[VII-33] 'Du haut de la forteresse de Mitla, la vue plonge dans la vallée et se repose avec tristesse sur des roches pelées et des solitudes arides, image de destruction propre à relever l'effet des palais de Liobaa. Un torrent d'eau salée (?), qui se gonfle avec la tempête, coule au milieu des sables poudreux qu'il entraîne avec lui. Les rives sont sèches et sans ombrages; à peine voit-on de distance en distance quelques nopals nains, ou quelques poivriers du Pérou, aussi maigres que le terrain où ils ont pris racine. Seulement, du côté du village, la verdure sombre des magueys et des cactus donne au tableau l'aspect d'un jardin d'hiver planté de buis et de sapins.' Fossey, Mexique, p. 371.
[VII-34] Humboldt, Vues, tom. ii., pp. 278-85, pl. xvii-viii., fol. ed., pl. xlix-l; Id., in Antiq. Mex., tom. i., div. ii., pp. 28-30, supl. pl. viii.; Id., Essai Pol., pp. 263-5. Humboldt speaks of Martin as 'un architecte mexicain très-distingué.' Dupaix, 2d exped., pp. 30-44, pl. xxix-xlvi., fig. 78-93; Kingsborough, vol. v., pp. 255-68, vol. vi., pp. 447-56, vol. iv., pl. xxvii-xli., fig. 81-95; Lenoir, in Antiq. Mex., tom. i., div. ii., pp. 16, 23-4, 52-7. Mühlenpfordt, Mejico, tom. i., pref., p. 5, claims to have been for some time Director of road-construction in the state of Oajaca, and states his intention of publishing at some future time 18 or 20 large copper-plate engravings illustrating the antiquities of Mitla and others. These plates, so far as I know, have never been given to the public. Carriedo accompanied Mühlenpfordt, or Mihelenpforott as he writes the name, and published some of the drawings, perhaps all, in the Ilustracion Mejicana, tom. ii., pp. 493-8. Some of the German artists' descriptive text is also quoted from I know not what source. Tempsky's Mitla, pp. 250-3, with plates which must have been made up for the most part from other sources than the author's own observations. García's visit, Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin, tom. vii., pp. 271-2. Sawkin's exploration, in Mayer's Observations, p. 28, et seq., with plates. It will be shown later that Mr Sawkins' drawings are without value to the archæological student. Fossey's account, Mexique, pp. 365-70; Charnay, Ruines Amér., pp. 261-9, phot. ii-xviii.; Viollet-le-Duc, in Id., pp. 74-104, with cuts. After Charnay had completed, as he thought, the work of photographing the ruins, all his negatives were spoiled for want of proper varnish. He was therefore compelled to return alone, since he had exhausted the somewhat limited patience of his native assistants, and to work day and night to take a new set of pictures. Müller, Reisen, tom. ii., pp. 279-81, seems also to have made a personal exploration. Other references for Mitla containing no original information are as follows:—Baldwin's Anc. Amer., pp. 117-22, with two cuts from Charnay and two from Tempsky, all given in my text. Gallatin, in Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact., vol. i., p. 173; Bradford's Amer. Antiq., pp. 85-6; Larenaudière, in Nouvelles Annales des Voy., tom. xxxiv., pp. 121-2; Gondra, in Prescott, Hist. Conq. Mex., tom. iii., pp. 90-5, pl. xvii.; Mayer's Mex. as it Was, pp. 251-3; Id., Mex. Aztec, vol. ii., pp. 213-16; Klemm, Cultur-Geschichte, tom. v., pp. 157-60; Morelet, Voyage, tom. i., pp. 270-1; Id., Travels, p. 92; Müller, Amerikanische Urreligionen, p. 462; Prescott's Mex., vol. i., p. 14, vol. iii., pp. 404-6; Malte-Brun, Précis de la Géog., tom. vi., p. 463; Mexicanische Zustände, tom. i., pp. 403-4; Wappäus, Mex. Guat., p. 162; Lemprière, Mexique, p. 144; Hassel, Mex. Guat., p. 255; Hermosa, Manual Geog., p. 135; Escalera and Llana, Mex., pp. 327-32, 225, same as in Fossey; Lafond, Voyages, tom. i., p. 139; Bonnycastle's Span. Amer., vol. i., p. 154, vol. ii., p. 233; D'Orbigny, Voyage, p. 356; Conder's Mex. Guat., vol. ii., pp. 130-4; Dally, Races Indig., pp. 16-17; Macgillivray's Life Humboldt, pp. 314-15; Mills' Hist. Mex., p. 158; Mexico in 1842, p. 77; Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., tom. ii., p. 105; Larenaudière, Mex. Guat., pl. ii-vi., from Dupaix; Delafield's Antiq. Amer., pp. 55, 59-60.
