aztec calendar, 115--Divisions of time, 116--Names of days, etc., 117--Opinions of antiquarians, 117--The cycle, 118--Unlucky days, 118--Agriculture, 119--Irrigation, 119--A gentle race, 120--The Priestesses, 121--Coatlicue, the goddess of the earth, 122--Source of Aztec greatness, 122--A fatal policy, 123.

XII.

THE LAST OF THE MONTEZUMAS 124-134

Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin, 124; his character, 124--A coronation festival, 125--Royal robes, 125--The life of an Aztec king, 126; his capital, 126--Diaz's description, 127--A life of pleasure, 128--State correspondence, 128--Chapultepec, 129--Montezuma's cypress, 129--Clouds on the horizon, 130--Sinister predictions, 130--The coming of the white men, 131--An unhappy monarch, 131--Landing of the strangers, 132--Velasquez de Léon, 132; his expedition to Yucatan, 133--Grijalva visits Mexico, 133--Montezuma's embassy, 133.

XIII.

CORTÉS 135-144

Birth, 135; enters the army, 135; visits Cuba, 135--An attractive portrait, 135--Defects of character, 136--Velasquez and Grijalva's expedition, 136--A love story, 137--Cortés receives a commission, 137; his companions, 137--Jealousy of Velasquez, 137--The squadron, 138--Jérome d' Aguilar, 138--First conflict with the Aztecs, 139--Palm Sunday, 139--A happy people, 140--Rumors of danger, 140--Presents to the strangers, 141--Cortés as Quetzalcoatl, 141--Easter, 141--A perplexed council, 142--Mistaken policy, 142--Vera Cruz, 142--Cortés visits Cempoallan, 143--Tlaxcalla, 143--The ships destroyed, 144.

XIV.

MALINTZI 145-150