The Wild: Which Employ Some Ex The Ex

CHAPTER VI.
WILD TRIBES OF MEXICO.
TERRITORIAL ASPECTS Two MAIN DIVISIONS; WILD TRIBES OF CENTRAL

MEXICO, AND WILD TRIBES OF SOUTHERN MEXICO THE CORAS AND
OTHERS IN JALISCO DESCENDANTS OF THE AZTECS THE OTOMIS
AND MAZAHUAS ADJACENT TO THE VALLEY OF MEXICO THE FAMES
THE TARASCOS AND MATLALTZINCAS OF MICHOACAN THE HUAZTECS AND
TOTONACS OF VERA CRUZ AND TAMAULIPAS THE CHONTALES, CHINAN-
TECS, MAZATECS, CUICATECS, CHATINOS, MIZTECS, ZAPOTECS, MIJES, HUA-
LACANDONES, CHOLES, MAMES, TZOTZILES, TZEN-
VES, CHIAPANECS, ZOQUES,
DALES, CHOCHONES, AND OTHERS OF SOUTHERN MEXICO.
The term WILD TRIBES OF MEXICO, which I employ

to distinguish this from the other groupal divisions of
the Native Races of the Pacific States needs some ex
planation. The territory embraced under this title ex
tends from latitude 23 north, to the eighteenth parallel
on the Atlantic, and the fifteenth on the Pacific that is ;
to the Central American line, including Yucatan and

excluding Guatemala. At the time of the conquest, a
large portion of this region as well as part of Central
America was occupied by those nations that we call civi
lized, which are fully described in the second volume of
this work. These several precincts of civilization may
be likened to suns, shining brightly at their respective
centres, and radiating into the surrounding darkness
with greater or less intensity according to distance and
circumstances. The bloody conquest achieved, these,
suns were dimmed, their light went out part of this civi-
;
616 WILD TRIBES OF MEXICO.
lization merged into that of the conquerors, and

part fell back into the more distant darkness. Later
many of the advanced aboriginals became more and more
identified with the Spaniards; the other natives soon
came to be regarded as savages, who, once pacified,
spread over the seat of their nation s former grandeur,
obliterating many of the traces of their peoples former
high advancement; so that very shortly after the
Spaniards became masters of the land, any description
of its aborigines could but be a description of its savage
nations, or of retrograded, or partially obliterated peoples
of higher culture. And thus I find it, and thus must
treat the subject, going over the whole territory almost
as if there had been no civilization at all.
For variety and striking contrasts the climate and
scenery of central and southern Mexico is surpassed by
no region of equal extent in the world. It is here that
the tierra caliente, or hot border-land of either ocean,
the tierra templada, or temperate belt adjacent, and the
tierra fria, or cool elevated table-land assume their most
definite forms. The interior table-lands have an aver
age elevation above the sea of from 5,000 to 8,000 feet.
The geological formation is on a Titanic scale huge rocks
;
of basalt, granite, and lava rise in fantastic shapes, inter

sected by deep barrancas or ravines presenting un
paralleled scenes of grandeur. Prominent among the
surrounding mountains tower the snow-clad crests of
Orizaba and Popocatepetl, volcanic piles whose slum
bering fires appear to be taking but a temporary rest.
The plateau is variegated with many lakes; the soil,
almost everywhere fertile, is overspread with a multi
tudinous variety of nopal, maguey, and forests of ever
green, among which the graceful fir and umbrageous oak
stand conspicuous. Seasons come and go and leave no
mark behind or it may be said that spring, satisfied
;
with its abode, there takes up its perpetual rest; the

temperature is ever mellow, with resplendent sunshine
by day, while at night the stars shine with a brilliancy
nowhere excelled. The limits of the tierra templada
TRIBES OF CENTEAL MEXICO. 617
it is
impossible to define, as the term is used in a some
what arbitrary manner by the inhabitants of different
altitudes. On the lowlands along the coast known as
the tierra caliente, the features of nature are changed ;
vegetation assumes a more luxuriant aspect palms, para

;
sitical plants and trees of a tropical character, take the
place of the evergreens of a colder clirne; the climate

is not salubrious, and the heat is oppressive. On the
Atlantic side furious storms, called northers/ spring
up with a suddenness and violence unexampled in other
places, often causing much destruction to both life and
property.
For the purpose of description, I separate the Wild
Tribes of Mexico in two parts, the Wild Tribes of Cen
tred Mexico, and the Wild Tribes of Southern Mexico. The
first of these divisions extends from 23 north latitude
to the northern boundary of the state of Oajaca, or rather
to an imaginary line, taking as its base said boundary
and running from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexi
co, that is to say from Yera Cruz to Acapulco.
To enumerate and locate all the nations and tribes
within this territory, to separate the uncivilized from
the civilized, the mythical from the real, is not pos
sible. I have therefore deferred to the end of this
chapter such authorities as I have on the subject,

where they will be found ranged in proper order
under the head of Tribal Boundaries. Of the tribes that
are known to have possessed no civilization, such as was
found among the Aztecs and other cultivated nations, I
will only mention the people denominated ChichimecSj
under which general name were designated a multitude
of tribes inhabiting the mountains north of the valley
of Mexico, all of which were prominently dependent
on the result of the chase for their subsistence; the
ancient Otomis who mostly occupied the mountains
which inclose the valley of Mexico and the Fames in
;
Queretaro. South of Mexico were numerous other

nations who were more or less intermixed with those
more civilized. Finally, I shall describe those people
who, since they came in contact with the whites, have

retrogaded in such a degree, that their manners and cus
toms can only be given in connection with those of the
Wild Tribes, and which comprise a large proportion of
1
all the present aborigines of Mexico.
The natives of the valley of Mexico are represented
by some authorities as tall, by others as of short stature ;
but from what I gather we may conclude that on the

whole they are over rather than under the middle height,
well made and robust. In Yera Cruz they are some
what shorter, say from four feet six inches to five feet
at most, and clumsily made, having their knees further
apart than Europeans and walking with their toes turned
in the women are shorter than the men and become
;
fully developed at a very early age. In Jalisco both

sexes are tall they are also well built, and among the
;
women are found many forms of such perfection that

they might well serve as models for sculpture. Through
out the table- lands, the men are muscular and well pro
portioned. Their skin is very thick and conceals the
action of the muscles; they are out-kneed, turn their
2
toes well in, and their carriage is anything but graceful.
Various opinions have been advanced by competent per
sons in regard to the features of the natives of Mexico.
Baron Yon Humboldt describes them as resembling the
aborigines of Canada, Peru, Florida, and Brazil; hav-
1
Otomi; Otho en la misma lenguaothorai quiere decir nada, j mi,
quieto, o sentado, de manera que traducida literalmentela palabra, significa
nada-quieto, cuya idea pudieramos expresar diciendo peregrino 6 errante.
Pimentel, .^Cuadro, torn, i., p. 118. Chichimecs; Los demas Indies les
llamaban Chichimecos (que hoy lo mismo es chichi que perros altaneros)
por la ninguna residencia. Padilla, Conq. N. Galicia, MS., p. 44. Speak
ing of Chichimecs, debaxo deste nombre estan muchas naciones con die-
rencias de lenguas como son Pamies, Capuzes, Samues, Zanqas, Maiolias,
Guamares, Guachichiles, y otros, todos diferentes aunque semejantes en las
costumbres. Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. viii., lib. vi., cap. xiv. For further
etymology of tribes, see .Buschmann, Ortsnamen.
2 Hanno d altezza piu di cinque piedi parigini. Clavir/ero, Storia Ant.
del Messico, torn, iv., p. 161. De pequena estatura [cuatro pies seis pulgadas,
a cinco pies cuando mas.] Berlandier y Thovel, Diario, p, 229. In Yalisco
casi en todo este reyno, son grandes, y hermosas. Gomara, Hist. Ind.,
fol. 271. Son de estatura alta, bien hechos y fornidos. Ulloa, Noticias
Americanas, p. 308; Tylor s Anahuac, p. 182; Burkart, Mexico, torn, i., p. 49;
Oviedo, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., p. 560; Beaumont, Cron de Mechoacan, MS., p.
236.
PHYSICAL JFEATUKES IN NOETHEKN MEXICO. 619
ing elongated eyes, the corners turned towards the

temples, prominent cheek-bones, large lips, and a sweet
expression about the mouth, forming a strong contrast
with their otherwise gloomy and severe aspect. Rossi
says that their eyes are oval, and that their physiognomy
resembles that of the Asiatics. According to Prescott,
they bear a strong resemblance to the Egyptians, and
Yiollet le Due asserts that the Malay type predominates.
They have generally a very narrow forehead, an oval
face, long black eyes set wide apart, large mouth with
thick lips, teeth white and regular, the nose small and
rather flat. The general expression of the countenance
is melancholy, and exhibits a strange combination of
moroseness and gentleness. Although some very hand
some women are to be found among them, the majority
of the race, both men and women, are ugly, and in old
age, which with the \vomen begins early, their faces are
much wrinkled and their features quite harsh. They have
acute senses, especially that of sight, which remains un
impaired to a very advanced age. Long, straight, black,
thick, and glossy hair is common to all their beard is thin,
;
and most of them, especially in the capital and its vicinity,

have a small moustache but very few, if any, have hair
;
on their legs, thighs, or arms. It is very seldom that a

gray-haired native is found. All the people referred to,
are remarkable for their strength and endurance, which
may be judged of by the heavy burdens they carry on
their backs. The inhabitants of the table-lands are of
various hues; some are olive, some brown, others of a
red copper color. In the Sierras some have- a bluish
tint as if dyed with indigo. The natives of the tierras
calientes are of a darker complexion, inclining to black.
There are some called Indios Pintos, whose cuticle is of
a less deep color, inclining more to yellowish and marked
with dark copper-colored spots. 3
3 In complexion, feature, hair and eyes, I could trace a very great re
semblance between these Indians and the Esquimaux. Lyon s Journal, vol.
i., p. 296, see also vol. ii., pp. 199, 239. Son de la frente ancha, y las ca-
bezas chatas. Sahagun, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., pp. 133, 129. See further,
Prichard s Nat. Hist. Man., vol. ii., p. 511; Calderon de la Barca s Life in
In the valley of Mexico the natives wear the ichapilli^

or a sort of shirt without sleeves, made of white and blue
striped cotton, which reaches to the knees and is gathered
round the waist with a belt. This is frequently the only
garment worn by the aborigines of the Mexican valley.
In lieu of the ancient feather ornaments for the head,
they -now use large felt or straw hats, the rim of which
isabout nine inches in width or they bind round the
;
head a colored handkerchief. Most of the men and

women go barefooted, and those who have coverings for
their feet, use the cades, or huarackes, (sandals) made of
tanned leather and tied with thongs to the ankles. The
dress of the women has undergone even less change than
that of the men, since the time of the Spanish conquest.
Many of them wear over the ichapilli a cotton or woolen
cloth, bound by a belt just above the hips; this answers
the purpose of a petticoat it is woven in stripes of dark
;
colors or embellished with figures. The ichapilli is

white, with figures worked on the breast, and is longer
than that worn by the men. In Puebla the women
wear very narrow petticoats and elegant quichemels cover
ing the breast and back and embroidered all over with
silk arid worsted. In the state of Yera Cruz and other
parts of the tierra caliente the men s apparel consists of a
short white cotton jacket or a dark-colored woolen tunic,
with broad open sleeves fastened round the waist with a
sash, and short blue or white breeches open at the sides
near the knee these are a Spanish innovation, but they
;
continue to wear the square short cloak, tiltna or tilmatli,

with the end tied on one of the shoulders or across the
breast. Sometimes a pair of shorter breeches made of
goat or deer skin are worn over the cotton ones, and
also a jacket of the same material. The women wear a
Mex., vol. i., p. 200; Almaraz, Memoria, p. 79; Huniboldt, Essai Pol., torn, i.,
pp. 82, 86; Rossi, Souvenirs, p. 280; Viollet-Le-Duc., in Charnay, Euines Ameri-
caines, p. 102; PoinseWs Notes on Mex., pp. 107-8; Ottavio, in Nouvdks Annales
des Voy., 1833, torn, lix., pp. 73-4; Fossey, Mexique, p. 391; Vigneaux, Souv.
291.
MEXICAN COSTUMES. 621
coarse cotton shift with large open sleeves, often worked

about the neck in bright colored worsted, to suit the
wearer s fancy a blue woolen petticoat is gathered round
;
the waist, very full below, and a blue or brown rebozo

is used as a wrapper for the shoulders. Sometimes a
muffler is used for the head and face.* They bestow
great care on their luxuriant hair, which they arrange
in two long braids that fall from the back of the head,
neatly painted and interwoven with wwsted of lively
colors, and the ends tied at the waist-band or joined be
hind; others bind the braids tightly round the head,
and occasionally add some wild flowers. 5 In the tierra
fria, a thick dark woolen blanket with a hole in the
centre through which passes the head protects the wearer
during the day from the cold and rain, and serves at
night for a covering and often for the bed itself. This
garment has in some places taken the place of the til-
matli. Children are kept in a nude state until they are
eight or ten years old, and infants are enveloped in a coarse
cotton cloth, leaving the head and limbs exposed. The
Huicholas of Jalisco have a peculiar dress the men wear a ;
short tunic made of coarse brown or blue woolen fabric,

tightened at the waist with a girdle hanging down in
front and behind, and very short breeches of poorly
dressed goat or deer skin without hair, at the lower edges
of which are strung a number of leathern thongs. Mar
ried men and women wear straw hats with high pointed
crowns and broad turned-up rims near the top is a nar
;
row and handsomely woven band of many colors, with

long tassels. Their long bushy hair is secured tightly
4 In Mexico in 1G98 the costume was a short doublet and wide breeches.
On their shoulders they wear a cloak of several colours, which they call Tilma.
The women all wear the Guaipil, (which is like a sack) under the Cobixa,
which a fine white cotton cloth to which they add another upon their
is ;
back Their coats are narrow with figures of lions, birds, and other crea
tures, adorning them with curious ducks feathers, which they call Xilotcpec.
Gemelli Careri, in Churchill s Col. Voyages, vol. iv., p. 491. Dress of a native
girl of Mexico, enaguas blanqui simas, el quisquemel que graciosamente cubre
su pecho y espalda. .dos largas trenzas color de ebano caen a los lados del
. .
cuello. Prieto, Viajes, pp.454, 190-1, 430-1. Leur costume varie selon le
terrain et le climat. Loicenstern, Mexique, pp. 176, 339.
* See Calderon de la Barca s
Life in Mex., vol. ii., pp. 346-8.
round the crown of the head with a bright woolen rib

bon. Many of the men do up the hair in queues with
worsted ribbons, with heavy tassels that hang below the
6
waist. De Laet, describing the natives of Jalisco early
in the seventeenth century, speaks of square cloths made
cf cotton and maguey tied on the right or left shoulder,
and small pebbles or shells strung together as necklaces.
Mota Padilla, in his history of New Galicia, says that
the Chichimecs at Xalostitlan, in 1530, went naked.
The inhabitants of Alzatlan about that time adorned
themselves with feathers. In Zacualco, the common
dress of the women about the same period, particularly
widows, was the huipil, made of fine cotton cloth, gen
erally black. The natives of the province of Panuco,
for many years after the Spanish Conquest, continued
to go naked; they pulled out the beard, perforated the
nose and ears, and, filing their teeth to a sharp point,
bored holes in them and dyed them black. The slayer
of a human being used to hang a piece of the skin and
hair of the slain at the waist, considering such things as
very valuable ornaments. Their hair they dyed in
various colors, and wore it in different forms. Their
women adorned themselves profusely, and braided their
hair with feathers. Sahagun, speaking of the Matlalt-
zincas, says that their apparel was of cloth made from
the maguey; referring to the Tlahuicas, he mentions
among their faults that they used to go overdressed;
and of the Macoaques, he writes: that the oldest women
as well as the young ones paint themselves with a varnish
called tecocavitl, or with some colored stuff, and wear
feathers about their arms and legs. The Tlascaltecs
in 1568 wore cotton-cloth mantles painted in various
fine colors. The inhabitants of Cholula, according to
Cortes, dressed better than the Tlascaltecs; the better
class wearing over their other clothes a garment re
sembling the Moorish cloak, yet somewhat different,

as that of Cholula had pockets, but in the cloth, the
6 Usan de nna especie de gran pano cuadrado, que tiene en el centre una
abertura por donde pasa la cabeza. Ikrlandier y Tfiovel, Diario, p. 229.
DRESS IN MICHOACAN. G23
cut, and the fringe, there was much resemblance to the

cloak worn in Africa. Old Spanish writers tell us that
the natives of Michoacan made much use of feathers for
wearing-apparel and for adorning their bodies and
heads. At their later religious festivals, both sexes
appear in white, the men with shirt and trowsers, having
a band placed slantingly across the breast and back, tied
to a belt round the waist, and on the head a small red
cloth arranged like a turban, from which are pendant
scarlet feathers, similar to those used by the ancient Aztec
warriors. The man is also adorned with a quantity of
showy beads, and three small mirrors, one of which is
placed on his breast, another on his back, and the third
invariably on his forehead. At his back he carries a
quiver, and in his hand a bow, adorned with bright col
ored artificial flowers, or it may be the Aztec axe, so
painted and varnished as to resemble flint. At the
present time, a native woman, however poor, still wears
a necklace of coral or rows of red beads. The unmar
ried women of Chilpanzinco used to daub their faces
with a pounded yellow flower. In Durango, the na
tives were accustomed to rub their swarthy bodies with
clay of various colors, and paint reptiles and other ani
mals thereon. 7
7 Yuan muy galaues, y empenachados. Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. iv., lib.
viii., cap. i. Senores 6 principales, trafan en el labio un bezote de chalchi-
vite 6 esmeralda, 6 de caracol, 6 de oro, d de cobre. .Las mugeres cuando
. .
ninas, tambien se rapaban la cabeza, y cuando ya mosas dejaban criar los

cabellos. .cuando alguna era ya muger hecba y habia parido, tocabase el
. .
cabello. Tambien traian sarcillos 6 orejeras, y se piutaban los pechos y los

brazos, con una labor que quedaba de azul muy nno, pintada en la misma
carne, cortandola con una navajuela. Sahagun, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., lib. x.,
pp. 123-5, 133-4. En el Pueblo de Juito salieron inuchos Yudios de paz con
escapularios blaucos al pecho, cortado el cabello en modo de cerquillo como
j\ovus uruis, pp. 250, 252, 281; Lafond,

