Page:Mexico, California and Arizona - 1900.djvu/540

case, speaks of "the fascinating narrations of Prescott, together with the worthy Spanish chroniclers upon whom Prescott is based, as "not much more worthy of respect and credence than the equally fascinating stories of Sindbad the Sailor." Bandelier reduces Mexico to a pueblo like those of the Zuñi's, and the life-and-death struggle of Cortez with the myriads at Otumba from a battle like that of Alexander at Arbela or the Granicus to a petty Indian ambush. They hold that Cortez magnified his exploits to obtain favor at court and escape punishment for his disobedience. Against this may be urged that the numerous enemies of Cortez could easily have exposed such pretensions, and had every motive for doing so. The discrepancy between his claims and the actual facts as now allowed was so prodigious that it could not possibly have escaped detection. And again, whoever has trodden above the ruins of San Juan Teotihuacan—to take but a single instance—though he be impressed ever so much with the arguments, showing the absurdity of all the alleged kings and princes with their quotas of subjects, can hardly deny that this place has at some time held a great population. The ruins are pulverized in the dust now, but Charnay, an explorer of wide experience, considers them the most impressive he ever saw. His measurement makes their extent five or six miles in diameter, with holding capacity for half a million people. I find in Mr. Bandelier's accounts of his difficulties in penetrating the reserve of the native Indian race a certain familiar ring. He is a conscientious and painstaking man, and went to live among them at Cholula, where I had such trouble in buying some of their costumes. He lived also in another village, where he had obtained permission to copy some of their records and picture-writings, but the Indians showed themselves morose and unapproachable