Title: Mexico, a history of its progress and development in one hundred years Year: 1911 (1910s) Authors: Wright, Marie Robinson, 1866-1914 Subjects: Publisher: Philadelphia, G. Barrie & sons [etc., etc.] Contributing Library: The Library of Congress Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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Text Appearing Before Image: ay national colors,myriads of lights gave a dazzling appearance of gaiety and the ceremonials thattook place were very imposing. New schools were inaugurated, new monumentsdedicated and all public buildings opened officially. Tula is a city built upon a series of terraces in a beautiful valley teemingwith tropical flowers and foliage. It is noted for Toltec ruins and relics whichhave been found there. The old church built three hundred years ago has wallsseven feet thick and the tower is one hundred and twenty-five feet high. It liesin the valley which the Toltecs entered when they came southward in 648,over twelve hundred and fifty years ago. A thousand years ago Tula was animportant town and was the capital of Mexico until 1325. Proof of thisantiquity lies everywhere—the grand houses, the broken columns, and quaintimages that are still remaining relics in the present town. Here is the witcheryof an old world, shadowy people, vague and mystical rights and ceremonies. In HIDALGO 321

Text Appearing After Image: XATAL MINE the small Plaza stand the remains ofold gods, and crumbling into dust isan old pyramid, built many centuriesago. Where once the idolatrous wor-ship of the Aztecs took place, a purerreligion of to-day is worshipped andthe people have thrown off the lethargyof the past. There are three ancientbridges in this vicinity. It is claimedthat one of these bridges was built in210 A.D., the ruins of which remain,forming a picturesque bit of Tula. The Treasury of Montezuma,now in ruins, is on the top of the hill.There are two distinct kinds of frag-mentary walls, eight feet thick. Thereis one large room thirty-two feet longwith the chunam flooring nearly per-fect. The people of Tula visit these ruins continually, believing many treasuresto be concealed there. They dream dreams, and then go out and sink pits in the flooring, hoping to enrich them-selves with wonderful treasures ofMontezumas time. There are other strange relicsof ancient times on another hillnear Tula. These are carved r

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