Voyages, torn. I., p. 211; Alec/re,
Hist. Comp. de Jesus, torn, i.,
pp. 90, 279; Lyon s Journal, vol. ii., pp. 64,
198; Arlegui, Chron. de Zacatecas, p. 162; Beaumont, Cron de Meehoacan, MS.,
p. 210; Apostolicos Afanes, pp. 10, 67; Alcedo, Diccionario, torn, iii., p. 299;
Vigneaux, Souv. Mex., pp. 276, 296; Gomara, Hist. Ind., fol. 55-6; Biart,
in Revue Francaise, Dec. 1864, pp. 478-9; Ottavio, in Nouvelles Annales des
Voy., 1833, toin. lix., p. 61; Tylor s Anahuac, p. 302; Burkart, Mexico, torn.
i., pp. 50-1.
The dwellings of the Wild Tribes of Central Mexico

vary with climate and locality. In the lowlands, sheds
consisting of a few poles stuck in the ground, the spaces
between filled with rushes, and the roof covered with
palm-leaves, afforded sufficient shelter. In the colder
highlands they built somewhat more substantial houses
of trunks of trees, tied together with creeping plants,
the walls plastered with mud or clay, the roof of split
boards kept in place with stones. In treeless parts,
houses were constructed .of adobe or sun-dried bricks and
stones, and the interior walls covered with mats; the
best houses were only one story high, and the humbler
habitations too low to allow a man to stand erect. The
entire house constituted but one room, where all the
family lived, sleeping on the bare ground. A
few stones
placed in the middle of the floor, served as a fireplace
where food was cooked. In Yera Cruz there is a sep
arate small hut for cooking purposes. The wild nomadic
Chichimecs lived in caverns or fissures of rocks situated
in secluded valleys, and the Fames contented themselves
8
with the shade afforded by the forest-trees.
Corn, beans, tomatoes, chile, and a variety of fruits

and vegetables constitute the chief subsistence of the
people, and in those districts where the banana flour
ishes, it ranks as an important article of food. The
natives of Yera Cruz and Tamaulipas gather large quan
tities of the pitahaya, by means of an osier basket
attached to a long pole; round the brim are arranged
several forks, for the purpose of detaching the fruit,
which then drops into the basket. From the blossoms
and buds they make a ragout, and also grind the seeds
for bread. From the sea and rivers they obtain a plen
tiful supply of fish, and they have acquired from child
hood a peculiar habit of eating earth, which is said to
be injurious to their physical development. It has been
8 Les cabanes sont de veritables cages en bambous. Vigneaux, Souv.
Mex., p. 274; Mayer s Hex. as it Was, p. 170; Ward s Mexico, vol. ii., pp.
179, 522; Bustamante, in Prieto, Viajes, pp. 192, 195, 373, 437, 447; Muhlen-
pfordt, Mejico, torn, i., pp. 223-4; Beaufoy s Mex. Illustr., p. 258; Pages
travels, vol. i., p. 159; Dillon, Hist. Mex., p. 47.
FOOD AND AGKICULTUKE. 625
stated that in former days they used human flesh as food.

The Otomis and tribes of Jalisco cultivated but little
grain, and consumed that little before it ripened, trust
ing for a further supply of food to the natural produc
tions of the soil and to game, such as rabbits, deer,
moles, and birds, and also foxes, rats, snakes and other
reptiles. Corn-cobs they ground, mixed cacao with the

powder, and baked the mixture on the fire. From the
lakes in the valley of Mexico they gathered flies eggs,
deposited there in large quantities by a species of flies
called by the Mexicans axayacatl, that is to say, water-
face, and by MM. Meneville and Yirlet d Aoust corixa
femorata and notonecta unifasciata. The eggs being
pounded, were moulded into lumps and sold in the
market-place; they were esteemed a special delicacy,
and were eaten fried. These people are also accused by
some authors of having eaten human flesh. 9
Other tribes, inhabiting the valley of Mexico, Puebla,
Michoacan, and Queretaro, show a greater inclination to
cultivate the soil, and live almost wholly on the products
of their own industry. They plant corn by making a
hole in the ground with a sharp-pointed stick, into
which the seed is dropped and covered up. Honey is
plentiful, and when a tree is found where bees are at
work, they stop the entrance with clay, cut off the
branch and hang it outside their huts; after a short
time they remove the clay, and the bees continue their
operations in their new locality, as if they had not been,
10
disturbed.
Gremelli Careri thus describes a novel method of
catching ducks: Others contrive to deceive ducks, as
"
9
Montanus, Nieuwe Weereld, p. 250; and Dapper, Neue Welt, p. 582. Estos
Otomies comian los zorrillos que hieden, culebras y lirones, y todo genero de
ratones, comadrejas, y otras sabandijas del campo y del monte, lagartijas de
todas suertes, y abejones y langostas de todas maneras. Sahagun, Hist. Gen.,
torn, iii., lib. x., pp. 126-7, 123-5. In Jalisco Los indios de aquellas pro-
vincias son caribes, que comen carne humana todas las que la pueden
ve<jes
aver. Oviedo, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., p. 568.

iQ In Puebla Los Indios se han aplicado mas al cultivo de la tierra
y
plantio de frutas y legumbrps. In Michoacan Cultivan mucho maiz,
frixoles y ulgodon. Alc.edo, Diccionario, torn, i., pp. 494, 714. In Queretaro
viven del cultivo de las sementeras. Id., torn, iii., p. 320.
Vol. I. 40
shy as they are ;

for when they have us d em to be fre
quently among calabashes left floating on the lake for

that purpose, they make holes in those calabashes, so
that putting their heads in them, they can see out of
them, and then going up to the neck in the water, they
go among the ducks and draw em down by the feet."
For making tortillas, the corn is prepared by placing it
in water, to which a little lime is added, and allowing it
to soak all night, or it is put to simmer over a slow fire;
the husk is then easily separated and the corn mashed
or ground on the metate. From this paste the tor
tilla is formed by patting it between the hands into a
very thin cake, which is cooked on an earthern pan

placed over the fire; the tortilla is eaten with boiled
beans, and a mixture of chile and lard. The ground
corn is also mixed with water and strained through a
sieve; of this liquor they make a gruel, to which is
added a little cacao or sugar. The sediment which re
mains in the sieve is used to make tamales, which are
a combination of chopped meat, chile, and onions, which
ingredients are covered with the corn paste, and the
whole enveloped in corn or plantain leaves and boiled or
baked. The Mexicans are very moderate eaters, but
have an insatiable passion for strong liquors. 11
Laziness and filth follow us as we proceed southward
in our observations; among the Mexicans, the poorer
classes especially are filthy in their persons, and have a
disgusting appearance, which increases with the infirmi

ties of age. Many of them indulge freely in the use
Of a stearn-bath called temazcalli, similar to the Russian
11
They boil the Indian wheat with lime, and when it has stood a-while
;grind as they do the cacao. Gemelli Careri, in Churchill s Col. Voyages, vol.
it,
v., pp. 496, 492, 513; Walton s Span. Col., p. 305. For further account of
food see Tylor s Anahuac, pp. 88-9, 156; Sive.rs, Mittelamerika, p. 295; Klemm.
Cultar-Geschichte, p. 102; Delaporte, Reisen, torn, x., p. 323; Padllla, Conq. N.
Galicia, MS., pp. 31, 44, 53, 73, 127; Humboldt, Essai Pol., torn, i., pp. 79,
87; Larenaudiere, in Nouvelles Annales des Voy., 1824, torn, xxiii., p. 67; Pritto
Viajes, pp. 191-2, 373; Mex. in 1842, pp. 46, 64, 68; Mayer s Mex., Aztec, etc.,
vol. ii., p. 32; Albornoz, in Icazbalceta, Col. de Doc., torn, i., p. 488; Muhlen-
pfordt, Mejico, torn, i., pp. 185, 218-19; Armin, Das Heutige Mexifco, p. 245,
with plate; Mendoza, Hist, de las Cosas, p. 310; Malte-Brun, Precis de la Ge og.,
torn, vi., p. 443.
WEAPONS AND SHIELDS. 627
vapor-bath, but it does not appear to have the effect of

12
cleansing their persons.
All these tribes use bows and arrows the latter car ;
ried in a quiver slung at the back, a few spare ones

being stuck in the belt for immediate use. heavy A
club is secured to the arm by a thong, and wielded with
terrible effect at close quarters. In battle, the principal
warriors are armed with spears and shields. Another
weapon much in use is the sling, from which they cast
Btones to a great distance and with considerable accu
racy. The natives of the valley of Mexico kill birds
13
with small pellets blown through a hollow tube.
The clubs, which are from three to four feet in length,
are made of a species of heavy wood, some having a
round knob at the end similar to a mace, others broad
and flat, and armed with sharp pieces of obsidian, fas
tened on either side. Acosta states that with these
weapons they could cut off the head of a horse at one
stroke. Spears and arrows are pointed with flint or
obsidian, the latter having a reed shaft with a piece of
hard wood inserted into it to hold the point. Their
quivers are made of deer-skin, and sometimes of seal
or shark skin. Shields are ingeniously constructed of
small canes so woven together with thread that they
can be folded up and carried tied under the arm. When
wanted for use they are loosed, and when opened out
14
they cover the greater part of the body.
12 Ward
s Mexico, vol. ii., pp. 268-9. One would think the bath would
make the Indians cleanly in their persons, but it hardly seems so, for they
look rather dirtier after they have been in the temazcalli than before. Tylor s
Anahuac, p. 302.
Padilla, Conq. N. Galicia, MS., pp. 33, 72-3; Beaumont, Cron. deMechoa-
!3
can, MS., p. 235. El arco y la flecha eran sus nrmas en la guerra, auuque
para la caza los caciques y senores usaban tainbien de cervatanas. Akgre,
Hist. Comp. de Jesus, torn, i., p. 279. I saw some Indians that kill d the
least birds upon the highest trees with pellets shot out of trunks. Gemelli
Careri, in Churchill s Col. Voyages, vol. iv., p. 512, and in Berenger, Col. de Voy.,
torn, ii., p. 397.
West und Ost Indischer Lustgarl, pfc i., p. 102; Clarigcro, Storia An.t dd
"
Messico, torn, ii., pp. 141-4, with plate; Cartasal Abate de Pradt, p. 114; Helps
Span. Conq., vol. ii., p. 286; Arricivita, Cronica Serafca, p. 89; Sahagun, Hist.
Gen., torn, iii., lib. x., pp. 129, 133; Lyon s Journal, vol. i., pp. 149, 293;
Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. iv., lib. viii., cap. ii.; Muhknpfordt, Mejico,
torn, ii., pt ii., p. 378. Una macana, a manera de porra, llena de puutas Ue
Aboriginally, as with most northern nations, warfare

was the normal state of these people. The so-called
Chichimecs attacked all who entered their domain,
whether for hunting, collecting fruit, or fighting. War
once declared between two each side endeavors
tribes,
to secure by alliance as
many of their neighbors as
possible; to which end ambassadors are despatched to

the chiefs of adjacent provinces, each bearing in his
hand an arrow of the make peculiar to the tribe of
the stranger chief. Arriving at the village, the mes
senger seeks out the chief and lays the arrow at his
feet if the proposal of his master be accepted by the
;
stranger chief, the rendezvous is named and the mes

senger departs. The ambassadors having returned with
their report, preparations are at once made for the re
ception of the allies, a feast is prepared, large quanti
ties of game and intoxicating drink are made ready,
and as soon as the guests arrive the viands are placed
before them. Then follow eating and drinking, con
cluding with drunken orgies; this finished, a council
is held, and the assault planned, care being taken to
secure places suitable for an ambuscade and stones for
the slingers. A
regular organization of forces is ob
served and every effort made to outflank or surround
the enemy. Archers and slingers march to an attack
in single file, always occupying the van, while warriors
armed with clubs and lances are drawn up in the rear ;
the assault is commenced by the former, accompanied

with furious shouts and yells. During the period of
their wars against the Spaniards, they often expended
much time and labor in the fortification of heights by
means of tree-trunks, and large rocks, which were so
arranged, one on top of another, that at a given sig
nal they might be loosened, and let fall on their assail
ants. The chiefs of the Tepecanos and contiguous tribes
carried no weapons during the action, but had rods
piedras pedernales. Oviedo, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., p. 568. En schilden nit
Btijve stokjens gevlochten, van welke sick verwonderens-waerdig
dienen in
den oorlog. Montanus, Nieuwe Weerekl, pp. 225-6, and Dapper, Neue Welt.,
p. 254.
WAR AND TREATMENT OF CAPTIVES. 629
with which they chastised those who exhibited symp

toms of cowardice, or became disorderly in the ranks. 15
The slain were scalped or their heads cut off, and
prisoners were treated with the utmost barbarity, end
ing invariably in the death of the unfortunates; often
were they scalped while yet alive, and the bloody tro
phy placed upon the heads of their tormentors. The
heads of the slain were placed on poles and paraded
through their villages in token of victory, the inhabi
tants meanwhile dancing round them. Young children
were sometimes spared, and reared to fight in the ranks
of their conquerors; and in order to brutalize their
youthful minds and eradicate all feelings of affection
toward their own kindred, the youthful captives were
given to drink the brains and blood of their murdered
parents. The Chichimecs carried with them a bone,
on which, when they killed an enemy, they marked a
notch, as a record of the number each had slain. Mot a
Padilla states that when Nuno de Guzman arrived in
the valley of Coynan, in Jalisco, the chiefs came out to
meet him, and, as a sign of peace and obedience, dropped
on one knee; upon being raised up by the Spaniards,
they placed round their necks strings of rabbits and
16
quails, in token of respect.
As the wants of the people are few and simple, so is
the inventory of their implements and household furni
ture. Every family is supplied with the indispensable
metate, an oblong stone, about twelve by eighteen inches,
smooth on the surface and resting upon three legs in a
slanting position with this is used a long stone roller,
;
15
Siempre procuran de acometer en malos pasos, en tierras dobladas y
pedregosas. Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. vii., lib. ii., cap. xii. Tres mil
Yndios formaban en solo una fila haciendo freute a nuestro campo. Padilla,
Conq. N. Galicia, MS., p. 34; see further, Oviedo, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., p.
572; Beaumont, Cron. de Mechoacan, MS., p. 235.
16 The Chichimecs
Flea their heads, and fit that skin upon their own
heads with all the hair, and so wear it as a token of valour, till it rots off in
bits. Gemelli Careri, in Churchill s CoL Voyages, vol. iv., p. 513, and Berenger,
Col. deVoy., torn, ii., p. 400. Quitandoles los cascos con el pelo, se los
lie van a su Pueblo, para"baylar el mitote en compania de sus parientes con las
cabezas de sus euemigos en serial del triunfo. Arlegui, Chron. de Zacatecas,
pp. 179, 159-60. Further reference in Sahagun, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., lib. x.,
pp. 133-4; Alegre, Hist. Comp. de Jesus, torn, i., p. 281.
630 WILD TEIBES OF MEXICO.
called the metlapilli, for rubbing down the maiz, and a

large earthen pan, called the comatti, on which to bake the
tortillas. Their bottles, bowls, and cups are made from
gourds, often prettily painted, and kept hanging round
the walls; some unglazed earthenware vessels, orna
mented with black figures on a dull red ground, are used
for cooking, a block of wood serves for a stool and
table, and
lastly a few petates (Aztec, petlatlj palm-leaf
mat ) are laid upon the ground for beds. These com
,
prise the whole effects of a native s house. For agricul

