Fish of various kinds stocked the basins, and in rich aviaries were
birds of glowing tropical plumage. Many birds and animals were reproduced
in gold and silver with wonderful fidelity to nature. In the inner
apartments dwelt the wives and children of the monarch, who were as
numerous as those of an Eastern sultan. Such was the famous palace, in
which were three hundred apartments, some of them fifty yards square. It
is said that two hundred thousand workmen were employed in building it. In
this splendid residence dwelt a monarch who in his youthful days had been
glad to share with wild animals a shelter in the thickets and caverns of
the mountains.
Nezahualcoyotl did not confine his love for magnificence to this palatial
residence. Beautiful villas were built in various picturesque localities
and adorned with all the requisites of pleasure and comfort. His favorite
retreat from the cares of office was built on a rounded hill about six
miles from the city. Here were terraced gardens reached by a stairway of
five hundred and twenty steps, many of them hewn in the native rock.
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