[VII-35] Charnay, phot. xvii., gives a general view of the ruins, from which, however, no clear idea can be formed of the arrangement of the structures. The buildings are named or numbered as follows by the different authors; Dupaix numbers them as they are marked on my plan; Carriedo and Mühlenpfordt unite Nos. 1 and 2 under the name of 1st Palace, making No. 3 No. 2, and No. 4 No. 3; Charnay's 1st or grand palace is the northern building of No. 1; his 2d is the eastern building of the same; his 3d and 4th are the northern and western buildings respectively of No. 2. My No. 3 is called by him the House of the Curate, and No. 4 is only mentioned by him without name or number.
[VII-36] At the Conquest the ruins covered an immense area, but they now consist of six palaces and three ruined pyramids. Charnay, Ruines Amér., p. 261.
[VII-37] Dupaix's ground plan, pl. xxix., fig. 78, represents such a southern building and mound, although very slight, if any, traces remained of the former at the time of his visit. Martin's plan, given by Humboldt, shows two shorter mounds without buildings; while Carriedo's plan locates no structure whatever south of the court, and I have omitted it in my plan.
[VII-38] The dimensions are very nearly those of the plans of Martin and Castañeda, who differ only very slightly. The dimensions given by the different authorities are as follows: A. 12½×47½ varas, Castañeda; 13¼×46½ varas, Martin, in Humboldt; 40 mètres long, Charnay; 180 feet long, Tempsky; 132 feet long, Fossey. C. 22×22 varas, Castañeda and Martin; d, 7×35½ varas, Castañeda; 7½×34½ varas, Martin. Walls 1½ to 3½ varas thick, Castañeda; 1½ varas, Martin. Height 5 to 6 mètres, Humboldt; 14 feet, Fossey. The height of the inner columns, to be spoken of later, shows something respecting the original height of the walls.
[VII-39] Charnay, p. 264, describes the material of this filling as 'terre battue, mêlée de gros cailloux.' His photographs of walls where the facing has fallen show in some places a mass of large irregular stones, even laid with some regularity in a few instances; in other parts of the ruins there seem to be very few stones, but only a mass of earth or clay; and in still other parts the wall has every appearance of regular adobes. Dupaix, p. 35, says that sand and lime are mixed with the earth. 'El macizo, ó grueso de las paredes se compone de una tierra mezclada y beneficiada con arena y cal.' 'De tierra preparada, hollada ó beneficiada cuando fresca y pastosa.' Tempsky, p. 251, declares the material to be rough boulders in cement. Humboldt, Vues, tom. ii., p. 283, speaks of 'une masse d'argile qui paroît remplir l'intérieur des murs.'
[VII-40] 'Los compartimientos divididos por unos tableros cuadrilongos, terminados por unas molduras cuadradas que sobresalen á la linea de la muralla, contienen en sus planos unas grecas de alto relieve de una bella invencion, pues sus dibujos presentan unos enlaces complicados arreglados á una exactisima geometría, con una grande union entre las piedras que los componen, las que son de varios gruesos, y configuraciones; ademas se advierte una perfecta nivelacion en toda esta admirable ensambladura.' Dupaix, 2d exped., p. 31. A mosaic of soft sandstone cut in blocks 7×2⅛×1 inches, and all forming a smooth exterior surface. Tempsky's Mitla, pp. 251-2, with a very faulty cut. The statement about the smooth surface is certainly erroneous, as is probably that respecting the size of the blocks. 'Ces arabesques forment une sorte de mosaïque, composée de petites pierres carrées, qui sont placées avec beaucoup d'art, les unes à côté des autres.' Humboldt, Vues, tom. ii., p. 283; with cuts of three styles of this mosaic from Martin. 'Briquettes de différentes grandeurs.' The modern church is built of stone from the ruins. The natives carry away the blocks of mosaic in the belief that they will turn to gold. Charnay, Ruines Amér., p. 252, 263-5. Phot. v-vi., view of southern façade. 22 different styles of grecques on this front. Fossey, Mexique, pp. 367-8. Cuts of 16 different styles in Ilustracion Mej., tom. ii., p. 501.
[VII-41] An Indian woman was reported to have one of the heads from these holes, built into the walls of her house, but it could not be found. Dupaix, 2d exped., p. 31.
[VII-42] Besides the photograph copied above, Charnay's photographs, vii.-viii., present views from the east and west, showing that the same style of construction and ornamentation extends completely round the building. Dupaix's plate xxx. represents this façade, but shows only a small portion of the stone-work. Kingsborough gives in its place a magnificent plate, 1×5 feet, showing the whole front restored in all its details; he gives also the plate from Antiq. Mex., but refers it to the palace No. 2. pl. xxxi., fig. 85. See description of the walls quoted from Burgoa, in Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin, tom. vii., pp. 170-3.