tural purposes, they have wooden spades, hoes, and sharp
stakes for planting corn. Their products are carried
home or to market in large wicker-work frames, often
five feet high by two and a half feet broad, made from
17
split palm-leaves.
In the State of Jalisco, the natives are celebrated for
the manufacture of blankets and woolen mantas; in
other parts of the country they continue to weave cot
ton stuffs in the same manner as before the conquest, all
on very primitive hand-looms. The common designs
are in blue or red and white stripes, but they are some
times neatly worked with figures, the juice from the
murex or purple shell supplying the vermilion color for
the patterns. The inhabitants of Tonala exhibit much
taste and excellence in the production of pottery, mak
ing a great variety of toys, masks, figures, and orna
ments, besides the vessels for household use. In the
vicinity of Santa Cruz, the fibres of the aloe, crushed
upon the metate, are employed for the manufacture of
ropes, nets, bags, and flat round pelotas, used
in rubbing-
down the body after a bath. Palm-leaf mats and
dressed skins also figure largely among the articles of
18
native industry.
Cassel, in Nouvettes Annaks des Voy., 1830, torn, xlv., p. 338; Vigneaux,
17
Souv. Mex., p. 274; Prieto, Viajes, p. 193; Tylor s Anahuac, pp. 201-2;
Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, i., pp. 224-6, 241; Montanus, Nieuwe Weereld, p.
224; and Dapper, Neue Welt., p. 252.
18 The Indians of this Countrie doe make
great store of Woollen Cloth and
Silkes. Purchas, His Pilgrimes, vol. iv., lib. vii., p. 1433. The Otonifs
sabian hacer lindas labores en. las innntas. enaguas, y vipiles que tejian muy
curiosamente pero todas elks labraban lo dicho de hilo de maguey que
;
TEADE AND AKTS. 631
In Yera Cruz, they have canoes dug out of the trunk

of a mahogany or cedar tree, which are capable of hold
19
ing several persons, and are worked with single paddles.
A considerable trade is carried on in pottery, mats,
dressed skins, and manufactures of the aloe-fibre also ;
fruit, feathers, vegetables, and fish. All such wares are

packed in light osier baskets, which, thrown upon their
backs, are carried long distances to the several markets.
In the province of Yera Cruz, vanilla, jalap, and other
herbs are important articles of native commerce, and all
the interior tribes place a high value on salt, for which
20
they readily exchange their products.
The natives display much patience and skill in orna
mental work, especially carvings in stone, and in paint
ing; although the figures, their gods bearing witness,
are all of grotesque shapes and appearance. With noth
ing more than a rude knife, they make very ingenious
figures, ofwax, of the pith of trees, of wood, charcoal,
clay, and bone. They are fond of music, and readily
imitate any strain they hear. From time immemorial
they have retained a passion for flowers, in all seasons
of the year tastefully decorating therewith their dwell
ings and shops. The art of working in gold and silver
is well known to the natives of Jalisco, who execute
well-shaped specimens of cups and vases, beautifully

21
engraved and ornamented.
sacaban y beneficiaban de las pencas. Sahagun, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., lib. x.,
p. 127; see also, Tylor s Anahuac, p. 201; Bustamante, in Prieto, Viajes,p.
193; Carpenter s Trav. Mex., p. 243; Mex. in 1842, p. 66; Muhlenpfordt, Meji-
co, torn, ii., pt ii., p. 341; Lyon s Journal, vol. ii., p. 43; Thummel, Mexiko,
p. 63.
isDale s Notes, p. 24.
20 In those countreys they take neither golde nor silver for exchange of
any thing, but onley Suit. Chilton, in Hakluyt s Voy., vol. iii., p. 459; com
pare Lyon s Journal, vol. i., p. 293, and vol. ii., p. 198; and Tylor s Anahuac,
p. 85.
21
Humboldt, Essai Pol., torn, i., p. 98; Tylor s Anahuac, p. 316; Ward s
Mexico, vol. ii., p. 237; Lafond, Voyages, torn, i., p. 131; Muhlenpfordt,Meji-
co, torn, i., p. 243; MUl s Hist. Mex., p. 6; Carpenter s Trav. Mex., p. 243.
Les Mexicains ont conserve un gout particulier pour la peinture et pour
1 art de
sculpter en pierre et en bois. Matte- Brun, Precis de la Geog., torn,
vi., p. 44G. Lo particular de Michoacan era el arte de pintar con las plu-
mas de diversos colores. Alegre, Hist. Comp. de Jesus, torn, i., p. 90. Son
ni iy bueuos cantores y tafiedores de toda suerte de instrumentos. Mendoza,
Hist, de las Cosas, p. 3U8.
The wild tribes surrounding, and in places intermixed

with, the Civilized Nations of Central Mexico, as far as
I can learn, do not appear to have had any systematic
tribal government; at least, none of the old historians
have given any account of such. Some of the tribes
attach themselves to chiefs of their own choice, to whom
they pay a certain tribute from the produce of their
labor or hunting expeditions, while others live without
any government or laws whatsoever, and only elect a
22
chief on going to war.
Marriage takes place at an early age, and girls are
seldom found single after they attain fourteen or fifteen
years. Gomara, however, says that women in the dis
trict of Tamaulipas are not married till they reach the
age of forty. The Otomis marry young, and if, when
arrived at the age of puberty, a young girl has not
found a mate, her parents or guardians select one for her,
so that none shall remain single. Among the Guachichi-
les, when a young man has selected a girl, he takes her on
trial for an indefinite period if, afterwards, both parties
;
are satisfied with each other, the ceremony of marriage

is performed; should it
happen, however, that the man
be not pleased, he returns the girl to her parents, which
proceeding does not place any obstacle in the way of her
obtaining another suitor. The Chichimecs cannot marry
without the consent of parents if a young man violates
;
this law and takes a girl without first obtaining the
parental sanction, even with the intention of mar

rying her, the penalty is death; usually, in ancient
times, the offender was shot with arrows. When one of
this people marries, if the girl proves not to be a virgin,
the marriage is null, and the girl is returned to her
parents. When a young man desires to marry, his
parents make a visit to those of the intended bride, and
leave with them a bouquet of flowers bound with red
22
Comp. de Jesus, torn, i., p. 281; Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec.
Alegre, Hist.
cap. xv.; Oviedo, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., p. 567; Padilla, Conq. N.
viii., lib. vi.,
Galicia, MS., pp. 31,68; Ottavio, in Nouvelles Annales des Voy., 1833, torn, lix.,
p. 61.
MAKKIAGE CUSTOMS. 633
wool; the bride s parents then send round to the houses

of their friends a bunch of mariguana, a narcotic herb,
which signifies that all are to meet together at the bride s
father s on the next night. The meeting is inaugurated
by smoking; then they chew mariguana, during which
time all preliminaries of the marriage are settled. The
following day the resolutions of the conclave are made
known to the young man and woman, and if the decision
is favorable, the latter sends her husband a few presents,
and from that time the parties consider themselves mar
ried, and the friends give themselves up to feasting and
23
dancing.
A plurality of wives was found among all the inhabi
tants of this region at the time of the Spanish conquest,
the first wife taking precedence of those who came after
her. Many hadconcubines who, it may be said, ranked
third in the family circle. The missionary Fathers,
however, soon put an end to the custom of more than
one wife, whenever they had the power to do so. Her-
rera says that the Chichimecs indulged in one wife only,
but that they had the habit of repudiating her for any
slight cause, and of taking another. The women are
kept under subjection by their husbands, and not only
have all the indoor work to do, such as cooking,
spinning, and mat- making, but they are also required to
carry heavy burdens home from the market, and bring
all the wood and water for household use. Infants are
carried on the mother s back, wrapped in a coarse cot
ton cloth, leaving the head and legs free. Among the
Chichimecs, when a woman goes out of her house, she
places her child in a wicker basket, and there leaves it,
usually suspending it from the branch of a tree. child A
is suckled by the mother until another comes on and
crowds it out. Mlihlenpfordt relates that he saw a boy of
23
Mayer s Mex., Aztec, etc., vol. ii., p. 296; Villa, in Prieto, Viajes, pp.
428-30. Tenian uso y costumbre los otomies, de que los varones siendo muy
muchachos y tiernos se casasen, y lo mismo las mugeres Sahagun. Hist. .
Gen., torn, iii., lib. x., p. 127. Chicliimecs casanse con las parientas mas
cercanas, pero no con las hermanas. Ilerrera, Hist. Gen. dec. viii., lib. vi.,
t
cap. xv.
seven or eight years of age demanding suck and receiv

ing it from his mother. A woman near her time of
confinement, retires to a dark corner of the house,
attended by some aged woman, who sings to her, and
pretends to call the baby from afar; This midwife, how
ever, does not in any way assist at the birth, but as
soon as the child is born she goes out, meanwhile cover
ing her face with her hands, so that she may not see.
Having walked once round the house, she opens her
eyes, and the name of the first object she sees is chosen
as the name of the child. Among the Otorm s, a young
woman about to become a mother is the victim of much
unnecessary suffering arising from their superstitious
practices; loaded with certain amulets and charms, she
must carefully avoid meeting certain individuals and
animals whose look might produce evil effects a black
dog especially must be avoided. The song of a mock
ing-bird near the house is held to be a happy omen.
At certain hours the mother was to drink water
which had been collected in the mountains, and pre
viously presented to the gods; the phases of the moon
were carefully watched. She was obliged to undergo
an examination from the old crone who attended her,
and who performed certain ceremonies, such as burning
aromatic herbs mingled with saltpetre. Sometimes,
amidst her pains, the ancient attendant obliged her
charge to jump about, and take powerful medicines,
which frequently caused abortion or premature delivery.
If the child was a boy, one of the old men took it in
his arms and painted on its breast an axe or some im
plement of husbandry, on its forehead a feather, and on
the shoulders a bow and quiver; he then invoked for it
the protection of the gods. If the child proved to be
a female, the same ceremony was observed, with the
exception that an old woman officiated, and the figure of
a flower was traced over the region of the heart, while
on the palm of the right hand a spinning-wheel was
pictured, and on the left a piece of wool, thus indicating
the several duties of after life. According to the Apos-
CHILDREN AND AMUSEMENTS. 635
tdticosAfaneSj the Coras call the child after one of

its uncles or aunts. In twelve months time a feast is
prepared in honor of said young, and the mother and
child, together with the uncle or aunt, placed in the
middle of the circle of relatives. Upon these occasions
much wine is drunk, and for the first time salt is placed
in the child s mouth. As soon as the child s teeth are
all cut, a similar meeting takes place, and the child is
then given its first meal; and again, at the age of
twelve, the ancients come together, when the youth is
firstgiven wine to drink. As a rule, young people show
great respect and affection for their parents; all their
24
earnings being at once handed over to them.
In early times, immorality and prostitution existed
among these nations to an unparalleled extent. Gomara
says that in the province of Tamaulipas there were pub
lic brothels, where men enacted the part of women, and
where every night were assembled as many as a thou
sand, more or less, of these worse than beastly beings,
according to the size of the village. It is certain that
incest and every species of fornication was commonly
practiced, especially in the districts of Yera Cruz, Ta
25
maulipas, and Queretaro.
Their amusements are stamped with the general mel
ancholy of their character. Dancing, accompanied with
music and singing, is their favorite pastime, but it is
seldom indulged in without the accompanying vice of
intoxication. When the Totonacs join in their na
tional dances, they attach a kind of rattle called aia-
cachtli to a band round the head, that produces a
peculiar sound during the performance. Among some

tribes women are not permitted to join in the dances.
24
Miihlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, i., pp. 246-8; Bullock s Mexico, vol. i., p.
192; Apostolicos Afanes, pp. 21-2; Rittner, Guatimozin, p. 81. Elamanceba-
miento no es deshonra entre ellos. Zarfate, in Aletjre, Hist. Cornp. de Jesus,
torn, i., pp. 281, 335. Zlingerden de kinderen in gevlochte korven aen
boomtakken. Montanus, Nieuwe Weereld, p. 219; and Dapper, Neue Well., p.
246.
25 La mancebfa, el incesto, y cuanto tiene de mas asquerosamente re-
pugnante el desarreglo de la concupiscencia, se ha convertido en habito.
Prieto, Viajes, p. 379; Fossey, Mexique, p. 27; Gomara, Hist. Ind., fol. 56.
636 WILD TKIBES OF MEXICO.
They make various kinds of drinks and intoxicating

liquors. One is made from the fruit of the nopal or
prickly pear, which is first peeled and pressed the juice ;
is then passed through straw sieves, and placed by a fire

or in the sun, where in about an hour it ferments.
Another drink, called chicha, is made from raw sugar
cane, which is mashed with a wooden mallet and passed
through a pressing-machine. Their principal and na
tional drink is pulque, made from the agave americana,
and thus prepared When the plant is about to bloom,
is :
the heart or stalk is cut out, leaving a hole in the center,

which is covered with the outer leaves. Every twenty-
four hours, or in the hotter climates twice a day, the
cavity fills with the sap from the plant, which is taken
out and fermented by the addition of some already-fer
mented pulque, and the process is continued until the
plant ceases to yield a further supply. The liquor
obtained is at first of a thick white color, and is at
26
all times very intoxicating.
Father Joseph Arlegui, in his Chrdnica de la Pro-
vincia de Zacatecas, which province then comprised a
much larger extent of territory than the present state
of Zacatecas, describes a singular ceremony nowhere
else mentioned. It is employed when one nation
wishes to form a close connection, friendship, alliance,
family or blood relationship, so to say (tratan de ha-
cerse parientes), with another nation; and the process
is as follows: From the tribe with which the alliance
is desired, a man is seized, and a feast or drunken
carousal commenced. Meanwhile the victim destined
to form the connecting link between the two bands,
and whose blood is to cement their friendship, is kept
without food for twenty-four hours. Into him is then
poured of their execrable beverages until he is filled,
26
Humboldt, Essai Pol., torn, i., p. 97; Hassel, Mex. Guat., p. 160;
Sahagun, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., lib. x., p. 131; Apostolicos Afanes, p. 12; Pa-
dilla, Cong. N. Galicia, pp. 19, 127; Wappiius, Geog. u. Stat., p. 80; Thum-
mel, Mexiko, p. 61; Alcedo, Diccionario, torn, ii., p. 470; Muhlenpfordt,
Mejico, torn, i., p. 219; Gemelli Careri, in Churchill s Col. Voyages, vol. iv.,
p. 517.
MAKING AN ALLIANCE. 637
and his senses are deadened, when he is stretched

before a fire, built in a wide open place, where all
the people may have access to him. Having warmed
well his body, and rubbed his ears, each aspirant to the
new friendship, armed with a sharp awl-shaped instru
ment, made of deer s bone, proceeds to pierce the ears of
the prostrate miserable, each in turn forcing his sharp
ened bone through some new place, which causes the
blood to spurt afresh with every incision. With the
blood so drawn, the several members of the tribe anoint
themselves, and the ceremony is done. On the spot
where the relative of a Cora is killed in a fight, a
piece of cloth is dipped in blood, and kept as a remem
brance, until his death be avenged by killing the slayer,
or one of the males of his family. When meeting each
other on a journey, they make use of many compli
mentary salutations, and a kind of freemasonry appears
to exist among them. Major Brantz Mayer mentions a
tribe at that, in the event of a white man
Cuernavaca
arriving at their village, immediately seize and place
him under guard for the night in a large hut he and ;
his animals are carefully provided for until the following

day, when he despatched from the village under an
is
escort, upon him until far beyond the limits of
to wait
the settlement. The custom, at the present day, of hid
ing money in the ground is universal nothing would ;
induce a native to entrust his savings with another. The

inhabitants of Queretaro spend much of their time bask
ing in the sun, and if the sun does not yield sufficient
warmth, they scoop out a hole in the ground, burn in it
branches and leaves of the maguey, and when properly
heated, lay themselves down in the place, and cover
themselves with a mat or the loose earth. 27
27
Arlequi, Chron. de Zacatecas, pp. 161-2; Mayer s Mex. as it Was, pp.
175-6; Mendoza. Hist, de las Cosas, p. 311; Prieto, Viajes, p. 375; Aposto-
licos Afanes, p. 12. Los indios, si no todos en su mayor parte, \iven liga-
dos por una especie de masoneria. Bustamante, in Prieto, Viajes, p. 199.
*
Wenn melirere in Gesellschaft gehen, nie neben, sondern irnnier hiiater ein-
ander und selten ruhig schreitend, sondern fast immer kurz trabend. Wap-
piius, Geog. u. Stat., p. 39. L Indien enterre son argent, et au moment de
sa niort il ne dit pas a son plus proche parent oii il a depose son tresor, aim
The Mexicans
are not subject to many diseases. Small
pox, brought into the country at the time of the con
quest, typhoid fever, and syphilis are those which
cause the greatest destruction of life; the two former
are aggravated by the filthy condition of the villages.
Yellow fever, or black vomit, very rarely attacks the
aborigines. The measles is a prevalent disease. Death
is likewise the result of severe wounds, fractures, or
bruises, most of which end in mortification, owing to

neglect, or to the barbarous remedies applied to combat
them. The Huastecs of Yera Cruz suffer from certain
worms that breed in their lips, and highly esteem salt
for the curative properties they believe it to possess
against this disorder. At the village of Comala, in the

state of Colima, a considerable number of the children
are born deaf and dumb, idiots, or deformed; besides
which, when they reach a mature age, if we may believe
the early chroniclers, the goitres are more or less devel
oped on them, notwithstanding Humboldt s assertion
that the aborigines never suffer from this disorder.
There is another disease, cutaneous in its character,
which is quite prevalent in many parts of the country,
and is supposed to be contracted under the influence
of a warm, humid, and unhealthy climate, and may
be described as follows: Without pain the skin assumes
a variety of colors, the spots produced being white, red,
brownish, or blue. The Pintos, as south-western coast-
dwellers are called, the chief victims to this disorder,
experience no physical pain, except when they go into
a cold climate; then they feel twitchings in the places
where the skin has changed color. The disease is de
clared to be contagious and from all accounts no remedy
:
for it has been as yet discovered. Formerly, an epidemic

called the matlalmhiiail visited the country at long inter
vals and caused terrible havoc. All the Spanish writers
w ho speak of it call it the peste, and suppose it to be the
r
same scourge that destroyed nearly the whole population

ne lui fasse pas faute quand ilressuscitera. Cassel, in Nouvelles Annales
r il
Voy., 1830, torn, xlv., p. 339.

MEDICAL TREATMENT. 639
of the Toltec empire in the eleventh century. Others

believe it to have borne a greater similarity to yellow
fever. The disease, whatever it is, made its appearance
in 1545, 1576, and 1736, since which date I find no
mention of it, destroying each time an immense num
ber of people but upon no occasion did it attack the
;
pure whites or the mestizos. Its greatest havoc was in

the interior, on the central plateau, and in the coldest
and most arid regions, the lowlands of the coast being
28
nearly, if not entirely, free from its effects.
When small-pox was first introduced, the natives
resorted to bathing as a cure, and a very large number
succumbed to the disease. An old Spanish author,
writing in 1580, states that the natives of the kingdom
of New Spain had an extensive knowledge of medicinal
herbs; that they seldom resorted to bleeding or com
pound purgatives, for they had many simple cathartic
herbs. They were in the habit of making pills with
the India-rubber gum mixed with other substances,
which they swallowed, and rubbed themselves withal,
to increase their agility and suppleness of body. Cold
water baths are commonly resorted to when attacked
with fever, and they cannot be prevailed upon to aban
don the practice. The temazcalli or sweat-bath, is also
very much used for cases of severe illness. The bath
house stands close to a spring of fresh water, and is
built and heated not unlike a European bake-oven.
When up to the required temperature the fire is taken
out, and water thrown in the patient is then thrust into
;
it naked, feet foremost and head near the aperture, and
laid on a mat that covers the hot stones. The hole that
affords him air for breathing is about eighteen inches
28 La petite verole et la rougeole sont deux maladies tres communes.

Chappe d Auteroche, Voyage, p. 25. The Pintos marked with great daubs of
deep blue. . .the decoration is natural and cannot be effaced. Tylor s
. Ana->
huac,p. 309. See further: Fossey, Mexique, pp. 33-4, 395-6. Compare Hum-
boldt, Essai Pol., torn, i., pp. 66, 69-70, 88; Montanus, Nieuwe Weereld, p.
250; Dapper, Neue Welt, p. 282; Cassel, in NouveUes Annales des Voy., 1830,
torn, xlv., p. 340; Lowenstern, Mexique, p. 207; Charnay, Ruincs Anie ricaines,
pp. 502-3; Matte-Brim, Precis de la Gfeog., torn, vi., p. 443; Woppilus, Geo j. u.
Stat., p. 40.
square. When sufficiently steamed, and the body well

beaten with rushes, a cold water bath and a brisk rub
29
bing complete the operation.
In Michoacan, the natives believe that the leaves of
a plant called cozolmecatl or olcacaran applied to a sore
part of the body will foretell the result of the disorder;
for if the leaves adhere to the spot, it is a sure sign that
the sufferer will get well, but if they fall off, the con
trary will happen. When prostrated with disease, the
nearest relatives and friends surround the patient s
couch and hold a confab tfpon the nature of his ailment
and the application of the remedy. Old sorceresses and
charlatans put in practice their spells; fumigations and
meltings of saltpetre abound and by some jugglery, out
;
of the crystallized saltpetre is brought a monstrous ant,

a horrible worm, or some other object, which, as they
allege, is the cause of the disorder. As the disease pro
gresses, the friends of the sufferer severally recommend
and apply, according to the judgment each may have
formed of the matter, oil of scorpions or of worms,
water supposed to produce miraculous effects on fevers,
or like applications, and these empirical remedies, most
of which are entirely useless, and others extremely bar
30
barous, are applied together without weight or measure.
In common with other peoples, it is usual with these
nations to place several kinds of edibles in the grave
with the deceased. Among the Coras, when one died,
the corpse was dressed and wrapped in a mantle; if a
man, with bow and arrows, and if a woman, with her
distaff, etc., and in this manner the body was buried
in a cave previously selected by the deceased. All
his worldly goods were placed at the door of his
29 Los Indies son grandes herbolarios, y curan siempre con ellas. Men-
doza, Hist, de Las Cosas, p. 311. For fevers, for bad colds, for the bite of a
poisonous animal, this (the temazcalli) is said to be a certain cure; also for
Calderon de la Bared s Life in Mex., vol. i., p. 255;
1
acute rheumatism.
Helps Span. Conq., vol. ii., p. 430; Menonville, Reise,p. 124; Murr, Nachrich-
ten, p. 306; Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, i., p. 250.
so Notant barbari,folia parti affectee aut dolenti applicata, de eventu
morbi prasjudicare: nam si firmiter ad hsereant, certum signuni esse aegrum
corivaliturum, sin decidant, contra. Laet, Novus Orbis, p. 271; Villa, in
Prfc to, Viajes, pp. 438-9.
BUKIAL AND CHAKACTEK. 641
former house, so that he might come and take them

without crossing the threshold, as they believed the dead
returned to see about property. If the deceased had
cattle, his friends and relatives every now and then

placed some meat upon sticks about the fields, for fear
he might come for the cattle he formerly owned. Five
days after death a hired wizard essayed to conjure away
the shade of the departed property - holder. These
went smoking their pipes all over the dead
spirit-scarers
man s house, and shook zapote-branches in the corners,
till they pretended to have found the fancied shadow,
which they hurled headlong to its final resting-place.

Upon the second of November most of the natives of
the Mexican valley bring offerings to their dead rela
tives and friends, consisting of edibles, live animals,
and flowers, which are laid on or about the graves.
The anniversary or commemoration of the dead among
the ancient Aztecs occurred almost upon the same day. 31
The thick-skinned, thoughtful and reserved aborig
inals of central Mexico are most enigmatical in their
character. Their peculiar cast of features, their natural
reserve, and the thickness of their skin, make it ex
tremely difficult to ascertain by the expression of the
face what their real thoughts are. The general char
acteristics of this people may be summed up as follows :
peaceable, gentle and submissive to their superiors,

grave even to melancholy, and yet fond of striking
exhibitions and noisy revelry improvident but charita
;
ble, sincerely pious, but wallowing in ignorance and

superstitions quick of perception, and possessed of great
;
facility for acquiring knowledge, especially of the arts,

very imitative, but with little originality, unambitious,
31 The remains of one of their ancient kings found in a cave is thus de
scribed; estaba cubierto de pedreria texida segun su costumbre en la manta
con que se cubria desde los hombros hasta los pies, sentado en la mismasilla
que le fingieron el solio, con tahalf, brazaletes, collares, y apretadores de
plata; y en la frente una corona de hermosas plumas, de varies colores mez-
cladas, lamano izquierda puesta en el brazo de la silla, y en la derecha un
alfange con guarnicion de plata. Alcedo, Diccionario, torn, iii., p. 299. See
also: Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, i., pp. 259-60; Apostdlicos Afanes, p. 22;
Armin, Das Heutige Mexiko, p. 249.
Vol. I. 41
unwilling to learn, and indifferent to the comforts of

life. Irascibility is by no means foreign to their nature,
but it seems to lie dormant until awakened by intox
ication or some powerful impulse, when the innate
cruelty flames forth, and they pass suddenly from a
state of perfect calmness to one of unrestrained fierce
ness. Courage and cowardice are so blended in their
character that it is no easy matter to determine which
is the predominant trait. A
fact worthy of notice is
that upon many occasions they have proved themselves
capable of facing danger with the greatest resolution,
and yet they will tremble at the angry frown of a
white man. Laziness, and a marked inclination to
cheating and stealing are among the other bad qualities
attributed to them but there is abundant evidence to
;
show, that although naturally averse to industry, they

work hard from morning till night, in mining, agri
culture, and other occupations, and in their inefficient
way accomplish no little labor. Murder and highway
robbery are crimes not generally committed by the
pure aboriginal, who steals rarely anything but food
to appease his hunger or that of his family. A Mex
ican author says, the Indian cuts down a tree to pick
its fruit, destroys an oak of ten years growth for a
week s firewood; in other words, he produces little, con
sumes little, and destroys much. Another Mexican
writer affirms that the Indian is active, industrious,
handy in agricultural labor, a diligent servant, a trusty
postman, humble, hospitable to his guests, and shows
32
a sincere gratitude to his benefactors.
32 D Orbigny, Voy., p. 353; Calderon de la Barca s Life in Mex., vol. i., p.

200; Mayer s Mex. as it Was, pp. 170, 201; Brasseur de Bourbourg, Voy.
Tehuantepec, pp, 114, 172; Larenaudiere, in Nouvelles Annales des Voy.,
1824, torn, xxiii., p. G7; Ottavio, in Id., 1833, torn, lix., p. 71; Rittner, Gua-
.timozin, pp. 81-2; Villa, in Prielo, Viajes, pp. 446-7; Arizcorreta, Respuesta
d, pp. 24, 2G; Sahagun, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., lib. x., pp. 131, 135; Rossi, Sou
venirs, p. 285; Lafond, Voyages, torn, i., p. 213; Wappiius, Geog. u. Stat.,
pp. 40-1; Padilla, Cong. N. Galicia, MS., p. 10; Poinsett s Notes Mex., pp.
108, 161; Malte-Brun, Precis de la Geog., torn, vi., p. 445; Gemelli Careri, in
Churchill s Col. Voyages, vol. iv., p. 492; Berenger, Col. de Voy., torn, ii.,
pp. 383-4; Bonny castle s Span. Am., vol. i., pp. 49-50. L indigene mexi-
caiii est grave, melancolique, silencieux, aussi long-temps que les liqueurs
CHARACTER IN NORTHERN MEXICO. 643
The Fames, Otomfs, Pintos, and other nations north

of the Mexican valley were, at the time of the conquest,
a barbarous people, fierce and warlike, covetous even of
trifles and fond of display. The Michoacaques or Taras-
cos are warlike and brave, and for many years after the
conquest showed themselves exceedingly hostile tj the
whites, whom they attacked, plundered, and frequently
murdered, when traveling through their country. In
1751 they were already quiet, and gave evidences of
being intelligent and devoted to work. The men in the
vicinity of the city of Yera Cruz are careless, lazy, and
fickle; much given to gambling and drunkenness; but
the women are virtuous, frugal, cleanly, and extremely
industrious. The natives of Jalapa, judging by their
countenance, are less intelligent, and lack the sweetness
of character that distinguishes the inhabitants of the
higher plateau they are, however, peaceable and inoffen
;
sive. The wild tribes of the north are rude, revengeful,

dull, irreligious, lazy, and given to robbery, plunder,
and murder. Such are the characteristics attributed to
them under the name of Chichirnecs by old Spanish au
thors and others. Indeed, the only creditable traits they
were allowed to possess, were, in certain parts, courage
and an independent spirit. Of the nations of Jalisco,
both ancient and modern writers bear testimony to their
bravery. They are also sagacious and somewhat indus
trious, but opposed to hard labor (as what savage is not),
and not easily kept under restraint. Those who dwell
on Lake Chapala are quiet and mild, devoted to agricul
tural pursuits. They indeed proved themselves high-
spirited and in defending their rights, when
efficient
long oppression had exhausted their forbearance. The

Coras were hardy arid warlike, averse to any inter
course w ith the whites and to the Christian religion,
r
but by the efforts of the missionaries, and the heavy

enivrantes n ont pas agi sur lui. Humboldt, Essai Pol., torn, i., pp. 94, 96.
1
The mostviolent passions are never painted in their features. Mill s Hist.
Mex., pp. 5-6, 10. Of a sharpe wit, and good vnderstanding, for what so-
euer it be, Sciences or other Arts, these people are very apt to learne it with
small instructing. Purchas His PUgrimes, vol. iv., p. 1433.
blows of the Spanish soldiers, they were brought under

33
subjection, and became tractable.
The SOUTHERN MEXICANS, under which name I group

the people inhabiting the present states of Oajaca, Guer
rero, Chiapas, the southern portion of Yera Cruz,
Tabasco, and Yucatan, constitute the second and last
division of this chapter. Much of this territory is sit
uated within the tierras calientes, or hot lands, wherein
every variety of tropical vegetation abounds in luxuriant
profusion. The heat, especially along the coast, to the
unacclimated is most oppressive. The great chain of
the cordillera in its transit across the Tehuantepec isth
mus, approaches nearer to the Pacific seaboard than to
the Atlantic, and dropping from the elevated table-land
of central Mexico, seeks a lower altitude, and breaks
into cross-ridges that traverse the country in an east and
west direction. Upon the northern side of the isthmus
are plains of considerable extent, of rich alluvial soil,
through which several rivers, after draining the mount
ain districts, discharge into the Mexican gulf. These
streams, in their course through the table-lands, are bor
dered by rich lands of greater or lesser extent. On the
southern side, nature puts on a bolder aspect and a nar
rower belt of lowlands is traversed by several rivers,
which discharge the drainage of the southern slope into
the Pacific Ocean, and into the lagoons that border the
ocean. One of the most important features of Yucatan
is the absence of any important river. The coast, which
is of great extent, has in general a bleak and arid
ap
pearance, and is little broken except on the north-west,
33 The Pintos of Guerrero are most ferocious savages. Tylor sAnahuac,

p. 309. The Chichimecs are los peores de todos y los mayores homicidas
y salteadores de toda la tierra. Zarfate, in Alegre, Hist. Comp. de Jesus, torn,
i., p. 281. See further, Almaraz, Memoria, p. 18; Keratry, in Revue des deux
Mondes, Sept., 1866, p. 453; Delaporte, Rcisen, torn. x.,p.323; Orozco y Berra,
Geojmfia, p. 284; Lad, Novus Orbis, pp. 269, 280; Combier, Voy., p. 394;
Eiart, in Revue Francaise, Dec., 1864, pp. 479, 485; Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec.
viii., lib. vi., cap. xvi.; Ribas, Hist, de los Triumphos, p. 721; Oviedo. Hist.
Gen., torn, iii., p. 560; Gomara, Hist. Ind., fol. 271; Beaumont, Cron. deMe-
choacan, MS., pp. 197, 235; Pages Travels, vol. i., p. 150.
THE NATIONS OF SOUTHERN MEXICO. 645
where it is indented by the laguna de Terminos, and

on the eastern side by the bays of Ascension, Espiritu
Santo, and Chetumel. The central part of the Yucatan
peninsula is occupied by a low ridge of mountains, of
barren aspect. A short distance from the coast the
general appearance of the country improves, being well-
wooded, and containing many fertile tracts.
Many of the nations occupying this region at the
time of the conquest may be called cultivated, or at
least, progressive, and consequently belong to the civil
ized nations described in the second volume of this work ;
others falling back into a state of wildness after the cen

tral civilizationwas extinguished, makes it extremely
difficult todraw any line separating civilization from
savagism. Nevertheless we will examine them as best
we may and if it be found that what we learn of them
;
refers more to the present time than has been the case
with nations hitherto treated, the cause will be obvious.
The Zapotecs, who were in former times a very pow
erful nation, still occupy a great
portion of Oajaca, sur
rounded by the ruins of their ancient palaces and cities.
The whole western part of the state is taken up by the
Miztecs. Tributary to the above before the conquest,
were the Mijes and other smaller tribes now residing in
the mountain districts in the centre of the isthmus.
The Huaves, who are said to have come by sea from the
south, and to have landed near the present city of Te-
huantepec, spread out over the lowlands and around the
lagoons on the south-western coast of Oajaca. In the
province of Goazacoalco, and in Tabasco, are the Alma-
lukos, and Chontaks, who occupy a large portion of the
latter state. South of them in Chiapas are the Choles,
jfkendaks, Zotziles, Alai/nes, and Queknes, and in the ex
treme south-eastern end of the same state, and extend
ing into Central America, some tribes of the Lacandones
are located. The extensive peninsula of Yucatan, the
ancient name of which was Mayapan, formed the inde
pendent and powerful kingdom of the Mayas, who held
undisputed possession of the country until, after a heroic
resistance,they were finally compelled to yield to the

superior discipline and weapons of the Spanish in
34
vaders.
The Zapotecs proper are well-formed and strong the ;
features of the men are of a peculiar cast and not pleas

ing; the women, however, are delicately formed, and
graceful with handsome
features. Another tribe of the
same nation, the Zapotecs of Tehuantepec, are rather un
der the medium height, with a pleasing oval face and pre
sent a fine personal appearance. Not a few of them
have light-colored hair, and a somewhat fair complexion.
Their senses, especially that of sight, are acute, and the
constitution sound and robust, notwithstanding their
habits of intoxication. The females have regular and
handsome features, and though of small stature and
bizarre in their carriage, are truly graceful and seduc
tive. Dark lustrous eyes, long eye-lashes, well defined
eye-brows, luxuriant and glossy jet-black hair, play
havoc with the men. Those of Acayucan village are
particularly noted for their
beauty.
But not all are
thus; instance the Chatinos who are remarkably ugly.
The natives of Oajaca are generally large and well- formed ;
those of Sierra are of a light-yellow complexion, and

their women are tolerably white with mild features.
Some branches of the Miztecs and Mazatecs carry upon
their shoulders very large loads. Farther Burgoa writ
ing of the Miztecs, of Yangiiistlan, in the year 1541,
speaks of their beautiful complexion and fine forms.
The Mijes are of good height, strongly built, hardy, and
active; they wear a beard, and altogether their aspect is
repulsive. The Zoques are very much like the Mijes,
their features are as prominent and unprepossessing but ;
they are probably more athletic. The Chontales are
34 The Mayas, Sie selbst nennen sich heute noch Macegual, d. h. Einge-
borene vom Maya-Lande, nie Yucatanos oder Yucatecos, was spanischer
Ausdruck fur die Bewohner des Staates ist. Wappfius, Geoy. u. Stat., pp.
142-3. See also Orozco y Berra, Geofirafia, pp. 163, 173, 176, 196; Brasseur
de Bourboury, Popol Vuh, preface, p. clvii Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, i., p. 208;
;
torn, ii., pt i., pp. 140-3; Burgoa, Geog. Descrip ,\om. ii., pt ii., fol. 396,400-
1; Kemesal, Hist, de Chyapa, pp. 264-5; Juarros Hist. GuaL, p. 14.
PHYSIQUE IN OAJACA AND YUCATAN. 647
tall and very In the village of Tequisistlan,

robust.
Oajaca, shortly after the Spanish conquest, they were
all reported as of a gigantic stature. The Huaves pre
sent a different appearance from any of the other natives
of the isthmus of Tehuantepec. They are generally well-
made, and of strong constitutions. The natives of Ta
basco who dwell in the country bordering on the river of
that name, are of medium height, and with well-devel
oped limbs. Both men and women have round flat
faces, low foreheads, small eyes, flattish noses, thick lips,
small but quite full mouths, \vhite teeth, and tawny
complexions. The Ahualulcos are rather under the
middle height, but of great physical strength. They
have a low narrow forehead, salient cheek-bones, full
lips, white teeth, small beard, and coarse hair. Their
features are aquiline, and the expression of their coun
tenance is melancholy, one of gentleness blended with
sternness. They strongly resemble the descendants of
the Aztecs of Mexico. The women are more delicately
made, and some beautiful ones are seen among them.
They move quickly and with much natural grace. 35
The descendants of the Mayas are of medium size,
with good limbs, large faces and mouth, the upper lip
slightly arched, and a marked tendency to stoutness;
the nose is somewhat flat, eyes sleepy-looking and hair
black and glossy, which rarely turns gray complexion ;
of a copper color, and in some instances yellowish. Nat

urally strong, the Maya or Yucatec can carry heavy
loads long distances, and perform a great deal of hard
labor without showing signs of fatigue. An old Spanish
35 Barnard s
Tehuantepec, pp. 220, 224, 227; Moro, in Garay, Reconodmiento,
pp. 89-94; Miilihnpfordt, Mejico, torn, i., p. 215; Macgregor s Progress of
America, pp. 848, 850: Hermesdorf, in Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. xxxii., p.
543; Charnay, Ruines Americaines, pp. 287, 500-i; Hutchings Cal. Mag., vol.
ii., p. 394. Zapoteos bien tallados, Mijes Arrogantes, altiuos de condi-
cion, y cuerpo, Miztecs linda tez en el rostro, y buena disposicion en el
talle. Burgoa, Geog. Descrip., torn, ii.,
pt ii., fol. 202, 271, 354, 401, torn, i.,
pt ii., p. 134. Tehuantepec women: Jet-black hair, silky and luxuriant, en
frames their light-brown faces, on which, in youth, a warm blush on the
cheek heightens the lustre of their dark eyes, with long horizontal lashes
and sharply-marked eyebrows. Tempsky s Mitla, p. 269. The Soques,
short, with large chests and powerful muscles. .. .Both men and men
w<
have very repulsive countenances. Shu/eldt s Explor. Tehuantepec, p. 126.

writer mentions that they were generally bow-legged,

and many of them squint-eyed. The same author says
they had good faces, were not very dark, did not wear a
beard, and were long-lived. The women are plump, and
36
generally speaking not ugly.
Yery scanty was the dress of the dwellers on Tehuan-
tepec isthmus. In Oajaca and Chiapas, the men wore
a piece of deer or other skin fastened round the waist,
arid hanging down in front, and the women wore aprons
of maguey-fibre. Montanus in describing the Mijes says
they were quite naked, but that some wore round the
waist a white deer-skin dressed with human hearts. The
Lacandones, when going to w ar, wore on their shoulders
r
the skin of a tiger, lion, or deer. The Quelenes wrapped

round their head a colored cloth, in the manner of a
turban, or garland of flowers. At present, the usual
dress of the Zapotecs is a pair of wide Mexican drawers,
and short jacket of cotton, with a broad-brimmed hat,
made of felt or straw yet the Huaves and many of the
poorer class, still wear nothing but a breech-cloth. The
costume of the women is simple, and not without ele
gance. That of the Miztecs, Zapotecs, and others dwell
ing in the city of Tehuantepec is a skirt made of cotton,
sometimes of wool that reaches nearly to the ankles,
prettily and often elaborately worked in various designs
and colors. The upper part of the body is covered
with a kind of chemisette, with short sleeves called the
liuipil,
of fine texture, and adorned with lace and gold
or silk threads. On the head is a white cotton cover
ing, made like a narrow sack or sleeve, which is drawn
on and hangs down over the back. In Tabasco, the
dress of the men differs little from that of the people
of Tehuantepec; the Tabascan women wear a cotton
petticoat or a few yards of calico wrapped round the
waist, and reaching below the knees. Over the petti-
36 Es gente la de Yucatan de buenos cuerpos, bien hechos, y rezios . . . .
The women bien hechas, y no feas. .no son blancas, sino de color bacjo.
. .
Herrera, Hist. Gen,, dec. iv., lib. iii., cap. iv. See further: Dam-piers Voy-
vol. ii., pt ii., p. 115; Morclet, Voyage, torn, i., p. 148; Montanus, Nieuwe
af/es,
Weereld, p. 258; Dapper, Neue Welt, p. 291; Tylor s Anahuac, p. 16.
DBESS IN OAJACA AND YUCATAN. 649
cbat they wear a frock with sleeves to the wrist, leaving

the bosom and neck exposed. Children and boys go
naked indeed, whenever clothing to any extent is found
;
in this region, we may be sure that the foreign trader

37
is at the bottom of it.
Both sexes usually wear the hair long, parting it in
the middle, and either permit it to hang in loose tresses
over the shoulders, or, binding it with gay colored rib
bons, loop it up on the back of the head, where it is
fastened with a large comb. On festive occasions they
interweave flowers with the hair, and also mingle with
it a species of shining beetle, called cucutto, which emits
a phosphorescent light, and produces a very pretty effect.
Among the Zoques who reside at San Miguel and Santa
Maria Chimalapa, the males shave the crown of the
head, a custom of possible monkish origin peculiar to
themselves. Feather tufts and skins of green birds
were formerly much used for ornaments; they had also
necklaces made of pieces of gold joined together, and
amber beads. Nose and ears were pierced, and pieces
of stone or amber or gold rings or a bit of carved wood
inserted. Montanus describes a kind of snake called
ibobaca, which he says the inhabitants of Chiapas wore
round the neck. 38 They also painted and stained the
face. When Fernandez de Cordova explored the north
ern coast of Yucatan, he found the people clad in cotton
garments, and at the present day this forms the princi
pal material from which their clothing is made. Men
now wear a cotton shirt or blouse, usually without
sleeves, and wide drawers; round the waist is tied a
37
Burgoa, Geog. Descrip., torn, ii., pt ii., fol. 285; Montanus, Nieuwe Wee-
reld, p. 255; Dapper, Neue Welt, p. 288; Brasseur de Bourbourg, Voy. de Te-
huantepec, p. 194; Falacios, in Orozco y Berra, Geografia. p. 106; Leon, in Id.,
p. 162; Museo Hex. torn, ii., p. 555. Muchachos ya mayorcillos. Todos
desnudos en carries, conio nacierou de sus madres Tras ellos venian
inuchos Indies mayores, casi tan desnudos como sus hijos, con muchos sar-
tales de flores . en la cabeza, rebuxada una toca de colores, como tocado
.
de Armenio. Remesal, Hist. Chyapa, p. 292.

38 With their hair ty d up in a Knot behind, they think themselves ex-
tream fine. Dampier s Voyages, vol. ii., pt ii., p. 114. Muy empenachados
y pintados. Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec.ii., lib. iv., cap. xi.; Barnard s Tehuante*
pec, pp. 221-2, 226.
white or colored sash; for protection from the sun, a

straw hat is worn, or perhaps a piece of colored calico,
and their sandals are made from deer-skin. Instead of
drawers, they used to wear a broad cotton band passed
round the loins, the ends of which were arranged to
hang one in front and the other behind a cloak or man ;
tle of cotton called zugen was thrown over the shoulders.

Colonel Galindo mentions that they used the bark
of the India-rubber tree for making garments, and Co-
golludo says that when the Spaniards arrived at Ake, in
the year 1527, the army of natives were in a state of
nudity, with only their privy parts covered, and the
whole body besmeared with clay of different colors. The
women display considerable taste in the style of their
garments over a petticoat, which reaches to their ankles,
;
and prettily bordered at the bottom, they have a dress

with sleeves down to the elbow; the skirt is open at the
sides, and does not fall as low as the petticoat, so that
the border of the latter may be seen, the bosom of the
dress is open, and on each side of the breast and round
the neck it is embroidered with coarse silk, as in Tehuan-
tepec; the huipil (Aztec, vipitti) is also worn. In country
places women wear the petticoat alone, using the overskirt
or huipil only on special occasions. When out of doors,
they cover the head and part of the face with a piece of
39
cotton cloth. All permit the hair to attain to its full
length the men plait theirs and wind it round the head,
;
leaving a short end to hang down behind, while that of

the women hangs in dark masses over their shoulders,
or is neatly bound up behind and decorated with flowers
or feathers. Herrera states that it was customary to
scorch the faces of young children to prevent the growth
39 Their apparell was of Cotton in manifold fashions and colours. Pur-
chas His PUgrimes, vol. v., p. 885. The Maya woman s dress se reduce al
hipil que cubre la parte superior del cuerpo, y al fustan 6 enagua, de manta de
algodon. Orozco y Berra, Geograf-ia, p. 158. Of the men un calzoncillo
ancho y largo hasta media pierna, y tal vez hasta cerca del tobillo, de la
misma manta, un cenidor bianco 6 de colores, un panuelo, y un sombrero
de paja, y a veces una alpargata de suela, con sus cordones de mecate.
Registro Yuvateco, torn, i., pp. 177-8. See further: Hassel, Mex. Guat., p.
267; Galindo, in Lond.Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. iii., p. 59; Wilson s Amer. Hist.,
pp. 88, 114; Morelet, Voyage, torn, i., pp. 147, 179.
ZAPOTEC BUILDINGS. 651
of their beards, and the men allowed the hair to grow

down over the eyebrows, making their heads and fore
heads flat on purpose. They pierced nose and ears,
ornamenting them with rings set with pearls and bits
of amber, and wore collars and bracelets of gold. Some
among them filed their teeth. They painted the face
and exposed parts of the body in many colors, using
all
white or yellow with black and red, covering themselves
from the waist upward with a variety of designs and
figures. When going to battle paint was much used, in
order to render their appearance more formidable men ;
tattooed on the chest, and the women mixed liquid amber

with their pigments, which, when rubbed over the body,
emitted a perfume. 40
The better class of Zapotecs of the present day build
their houses in a substantial manner of adobes the com ;
mon people construct a more simple dwelling with

branches arranged in a double row, and the space be
tween filled in with earth; they also make them of
wattled cane-work plastered with clay. Such dwellings
are cool and proof against the frequent earthquakes that
occur in their territory. Roofs are thatched with pal
metto-leaves without opening, nor are there any windows
in the walls. The interior is divided into several com
41
partments, according to size and necessity. The Mijes
thatch their houses with bundles of coarse straw. The
Chinantecs, Chochos, and Chontales originally built no
houses, but sought out the most shady forests, where
they dwelt, or they located themselves in ravines and
40 Tons portaient les cheveux longs, et les Espagnols ont eu beaucoup de
peine a les leur faire couper; la chevelure longue est encore aujourd hui le
signe distinctif des Indiens insoumis. Waldeck, Voy. Pitt., p. 40. Las
caras de bianco, negro, y Colorado pintadas, que llaman embijarse, y cierto
parecen demonios pintados. Cogolludo, Hist, de Yucathan, p. 6. Compare
above with Ternaux-Compans, in Nouvelles Annales desVoy., 1843, torn, xcvii.,
p. 50; Helps Span. Cong., vol. ii., p. 262.
41 The buildings of the lower class are thatched with palm-leaves, and
form but one piece, without window or chimney. Hermesdorf, in Lond.
Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. xxxii., p. 544. Cubrense las casas de vna cuchilla
que los Indies hazen de pajas muy espessas y bien assentad as, que llaman en
esta tierra jacales. Ddvila Padilla, Hist. Fvnd. Mex., p. 549. See also:
Museo Mex., torn, ii., p. 554; Barnard s Tehuantepec, pp. 221, 225, with cut;
Hassel, Mex. Guat., p. 252: Burgoa, Geog. D( scrip., torn, i., pt ii., fol. 197.
rocky parts, living in caverns or holes under the rocks ;
the Tzendales of Chiapas had many towns and painted

their houses; the Ahualulcos lived together in commu
nities, and had commodious, well-built houses of inter
woven cane, plastered on the inside with mud, the roof
thatched with palmetto. 42
From the earliest times of which we have any record,
the natives of Oajaca and the isthmus of Tehuantepec
cultivated corn and vegetables, and likewise followed
the chase those who dwelt on the borders of the sea or
;
lakes applied themselves to fishing. The Zapotecs now

raise wheat, and build mills. It is asserted by an old
Spanish chronicler that this nation exceeded all others

in eating and drinking. As early as 1690, they gath
ered crops of maguey, maize, Spanish peas, chile,
potatoes, and pumpkins, and bred swine and poultry.
Of late they cultivate rice, sugar-cane, and other trop
ical productions, as also do the inhabitants of Tehuante
pec. Primitive agriculture has undergone but little
alteration deer are caught by means of traps and nets.
;
The Miztecs, Mijes, and Cuicatecs have from the earliest

times been cultivators of the soil. The Mijes make a
coarse or impure sugar from sugar-cane their corn-fields
;
are often many miles distant from their dwellings. The

Huaves, the greater portion of whom are on the borders
of the lagoons on the isthmus of Tehuantepec, live mostly
on the proceeds of their fisheries, although they raise a
small supply of grain and fruit. Their fishing is almost
exclusively done with sweep-nets in shallow waters, and
during one month of the year they catch large schools of
shrimps in traps. The Zoques produce the small quan
tity of corn that they need, some achote, many very
fine oranges, and tobacco. They are fond of iguanas and
their eggs, and of parrots, killing the latter with stones.
The Chontales of Tabasco and Tehuantepec use maize
42 The Chochos and Chontales no tenian Pueblo fundado, si no cobachu-
elas estrechas en lo rnas escondido de los monies. Burgoa, Geog. Descry?.,
torn, ii., pt ii., fol. 336. The Chinantecs lived en rancherias entre bar
rancas, y espessuras de arboles. Burgoa, Palestra, Hist., pti., fol. 102; Char-
nay, Ruines Americaines, p. 438.
PREPARATION OF FOOD. 653
and cocoa as food. They eat flesh only upon great relig
ious festivals, marriages, or other celebrations, but are fond
of fish. In olden times they were cannibals, and An
tonio de Herrera, the chief chronicler of the Indies, ac
cused also the natives of Chiapas of being eaters of human
flesh. Since the conquest the natives have lived mostly
on corn and other vegetable productions, cultivated by
themselves. A
large portion of the Mayas and of the
other aborigines of Yucatan are to-day engaged in the
cultivation of the soil, they also breed such domestic ani
mals as they need for themselves. They are very simple
and frugal in their eating/ 3 All the natives of this sec
tion of the Mexican republic grind their maize in the
same manner after first soaking it in lye or in lime and
;
water, it is bruised on the metate, or rubbing-stone,

being wet occasionally, until it becomes a soft paste.
\Yith this they make their tortillas and other compounds,
both to eat and drink. To make tortillas the maize paste
is shaped into thin cakes with the
palms of the hands and
cooked upon a flat clay pan. The totoposte is a smaller
cake used for journeys in lieu of the tortillas. The dif
ference between them is in the manner of preparation ;
the totopostes are cooked one side only and laid near the
fire which makes them
crisp, and require to be moistened
in order to render them eatable. Tamales are a favorite
dish and are made of pork, game, or poultry. The meat
is cut
up in small pieces and washed a small quantity of
;
the maize paste seasoned with cinnamon, saffron, cloves,

pimento, tomatoes, coarse pepper, salt, red coloring mat
ter, and some lard added to it, is placed on the fire in a
pan and as soon as it has acquired the consistency of a
thick gruel, it is removed, mixed with the meat, some
Jour., vol. iii., p. 59.

more lard and added, and the mass kneaded for a few
salt
moments. It then divided into small portions, which
is
are enveloped in a thin paste of maize. The tamales
thus prepared are covered with a banana-leaf or corn-
husk and placed in a pot or pan over which large leaves
are laid. They are allowed to boil from one hour and a
half to two hours. The posole is a nourishing drink
made of sour maize paste mixed with water sometimes ;
they add a little honey to it. They also prepare a drink

by parching corn and grinding it to powder on the nic
tate, and mixing it with water and a little achote. This
44
last drink they prefer to the posole, for long journeys.
The natives of Tehuantepec and especially those who
reside in the Goazacoalco district are neat and clean in
regard to their personal habits. They observe the custom
of bathing daily. In their ablutions they make use of a
plant called chintuk the root of which they mix with
water, thereby imparting to their bodies a strong aroma
tic odor. The same plant is used when they wash their
clothes, the scent from which remains on them for some
time. A
pleasing feature in the appearance of these
people is the spotless whiteness of their cotton dresses
and the care they bestow on their luxuriant hair.
The other tribes who inhabit this isthmus as well as
those of Chiapas are not so clean in their persons, and
as a consequence are much infested with vermin which
the women have a disgusting habit of eating when picked
from the heads of their children. The Mayas make fre
quent use of cold water, but this practice appears to be
more for pleasure than for cleansing purposes, as neither
in their persons nor in their dwellings do they present
an appearance of cleanliness. 45
44 Tabasco: Comen
a sus horas concertadas, carnes de vaca, puerco, y
aues, y beue nmy sana, hecha de cacao, mayz, y especia de la
vna beuida
tierra, la qual Daman Zocolate. Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. iii., lib. vii., cap.
iii. Tortillas, When they are baked brown, they are called totoposti, and
"
taste like parched corn. Shufeldt s Explor. Tehuantepec, p. 125. The Chon-
tales, su alimento frecuente es el posole .rara vez comen la carne deres.
. .
Orozco y Berra, Geoyrafia, p. 161-2; Dampier s Voyages, vol. ii., pt ii., pp.
112-14; Hermesdorf, in Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. xxxii., pp. 543-4.
Sr Moro, speaking of the chintule, says: Una infusion de estas raices
4:>
comunica su fragancia al agua que los tehuantepecanos emplean como un

WEAPONS AND WAR. 655
The weapons of the Southern Mexicans were in most

respects similar to those used by the Central Mexicans,
namely, Sows and arrows, macanas, and lances, the latter
of great length and very strong. In Tabasco they carried
turtle-shell shields highly polished so as to reflect the
sun; they also had flint stones for lances and arrow-
points, but sometimes w eapon-points were made from
r
strong thorns and fish-bones. The hard wooden sword

of the Maya was a heavy and formidable w eapon, and r
required the use of both hands to wield it the edge was ;
grooved for the purpose of inserting the sharp flint with

which it was armed. Slings were commonly used by
all these nations. In addition to shields the Mayas had
for defensive armor garments of thickly quilted cotton
called escaupiles,which covered the body down to the
lower part of the thigh, and were considered impervious
to arrows. The flint knife of former days has now been
replaced by the machete which serves the purpose of
both cutlass and chopping- knife, and without it no native
6
ever goes into the woods.*
When the Spaniards first arrived at Tabasco, they
encountered a people well-skilled in the art of war, with
a fair knowledge of military tactics, who defended their
country with much bravery; their towns and villages
were well fortified with intrenchments or palisades, and
strong towers and forts were built on such places as pre
sented the most favorable position for resisting attacks.
objeto de lujo sumamente apreciado, tanto para labar la ropa de uso, como
para las abluciones personales. Moro, in Orozco y Berra, Geoqrafia, p. 180.
Toutes les parties de leur vetemeut sont toujours iiouvellement blanchies.
Les femmes se baignent au moins une fois par jour. Fossey, Mexique, p. 24.
At Chiapas, Tons ces Indiens, mis on eu chemise, repandaientdans 1 atmos-
phere une odeur sui generis qui soulevait le coeur. Charnay, Ruines Ameri-
caines, p. 457. The women are not very clean in their habits, eating the
insects from the bushy heads of their children. Hermesdorf, in Lond. Geog.
Soc., Jour., vol. xxxii., p. 543. No son nmy limpias en sus personas, ni en
sus casas, conquanto se laban. Herr era, Hist. Gen., dec. iv., lib. x., cap.
iv. ; Morelet, Voyage, torn, i., p. 148.
46 Peleauan con lanâs, armadas las puntas con espinas y huessos muy
<
agudos de pescados. Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. ii., lib. iv., cap. xi. Usaban
de lanzas de desmesurado tamaiio para combatir. Orozco y Berra,
p. 187. See also: Oimdo, Hist. Gen., torn. iii.,p. 461; Bunion, Geog. Descrip.,
torn, ii., pt ii., fol. 336; Hist, de Yucathan, pp. 5-6, 11, 77; Navar-
Cpcjolhido,
rete, Col. -de Viages, torn, iii., pp. 58-59; Morelet, Voyage, torn, i., p, 179.
To their forts they retired when invaded by

a superior
force, and from the walls they hurled large rocks with
damaging effect against their foes. Cortes found erected
on the bank of the Tabasco River, in front of one of
their towns, a strong wooden stockade, with loopholes
through which to discharge arrows; and subsequently,
during his march through their country, they frequently
set fire to their villages, with the object of harassing his
troops. When advancing to battle they maintained a

regular formation, and they are described as having met
Francisco Montejo in good order, drawn up in three col
umns, the centre under the command of their chief,
accompanied by their chief priest. The combatants
rushed forward to the attack with loud shouts, cheered
on by the blowing of horns and beating of small drums
called tunJcules. Prisoners taken in battle were sacrificed
47
to their gods.
The furniture of their houses is of the plainest de
scription, and limited to their absolute wants. Their
tables or benches are made of a few rough boards, and a
mat called petate, spread on the floor, serves for a bed,
while a coarse woolen blanket is used for covering;
some few have small cane bedsteads. The natives of
Tabasco and Yucatan more commonly have a network
hamaca or hammock, suspended from two posts or trees.
Their cooking-utensils consist of the metate, pots made
of earthenware, and gourds. The universal machete
carried by man and boy serves many purposes, such as
chopping firewood, killing animals, eating, and building-
houses. Burgoa describes nets of a peculiar make used
by the Zapotecs for catching game in the knots of the
;
net were fixed the claws of lions, tigers, bears, and other
47 Tienen enfrente deste Pueblo vn cerro altissimo, con vna punta que
descuella soberviamente, casi eutre la Kegion de las nubes, y coronase con
vna muy dilatada muralla de lossas de mas de vii estado de alto, y quentaii
de las pinturas de sus characteres historiales, que se retiraban alii, para de-
f endorse de sus enemigos. Burgoa, Geog. Descrip., torn, i., pt ii., fol. 167.
Comenqaron luego a tocar las bozinas, pitos, trompetillas, y atabalejos de
gente de guerra. Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. ii., lib. ii., cap. xvii., and lib. iv.,
cap. xi. Also see Cogolludo, Hist, de Yucathan, pp. 5, 77-8; Navarrete. Col.
de Viages, torn, iii., pp. 60-3; Helps Span. Conq., vol. ii., p. 263.
OAJACAN MANUFACTURES. 657
wild beasts of prey, and at intervals were fastened a cer

tain number of small stones; the object of such con
struction being probably to wound or disable the animal
48
when caught.
The
Zapotecs, Miztecs, Mayas, and others, since the
conquest, have long been justly celebrated for the manu
facture of cotton stuffs, a fact that is all the more
surprising when we
consider the very imperfect imple
ments they possessed with which to perform the work.
Burgoa speaks of the excellence and rich quality of their
manufactures in cotton, silk, and gold thread, in 1670,
and Thomas Gage, writing about the same time, says
is rare to see what works those Indian women will
"it
make in silk, such as might serve for patterns and sam

plers to many Schoolmistresses in England." All the
spinning and weaving is done by the women the cot ;
ton clothes they make are often interwoven with beau

tiful patterns or figures of birds and animals, sometimes
with gold and silk thread. A
species of the agave
americana is extensively cultivated through the country,
from the fibres of which the natives spin a very strong
thread that is used chiefly for making hammocks; the
fibre is bleached and then dyed in different rich tints.
The materials they have for dyeing are so good that
the colors never fade. The Zapotecs have also an in
timate knowledge of the process of tanning skins,
which they use for several domestic purposes. 49
48
Dampier s Voyages, vol. ii., pt ii., p. 115; Burgoa, Palestra Hist., pt i.,
fol. 110; Brasseur de Bourbourg, Voy. Tehuantepec, p. 196; Charnay, Ruines
Americaines, p. 454. Sobre vna estera si la tiene, que son muy pocos los
que duermen en alto, en tapescos de caiia. .ollas, o hornillos de tierra. .
. . . .
casolones, 6 xicaras. Burgoa, Geog. Dsscrip., torn, ii., pt ii., fol. 294, 393.
49 Los zoques cultivan. .dos plantas pertenecientes a la familia de las
. .
bromelias, de las curies sacan el ixtle y la pita cuyas hebras saben blanquear,
hilar y te.iir de varies colores. Sus hilados y las hamacas que tejen con
estas m.iterias, constituyen la parte principal de su industria y de su comer-
cio .The Zapotecs, los tejidos de seda silvestre y de algodou que labran
. . .
las mugeres, soiiverdaderamente admirables. Moro, in Orozco y Berra, Geo-

grafta, pp. 170, 180. Of the Miztecs it is said that las mugeres se han dado
a texer con primor panos, y huepiles, assi de algodon como de seda, y hilo
de oro, muy costosos. Burgoa, Geog. Descrip., torn, i., pt ii.j fol. 143, and
torn, ii., pt ii., fol. 400. Further reference in Barnard s Tehuantepec, pp.
226-7; ChUton, in Hakluyt s Voy., vol. iii., ., p. 459; Hutching.? Col. Mag.
Mag., vol.
ii., p. 394; Wappaus, Geog. u. Stat., p. 163; Waldeck, Voy. Pitt., p. 40; Gage s
New Survey, p. 236; Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, ii., pt i., pp. 198, 209.
VOL. I. 42
Notwithstanding their proximity to the sea-coast,

and although their country is in many parts intersected
by rivers and lagoons, they have a surprisingly slight
knowledge of navigation, few having any vessels with
which to venture into deep water. The inhabitants
of Tabasco, the Yucatan coast, and Cozumel island
possess some canoes made from the single trunk of a
mahogany-tree, which they navigate with small lateen
sails and
paddles. The H naves and others are in
complete ignorance of the management of any descrip
tion of boats. 50
The Zoques make from the ixtle and pita thread
and superior hammocks, in which they have quite a
trade. In the neighborhood of Santa Maria they grow
excellent oranges, and sell them throughout all the
neighboring towns. The Zapotecs have, many of them,
a considerable commerce in fruits, vegetables, and seeds.
In the city of Tehuantepec the business of buying and
selling is conducted exclusively by women in the mar
ket-place. The Ahualulcos are chiefly employed in
cutting planks and beams, with which they supply
many places on this isthmus; they also trade to some
extent in seeds and cotton cloths. Different kinds of
earthenware vessels for domestic purposes are made by
the natives of Chiapas, and by them exchanged for
salt, hatchets, and glass ornaments. The Mayas have
an extensive business in logwood, which, besides maize
and poultry, they transport to several places along the
coast. Mr
Stephens describes a small community of
the Maya nation, numbering about a hundred men
with their families, living at a place called Schawill,
who hold and work their lands in common. The
50
Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec.
ii., lib. iii., cap. ii., lib. iv., eap.xi., Cor/olludo,
Hist, de Yucathan, p. 2; Morelet, Voyage, torn, i., pp. 179, 214; Shufddt s
Explor. Tehuantepec, p. 123. Their canoes are formed out of the trunk of
a single mahogany or cedar tree. .Dale s Notes, p. 24. When Grijalva was
at Cozumel vino una canoa. Navarrde, Col. de Viages, torn, iii., p. 56.
The Huaves no poseyendo embarcaciones propias para arriesgarse en aguas
de algun fondo, y desconociendo hasta el uso de los remos, no frecuentan
mas quo los puntos que por su poca profundidad no ofrecen mayor peligro.
Moro, in Uaray, Reconocimiento, p. 90.
ZAPOTEC GOVERNMENT. 659
products of the soil are shared equally by all, and the

food for the whole settlement is prepared at one hut.
Each family contributes its quota of provisions, which,
when cooked, are carried off smoking hot to their several
dwellings. Many of the natives of Tabasco earn a
livelihood by keeping bee-hives; the bees are captured
wild in the woods, and domesticated. The Huaves breed
cattle and tan hides; cheese and tasajo, or jerked meat,
are prepared and exported by them and other tribes on
the isthmus of Tehuantepec. At the present day cochi
neal is cultivated to a considerable extent, and forms
an important article of commerce among the inhabi
tants. A
rather remarkable propensity to the possession
of large numbers of mules is peculiar to the Mijes; such
property in no way benefits them, as they make no use
of them as beasts of burden; indeed, their owners seem
51
to prefer carrying the loads on their own backs.
Formerly the Zapotecs were governed by a king,

under whom were caciques or governors who ruled over
certain districts. Their rank and power descended by
inheritance, but they were obliged to pay tribute to the
king, from whom they held their authority in fief. At
the time of the conquest the most powerful among them
was the Lord of Cuicatlan for the service of his house
;
hold, ten servants \vere furnished daily, and he was

treated with the greatest respect and homage. In later
years a cacique was elected annually by the people, and
under him officers were appointed for the different vil
lages. Once a week these sub-officers assembled to con
sult with and receive instructions from the cacique on
matters relating to the laws and regulations of their dis
tricts. In the towns of the Miztecs a municipal form of
government was established. Certain officials, elected
annually, appointed the work which was to be done by
the people, and every morning at sunrise the town-criers
51 Jl/IB s
Hist. Mex., p. 158; Palacios, in Orozco y Berra, Qeograft a, p. 166;
Herme.sdorf, in Land. Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. xxxii., p. 547; JBrasseur de
Bourbourg, Voy. Tehuantepec, p. 108; Hutchlngs Cal. Mag., vol. ii., p. 394;
Macgregor s Progress of America, vol. i., p. 849; Moro, in Garay, Reconoci-
miento, p. 93; Stephens Yucatan, vol. ii., p. 14.
from the tops of the highest houses called the inhabi

tants to their allotted tasks. It was also the duty of
the town-criers to inflict the punishment imposed on all
who from laziness or other neglect failed to perform
their share of work. A somewhat similar system ap
pears to have prevailed in Chiapas, where the people
52
lived under a species of republican government. The
Mayas were at one time governed by a king who reigned
supreme over the whole of Yucatan. Internal dissen
sions and wars, however, caused their country to be
divided up into several provinces, which were ruled over
by held complete sway, each
lords or petty kings, who
in his own to none, and
territory, owing allegiance
recognizing no authority outside of their own juris
diction. These lords appointed captains of towns, who
had perform their duties subject to their lord s ap
to
proval. Disputes arising, the captains named umpires

to determine differences, whose decisions were final.
These people had also a code of criminal laws, and
when capital punishment was ordered, public execution
ers carried the sentence into effect. The crime of adul
tery in the man was punishable by death, but the injured
party could claim the right to have the adulterer de
livered to him, and he could kill or pardon him at
pleasure; disgrace was the punishment of the woman.
The rape of a virgin was punished by stoning the man
53
to death.
52 etaient, au temps de la conquete tres-riches
Les seigneurs de Cuicatlan
descendants en ligne directe, decores encore du titre
et tres-puissants, et leurs
de caciques. Fossey, Mexique, pp. 338-9. At Etla Herren des Ortes waren
Caziken, welche ilin als eine Art von Mannlehen besassen, und dem Konige
einen gewissen Tribut bezahlen mussten. Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, ii., pt
i., p. 188. The Miztecs tenian senalados como pregoneros, officiates que
elegian por ano, para que todas las maiianas al despuntar el Sol, subidos en lo
mas alto de la casa de su Kepublica, con grandes vozes, llamasen, y exitasen
a todos, diziendo salid, salid a trabajar, a trabajar, y con rigor executive
castigaban al que faltaba de su tarea. Burgoa, Geog. Descrip., torn, i., pt ii.,
fol. 151, also llerrera, Hist. Gen., dec. iv., lib. x., cap. xi.
Estava sujeta a diuersos Senores,_ que como Reyezuelos dominaban
53 <
diuersos territories. .pero antes auia sido toda sujeta a vn Senior, y Key
. .
Supremo, y asi gouernada con gouierno Monarquico. Cogolludo, Hist, de Yu-

cathan, p. 60. En cada pueblo tenian senalados Capitanes a quienes obede-
cian. Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. iv., lib. x., cap. ii-iv. For old customs and
new, compare above with Morelet, Voyage, torn, i., p. 168, and Hassel, Hex.
Guat., p. 267.
SLAVERY AND MARRIAGE. 661
Slavery existed among the tribes of Goazacoalco and

Tabasco. Dona Marina was one of twenty female slaves
who were presented to Cortes by the cacique of the lat
ter place; and when her mother, who lived in the
province of Goazacoalco, gave her away to some travel
ing merchants, she, to conceal the act, pretended that
the corpse of one of her slaves who died at that time
was that of her own daughter. 54
Among the Zapotecs and other nations who inhabit
the isthmus of Tehuantepec, marriages are contracted
at a very early age; it happens not unfrequently that
a youth of fourteen marries a girl of eleven or twelve.
Polygamy is not permissible, and gentleness, affection,
and frugality characterize the marital relations. Cer
tain superstitious ceremonies formerly attended the birth
of children which, to a modified extent, exist at the
present day. When a woman was about to be con
fined, the relatives assembled in the hut, and com
menced to draw on the floor figures of different animals,
rubbing each one out as soon as it was completed.
This operation continued till the moment of birth, and
the figure that then remained sketched upon the ground
was called the child s tona or second self. When the
child grew old enough, he procured the animal that
represented him and took care of it, as it was believed
that health and existence were bound up with that of
the animals, in fact, that the death of both would occur
simultaneously. Soon after the child was born, the
parents, accompanied by friends and relatives, carried
it to the nearest water, where it was immersed, while
at the same time they invoked the inhabitants of the
water to extend their protection to the child in like ;
manner they afterwards prayed for the favor of the

animals of the land. It is a noticeable trait, much to
the credit of the parents, that their children render to
them as well as to all aged people the greatest respect
and obedience. That the women are strictly moral can-
5* With other presents which they brought to the conqueror were twenty
female
lale slaves. Helps Span. Conq., vol. ii., p. 264.
not be asserted. Yoluptuous, with minds untrained, and

their number being greatly in excess of the men, it is
not surprising that travelers have noted an absence of
chastity among these women; yet few cases of conjugal
infidelity occur, and chastity is highly esteemed. Ille
gitimate children are not common, partly the result, per

55
haps, of early marriages. Among the Quelenes, when
a contract of marriage was made, the friends and rela
tives collected at the assembly-house common to every
village. The bride and bridegroom were then introduced
by the parents, and in the presence of the cacique and
priest confessed all the sins of which they were guilty.
The bridegroom was obliged to state whether he had had
connection with the bride or with other women, and
she, on her part, made a full confession of all her short
comings; this ended, the parents produced the presents,
which consisted of wearing-apparel and jewelry, in which
they proceeded to array them they were then lifted up
;
and placed upon the shoulders of two old men and

women, who carried them to their future home, where
they laid them on a bed, locked them in, and there left
56
them securely married. Among the Mayas early mar
riage was a duty imposed by the Spanish Fathers, and
if a boy or girl at the age of twelve or fourteen had not
chosen a mate, the priest selected one of equal rank or
55 Vbo en esta juridicion grandes errores, y ritos con las paridas, y
ninos recien nacidos, lleuandolos a los rios, y sumergiendolos en el agua, ha-
zian deprecacion a todos los animales aquatiles, y luego a los de tierra le
fueran fauorables, y no le ofendieran. Burgoa, Geog. Descrip., torn, ii., pt
ii., fol. 329. Conservase entre ellos la creencia de que su vida esta
unida a la de un animal, y que es forzoso que mueran ellos cuando este mu-
ere. Musco Mex., torn, ii., pp. 554-5. Between husband and wife cases of
infidelity are rare To the credit of the Indians be it also said, that their
progeny is legitimate, and that the vows of marriage are as faithfully cher
ished as in the most enlightened and favored lands. Youthful marriages are
nevertheless of frequent occurrence. Barnard s Tehuantepec, p. 222. Women
of the Japateco race : their manners in regard to morals are most blame-
able. Hermesdorf, in Land. Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. xxxii., p. 543. Moro,
referring to the women of Jaltipan, says: Son de costumbres sumamente
libres: suele decirse ademas que los jaltipanos no no las celan, sino que
soL>
Capul, que
para hazer casamientos, el Cazique, el Papa, los desposados, los parientes:
estando sentados el senor, y el Papa, llegauan los contrayentes, y el Papa les
amonestaua qne dixessen las cosas que auian hecho hasta aquella hora.
Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. iv., lib. x., cap. xi.
WEDDINGS AND FATHERS-IN-LAW. 663
fortune and obliged them to marry. The usual presents

were dresses; and a banquet was prepared, of which all
present partook. During the feast the parents of the
parties addressed them in speeches applicable to the
occasion, and afterwards the house was perfumed by the
priest, who then blessed the company and the ceremony
ended. Previous to the wedding-day the parents fasted
during three days. The young man built a house in
front of that of his father-in-law, in which he lived
with his wife during the first years of his servitude, for
he was obliged to work for his father-in-law four or five
years. If he failed to perform faithful service, his

father-in-law dismissed him, and gave his daughter to
another. Widowers were exempt from this servitude,
and could choose whom they pleased for a wife without
the interference of relatives. It was forbidden a man
to marry a woman of the same name as his father.
They married but one wife, though the lords were per
mitted to make concubines of their slaves. Mr Stephens,
in his description of the inhabitants of the village of
Schawill, says: "Every member must marry within the
rancho, and no such thing as a marriage out of it had
ever occurred. They said it was impossible; it could
not happen. They were in the habit of going to the
villages to attend the festivals; and when we suggested
a supposable case of a young man or woman falling in
love with some village Indian, they said it might hap
pen there was no law against it but none could marry
; ;
out of the rancho. This was a thing so little appre

hended, that the punishment for it was not defined in
their penal code; but being questioned, after some con
sultations, they said that the offender, whether man or
womnn would be expelled. We remarked that in their
small community constant intermarriages must make
them all relatives, which
they said was the case since
the reduction of their numbers by the cholera. They
were in fact all kinsfolk, but it was allowable for kins
folk to marry, except in the relationship of brothers and
sisters."
In divisions of property women could not inherit;

in default of direct male heirs the estate went to the
brothers or nearest male relatives. When the heir
was a minor, one of his male relatives was appointed
guardian, until the days of his minority should have
passed, when the property was delivered up to him.
The Southern Mexicans were particular to keep a strict
chronology of their lineage. Young children underwent
a kind of baptismal ceremony. The Mayas believed
that ablution washed away all evil and previous to the
;
ceremony the parents fasted three days, and they were

particular to select for it what they considered a lucky
day. The age at which the rite was performed was be
tween three and twelve years, and no one could marry
until he had been baptized. Habits of industry as well
as respect for parents and aged people was strongly im
57
pressed upon the minds of the children.
The Southern Mexicans are fond of singing and
dancing, though there is not much variety either in
their melancholy music or monotonous dances. Their
favorite instrument is the marimba, composed of pieces
of hard wood of different lengths stretched across a hol-
lowed-out canoe-shaped case. The pieces of wood or
keys are played upon with two short sticks, one held in
each hand. The sound produced is soft and pleasing,
and not unlike that of a piano. Another instrument is
the tunhul or drum, made of a hollow log with sheep
skin stretched over the end it is struck with the fingers
;
of the right hand, the performer holding it under his

left arm. Their movements during their dances are
slow and graceful. The men are addicted to intoxica
tion at their feasts, the liquor in common use among
them being mescal and aguardiente, a colorless spirit
made from the sugar-cane. Many of the natives have
a small still in their houses. 58
w Dampier s Voyages, vol. ii., pt ii., p. 114; Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. iv.,
lib. x.,cap. iv. Ternaux-Compans, in Nouvelles Annales des Voy., 1843, torn,
;
xcvii., p. 50; Stephens Yucatan, vol., ii., pp. 15-16; Lad, Novus Orbis, p.
272; Dice. Univ., torn, iv., p. 256; Baeza, in Registro Yucateco, torn, i., p.
166.
58 Their amusements are scarcely worthy of note. . .their liveliest songs
.
CUSTOMS IN OAJACA. 665
The Zapotecs are exceedingly polite to one another in

their common salutations, calling each other brother, and
to the descendants of their ancient caciques or lords the
utmost reverence is paid. It is related by a Mexican
writer that in a village not distant from the city of
Oajaca, whenever an aged man, the son of one of their
ancient lords was seen by the natives out walking, with
a majesty that well became his fine form, position, and
age, they uncovered their heads, kissed his hands, which
he held out to them, with much tenderness, calling him
daade (father), and remained uncovered until he was
lost to sight. They are a theocratic people, much ad
dicted to their ancient religious belief and customs.
Those who live in the vicinity of Mitla entertain a
peculiar superstition they will run to the farthest vil
;
lages and pick up even the smallest stones that formed a

part of the mosaic work of that famous ruin, believing
that such stones will in their hands turn into gold.
Some of them hold the belief that anyone who discovers
a buried or hidden treasure has no right to appropriate
to his own use any portion of it, and that if he does,
death will strike him down within the year, in punish
ment of the sacrilege committed against the spirit of the
person who hid or buried the treasure. One of the first
priests that lived among the Zapotecs says that after
they had entered the pale of the church, they still clung
to their old religious practices, and made offerings of
aromatic gums, and living animals and that when the
;
occasion demanded a greater solemnity, the officiating

priest drew blood from the under part of his tongue,
and from the back part of his ears, with which he
sprinkled some thick coarse straw, held as sacred and
used at the sacrifices. To warm themselves, the Cho-
chos, or Chuchones, of Oajaca used, in cold weather,
are sad. and their merriest music melancholy. Barnard s Tehuantepec, p.

222. Afectos a las bebidas embriagantes, couocen dos particulares, el cho-
rote, y el balche 6 guarapo, compuesto de agua, cana de azucar, palo-guarapo
y maiz quemado. Orozco y tierra, Geogmfia, p. 162. See also: Fossey, 1
Mexique, pp. 343, 364; Dampier s Voyages, vol. ii., pt ii., p. 115; Stephens
Yucatan, vol. i., pp. 144-5; Charnay, Ruines Americaines, pp. 496-7.
6GG WILD TEIBES OF MEXICO.
towards the evening, to burn logs and dry leaves close to

the entrance of their caves, and blow the smoke into
their dwellings, which being quite full, all the family, old
and young, males and females, rushed in naked and
closed the entrance. The natives of Goazacoalco and
other -places practiced some of the Jewish rites, includ
ing a kind of circumcision, which custom they claimed
to have derived from their forefathers; hence have
arisen innumerable analogies to prove the Jewish origin
of these peoples. The Huaves still preserve ancient
customs at their feasts. It is a remarkable fact that
although nearly all these people are fishermen, very few

of them can swim. The Mijes have a habit of speaking
in very loud tones this is attributed by some to their
;
haughty spirit, and by others to their manner of life in

the most rugged portion of the mountains. When bound
upon a journey, if they have no other load to carry,
they fill their tonates, or nets, with stones. This is gen
erally done by them on the return home from the mar
ket-place of Tehuantepec. These loads rest upon their
backs, and hang by a band from their foreheads. In
ancient times, when they were in search of a new coun
try to settle in, they subjected the places they had
devastated to the fire proof. This was done by putting
a firebrand over night into a hole, and if it was found
extinguished in the morning, they considered that the
Sun desired his children (that is themselves) to continue
their journey. They are much given, even at the pres
ent time, to idolatrous practices, and will make sacrifices,
on the Roman Catholic altar, of birds as offerings to the
false gods they worshiped before their partial conver
sion to Christianity. The natives attribute eclipses of
the moon to an attempt by the sun to destroy their sat
ellite, and to prevent the catastrophe make a frightful
uproar, employing therefor everything they can get hold

59
of.
59 Provinciae Guazacualco atque Ylutse nee non et Cueztxatlae indiginse,

multas ceremonias ludoeorum usurpabant, iiam et circurncidebantur, more a
majoribus (ut ferebant) accepto, quod alibi in hi^ce regionibus ab Hispanis
DISEASES AND MEDICAL TBEATMENT. 667
The most prevalent among the Southern

diseases
Mexicans are fevers, measles, and severe colds. All
these people possess an excellent knowledge of medicinal
herbs, and make use of them in cases of pains and sick
ness. They still practice some of their mysterious cere
monies, and are inclined to attribute all complaints to
the evil influence of bewitchments. Father Baeza, in
the Registro Yucateco, says they consulted a crystal or
transparent stone called zalzun, by which they pretended
to divine the origin and cause of any sickness. When
suffering with fever or other disorders, the disease is
often much aggravated and death caused by injudicious
bathing in the rivers. In ancient times tobacco was
much used as a specific against pains arising from colds,
rheumatism, and asthma; the natives found that it
soothed the nerves and acted as a narcotic. They also
practiced bleeding with a sharp flint or fish-bone. The
Zapotecs attempted cures by means of a blow-pipe, at
the same time invoking the assistance of the gods. 60
When a death occurs the body is wrapped in a cotton
cloth, leaving the head and face uncovered, and in this
condition is placed in a grave. Very few of the ancient
funeral usages remain at the present day, though some
traces of superstitious ceremonies may still be observed
among them; such as placing food in the grave, or at
different spots in its immediate vicinity. Sometimes a
funeral is conducted with a certain degree of pomp, and
the corpse carried to its last resting-place followed by
hactenus non fuit observatum. Laet, Novus Orbis, p. 261. They appear
to regard with horror and avoid with superstitious fear all those places
reputed to contain remains or evidences of their former religion. Shufddt s
Explor. Tehuantepec, p. 125. See further: Museo Mex., torn, ii., pp. 551-5
Charnay, Ruines Americaines, pp. 265, 286; Burgoa, Geog. Descrip., torn. ii.
pt ii., fol. 281-2, 290, 313, 332, 335-6, 397; Id., Palestra Hist., fol. 110
Moro, in Garay, Reconocimiento, pp. 90, 93; Dice. Univ., torn, iv., p. 257.
60
Burgoa, Geog. Descrip., torn, ii., pt ii., fol. 329; Baeza, in Registro Yuca-
teco, torn, i., p. 168; Morelet, Voyage, torn, i., p. 313; Hermesdorf, in Lond.
Geog. Soc. Jour., vol. xxxii., p. 543.
t Ay en esta tierra mucha diuersidad
de yeruas medicinales, con que se curan los naturales. Herrera, Hist. Gen.,
dec. iii., lib. vii., cap. iii. The Maya sabe las virtudes de todas las
plantas como si hubiese estudiado botanica, conoce los venenos, los antido-
tos, y no se lo ocultan los calmantes. Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 158,
162, 178.
horn-blowers, and tunkul-drummers. As in the case of

the central Mexicans, a memorial day is observed, when
much respect is shown for the memory of the dead, at
which times fruits, bread, and cakes are placed upon the
61
graves.
The character of the inhabitants of the Tehuantepec
isthmus and Yucatan is at the present day one of
docility and mildness. With a few exceptions they are

kind-hearted, confiding, and generous, and some few of
them evince a high degree of intelligence, although the
majority are ignorant, superstitious, of loose morality as
we esteem it, yet apparently unconscious of wrong.
Cayetano Moro says they are far superior to the average
American Indian. The Zapotecs are a bold and inde
pendent people, exhibit many intellectual qualities, and
are of an impatient disposition, though cheerful, gentle,
and inoffensive; they make good soldiers; they are
fanatical and superstitious like their neighbors. The
women are full of vivacity, of temperate and industri
ous habits, their manners are characterized by shyness
rather than modesty, and they are full of intrigue. To
this nation the Mijes present a complete contrast; of all
the tribes who inhabit the isthmus, they are the most
brutal, degraded, and idolatrous; they are grossly stu
pid, yet stubborn and ferocious. The Chontales and
Choles are barbarous, fierce, and quarrelsome, and greatly
addicted to witchcraft. The Cajonos and Nexitzas, of
Oajaca, are of a covetous and malicious nature, dishon
and much inclined to thieving. The
est in their dealings,
Zoques are more rational in their behavior; although

they are ignorant and intemperate in their habits,
they are naturally kind and obliging, as well as patient
and enduring. The Huaves are deficient in intelli
gence, arrogant and inhospitable to strangers, and of a
reticent and perverse disposition. The Miztecs are
61
Ternaux-Compans, in Nouvelles Annales des Voy., 1843, torn, xcvii., p.
51; Museo Mex., torn, ii., p. 554. En Tamiltepec, los indios usan de cere-
monias snpersticiosas en sus sepulturas. Se lesve hacer en los cementerios
pequefios montones de tierra, en los que mezclan viveres cada vez que en-
tierran alguno de ellos. Berlandier y Thovel, Diario, p. 231.
CHARACTER OF SOUTHERN MEXICANS. 669
grave and steady; they exhibit many traits of inge

nuity, are industrious, hospitable, and affable in their
62
manners, and retain an ardent love for liberty. The
Mayas exhibit many distinguished characteristics. Al
though of limited intelligence, and more governed by
their senses than their reason, their good qualities
predominate. Formerly they were fierce and warlike,
but these characteristics have given place to timidity,
and they now appear patient, generous, and humane;
they are frugal and satisfied with little, being remark
ably free from avarice. Herrera describes them as
fierce and warlike, much given to drunkenness and other
sins, but generous and hospitable. Doctor Young, in

his History of Mexico, says: "They are not so intel
ligent or energetic, though far more virtuous and hu
mane than their brethren of the north." The women
are industrious, have pleasing manners, and are inclined
to shyness. To sum it all up, I may say that the
besetting vice of these nations is intemperance, but the
habit of drinking to excess is found to be much more
common among the mountain tribes than among the
inhabitants of the lowlands. Quarrels among them
selves seldom occur, and there is abundant evidence
to show that many of them possess excellent natural
qualifications both for common labor, and artistic indus
try and that there is no cause to prevent their becoming,
;
under favorable circumstances, useful citizens. 63

siempre de mayor reputacion, y mas polfticos.
The Miztecs c
62
Zapo-
tecs naturalmente apazibles, limpios, lucidos, y liberates. Nexitzas astutos,
maliciosos, inclinados a robos, y desacatos, con otros Cerranos supersticiosos,
acostumbrados a aleuosias, y hechizeros. Burgoa, Geog. Descrip., torn, i.,
pt ii., fol. 151, torn, ii., pt ii., fol. 202, 312, also fol. 204, 211, 228, 271, 282,
294. 335, 400. Choles, nacion. .feroz, guerrera e independiente. Balbi,
. .
in Orozco y Berra, Geografla, p. 167. Siendo los Indies Mixes de natural

feroz, barbaro, yduro, quequieren sertratados con aspereza, y rigor. Ddvila,
Teatro Edes., torn, i., p. 224. See further: Burgoa, Palestra Hist., pt i., fol.
101; Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 161-2, 186-7; Torres, in Id., p. 179; Mu-
seo Mex., torn, ii., pp. 554-5; Ternpsky s Mitla, p. 269; Hermesdorf, in Lond.
Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. xxxii., p. 543; Barnard s Tehuantepec, pp. 220-7;
Charnay, Ruines Americaines, pp. 258-9, 287; Oviedo, Hist. Gen., torn, iii.,
p. 439; Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn. ii. pt i., p. 200; Dampier s Voyages, vol.
,
ii., pt ii., pp. li5-16; Ldvila Padilla, Hist. Fvnd. Mex., p. 294; Laet, Novus
Orbis, p. 325.
63 Es el indio yucateco un monstruoso conjunto de religion e impiedad,
de virtudes y vicios, de sagacidad y estupidez. . .tiene ideas exactas precisas
.
670 TRIBAL BOUNDARIES.
de lo bneno y de lo malo. .Es incapaz de robar nn peso, y roba cuatro

. .
veces dos reales ... Siendo honrado en casi todas sus acciones se puede . . .
decir que el unico vicio que le domina es el de la embriaguez. Registro

Yuc.ateco, torn, i., pp. 291-3; Baeza, in Id., torn, i., pp. 166-8, 174; Morelet,
14
Voyage, torn, i., p. 148;
,
Herrera, Hist., Gen., dec. iv., lib. x., cap.iv.; Mill s
Hist. Mex., p. 15
158; Moro, in Garay, Reconocimiento, pp. 89-94; Mutter, Reisen,
torn, ii., p. 371.
TRIBAL BOUNDARIES.
Under the name WILD TRIBES OF MEXICO, I include all thp people
inhabiting the Mexican Territory from ocean to ocean, between latitude 23
north and the Central American boundary line south, including Yucatan and
Tehuantepec. The southernmost point of this division touches the fifteenth
degree of north latitude. A subdivision of this group is made and the parts
are called the Central Mexicans, and the Southern Mexicans, respectively. In
the former I include the nations north of an imaginary line, drawn from the
port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, to Vera Cruz, on the Gulf of Mexico,
and in the latter all those south of this line.
Going to the fountain-head of Mexican history, I find mentioned certain
names, of which it is now impossible to determine whether they are differ
ent names applied to the same people or different peoples, or whether they
are mythical and apply to no really existing nations. Still less is it possible
to give these strange names any definite location; instance the Toltecs and
the Chichimecs, and indeed almost all early designations, very common
names used to denote very uncommon people. Sahagun is the only one of
the oldest writers who mentions the name of Toltecs, which in later years
was used by Ixtlilxochitl and Boturini, and after them bandied about more
freely by modern writers. After the conquest, the name Chichimecs was
applied to all uncivilized and unsettled people north of the valley of Mexico,
extending to the farthest discovered region. Of still other nations nothing
further can be said than that they occupied the cities to which their name
was applied; such were the Mexicans, or Aztecs, the Tlascaltecs, the Cholul-
tecs, and many others. Some general remarks respecting the location of the
principal civilized nations, will be found in vol. ii., chap, ii., of this work;
and all obtainable details concerning the many tribes that cannot be defi
nitely located here are given in volume v.
The Quinames or Giants are mentioned as the first inhabitants of Mexico.

Los Quinametin, gigantes que vivian en esta rinconada, que se dice ahora
Nueva Espana. Ixtiilxochitl, Relaciones, in Kingsborough s Mex. Antiq., vol.
ix., p. 322; Id., Hist. Chichimeca, in Id., p. 205. Los que hasta agora se
sabe, aver morado estas Estendidas, y Ampliadisimas Tierras. y Regiones,
de la Nueva Espana, fueron vnas Gentes mui crecidas de Cuerpo, que llama-
ron despues otros, Quinametin. Torquemada, Monarq. Ind., torn, i., p. 34.
Les Quinames, la plus ancienne des races connues de ces contrees, etaient
encore en possession de quelques localites de peu d importance pres des
villes de Huitzilapan, de Cuetlaxcohuapan et deTotomihuacan. Brasseur de
Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., torn, i., p. 196. Sa domination s etendait

sur les provinces interieures du Mexique et du Guatemala, et, a 1 epoque du
OLMECS AND XICALANCAS. 671
debarquement des Olmeques et des Xicalancas, les histoires nous la mon-

trent encore en possession du plateau azteque et des contrees voisines du
fleuve Tabasco. Id., in Nouvelles Annales des Voy., 1858, torn, clviii., p. 258.
Vivian hacia las riberas del rio Atoyac, entre la ciudad de Tlaxcala y la de
la Puebla de los Angeles. Veytia, Hist. Ant. M?j., torn, i., pp. 28, 143-4.
The Olmecs and Xicalancas were los que poseian este Nuevo Mundo, en
esta tercera edad. Ixtlilxochitt, Hist. Chichimeca, in Kingsborough s Mex.
Antiq., vol. ix., p. 205. Olmecas, Vixtoti, y Mixtecas. Estos tales asf llama-
dos, estan acia el nacimiento del sol, y llamanles tainbien tenime, porque
hablan 1 engua barbara, y dicen que son Taltecas. Sahagun, Hist. Gen., torn,
iii., lib. x., p. 136. Estos poblaron, donde aora esta Edificada, yPobladala
Ciudad de los Angeles, y en Totomihuacan .... Los Xicalancas, f ueron tarn-
bien Poblando, acia Cuathazualco (que es acia la Costa del Norte) y adelante
en- la misma Costa, esta oi dia vn Pueblo, que se dice Xicalanco .... Otro
Pueblo ai del mismo Nombre, en la Proviucia de Maxcaltzinco, cerca del
Puerto de la Vera-Cruz, que parece averlo tambien Poblado los Xicalancas.
Torquemada, Monarq. Ind., torn, i., p. 32. Atravesando los Puertos del Bol-
can, y Sierra-Nevada, y otros rodeandolos por la parte de el Mediodia, hasta
que venieroii a salir a vu Lugar, que de presente se llama Tochmilco. De
alii, pasaron a Atlixco, Calpan, y Huexotziiico, hasta llegar al parage, y Tier-
ras de la Provincia de Tlaxcallan; y haciendo asiento en el principio, y en-

trada de la dicha Tierra, hicieron su Fundacion en el Pueblo, que aora se
llama Nuestra Seuora de la Natividad (y en Lengua Mexicana Yancuictlal-
pan.) De pasaron a otro Poblado, el referido, llamado Huapalcalco,

alii,
junto a vna Hermita, que llaman de Santa Cruz, al qual llamau los Naturales,
Texoloc, Mizco, y Xiloxuchitla, donde aora es la Hermita de San Vicente, y
el Cerro de la Xochitecatl, y Tenayacac, donde estan otras dos Hermitas,
a poco trecho vna de otra, que las llaman de San Miguel, y de San Fran
cisco, enmedio de las quales, pasa el Rio, que viene de la Sierra Nevada de
Huexotzinco. Y aqui en este Sitio, hicieron los Hulmecas, su Principal
asiento, y Poblaqon. Id., p, 257; Mendieta, Hist. Ecles., pp. 145-6; Motolinia,
Hist. Indios, in Icazbalceta, Col. de Doc., torn, i., p. 7. Vlinecatlh poblo
tambien muchos lugares en aquella parte, a do agora esta la ciudad de los
Angeles. Y nombro los Totomiuacan, Vicilapan, Cuetlaxcoapan, y otros
assi. Xicalancatlh anduuo mas tierra, llego a la mar del norte, y en la costa
hizo muchos pueblos. Pero a los dos mas priucipales llamo de su mesmo
nombre. El vn Xicalanco esta en la prouiiicia de Maxcalcinco, que es cerca
de la Vera Cruz, y el otro Xicalanco esta cerca de Tauasco. Gomara,
Conq. Mex., fol. 299. Hacia Atlisco y Itzucan los xicalancas: y en el ter-
ritoriode la Puebla, Chollolan y Tlaxcallan los ulmecas, cuya primitiva y
principal poblaciou dicen haber sido la ciudad de Chollolau. Veytia, Hist.
Ant. Mej., torn, i., p. 153; Brasseur de JBourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., torn,
i., pp. 110-11, 196; Id., PopolVuh, introd., p. xxx; Orozco y Berra, Geografta,
p. 119; Alcedo, Diccionario, torn, iii., p. 374.
The Coras constitute the north-westernmost nation of the CENTRAL MEXI

CANS, inhabiting the district of Nayarit 6 reino de Nuevo Toledo Al Oeste. . . .
tieue los pueblos de la antigua provincia de Acaponeta al Este los de Colotlan,

;
672 TKIBAL BOUNDARIES.
y al Sur quieren algunos que se extienda hasta las orillas del rio Grande 6
Tololotlan .el Nayarit se extiende entre los 21 20 y 23 de lat., y entrelos
. .
J
5 y 6 de long, occidental de Mexico. Orozco y Berra, Geografia, p. 279.
En la Sierra del Nayarit. Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, ii., p. 71. Los indios *
que viven en el centre de la sierra, llamados muutzizti Los llamados tea-

. . .
kuaeitzizti viven en las f aldas de la sierra que mira al Poniente .... los coras
que viven a la orilla del rio Nayarit 6 de Jesus Maria, conocidos por Ateakari.
Id., p. 83.
The Tecoxines tenian su principal asiento en el valle de Cactlan y se
extendian a la Magdalena, Analco, Hoxtotipaquillo y barrancas de Mochi-
tiltic. Orozco y Berra, Geografia, p. 279.
The Cocotlanes were at the missions of Apozolco y en Comatlan. Id.,
p. 280.
The Maraveres reside in Tlajomulco. Alcedo, Diccionario, torn, ii., p. 242.
The Thorames and Tzayaquecas dwell near the town of Zentipac. Dos
leguas apartado del mar, la nacion Thorama .... diez leguas de Zentipac habia
otros Indios de Nacion Tzayaqueca. Padilla, Conq. N. Galida, MS., p. 62.
La gran poblacion y Valle de Tzenticpac, cuyo pueblo principal esta situado
punto a la mar del Sur, dos leguas antes a orillas del rio grande, y que la
gente de esta provincia era de la nacion Totorame. Beaumont, Cron. de Me-

choacon, MS, p. 197.
The Corarus habitaban hacia la parte del Norte, diez leguas del dicho
pueblo de Tzenticpac. 76.
The Guicholas are settled in the village of San Sebastian, which lies
eighteen leagues to the westward of Bolanos. Lyon s Journal, vol. i., p.
322; Nouvelks Annales des Voy., 1828, torn, xl., p. 239. En Santa Catarina,
S. Sebastian, S. Andres Coamiat, Soledad y Tezompan, pertenecientes a
Colotlan. Orozco y Berra, Geografia, p. 282.
The Coronados son los del pueblo de Tuito al Sur del valle de Banderas.
Id., p. 278.
The Tlaxomultecs habitaban en Tlajomulco. Estos tecuexes. .llaman . .
a los indios cocas de toda la provincia de Tonalan, que no eran de su len-

gua, tlaxomultecas. Id., p. 278.
The Cocas and Tecuexes eran los de la provincia de Tonalan Los . . .
tecuexes pasaban del otro lado de Tololotlan hasta ocupar parte de Zacatecas,
derramandose por los pueblos de Tecpatitlan, Teocaltiche, Mitic, Jalostotit-
lan, Mesticatan, Yagualica, Tlacotlan, Teocaltitlan, Ixtlahuacan, Cuautla,
Ocotic y Acatic. Id., pp. 278-9.
The Mazapiles are al N. E. de la zacateca. Ilervas, in Id., p. 11.
The Cazcanes habitan hasta la comarca de Zacatecas. Herrera, Hist.
Gen., dec. iv., lib. ix., cap. Novus Orbis, p. 281.

xiii.; Laet, Ocupaba el
terreno desde el rio Grande, confinando con los tecuexes y los tepecanos.
Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 284, 49.
The Mecos live in the pueblo Soledad de las Canoas, in the State of Que*
retaro. Alcedo, Dice., torn, iv., p. 567.
The Fames inhabit the state of Queretaro, treinta leguas distante de la
expresada Ciudad de Queretaro, y se estiende a cien leguas de largo, y treintu

de ancho, en cuyas brefias vivian los Indios de la Nacion Fame. Fatoy-,
THE OTOMfS. 673
Vida de Junipero Serra, p. 23. En la mision de Cerro Prieto del Estado

de Mexico, se extiende principalmente por los pueblos de San Luis Potosi,
y tambien se le encuentra en Queretaro y en Guanajuato. Orozco y Berra,
Geografia, pp. 48, 256, 262, 264. En San Luis de la Paz, territorio de la
Sierra Gorda .... en la ciudad del Maiz, Departamento de San Luis Potosi
en la Purisima Concepcion de Arnedo, en la Sierra Gorda. Pimentel,
Cuadro, torn, ii., p. 265.
The Otomis are one of the most widely dispersed nations of Mexico.
Todo lo alto de las montanas, 6 la mayor parte, a la redonda de Mexico,
estan llenas de ellos. La cabeza de su senorio creo que es Xilotepec, que es
una gran provincia, y las provincias de Tollan y Otompa casi todas son de
ellos, sin contar que en lo bueno de la Nueva Espana hay muchas pobla-
ciones de estos Otomies, de los quales proceden losOhichimecas. Motolinia,
Hist. Indios, in Icazbalceta, Col. de Doc., torn, i., p. 9. The above is copied
by Torquemada, in his Monarq. Ind., torn, i., p. 32. Estos Teochichimecas
son los que aora se llaman Otomies. . .
.Tlaixpan, es de los que hablan esta
Lengua Otomi. Id., p. 261. La grandisima Provincia, 6 Reino de los Oto
mies, que coge a Tepexic, Tula, Xilotepec, Cabeqa de este Heyno, Chiapa,
Xiquipilco, Atocpan, y Queretaro, en cuio medio de estos Pueblos referidos,
ai otro inumerables, porque lo eran sus Gentes. Id., p. 287. Xilotepeque
provincia Otomiis habitata. Laet, Novus Orbis, p. 234. La Provincia
degli Otomiti cominciava nella parte settentrionale della Valle Messicana, e
si continuava per quelle montagne verso tramontana sino a novanta migliar
dalla Capitale. Sopra tutti i luoghi abitati, che v erano ben molti, s innal-
zava 1 antica e celebre Citta di Tollan [oggidi Tula,] e quella di
Xilotepec.
Clavigero, Storia Ant. del Messico, torn, i., p. 31. In ancient times they
occuparono un tratto di terra di piii di trecento miglia dalle montagne
1
d Izmiquilpan verso Maestro, confinando verso Levante, e verso Ponente con-

altre Nazioni parimente selvaggie. Later: fondarono nel paese d Ana-
huac, ed anche nella stessa Valle di Messico infiniti luoghi: la maggior parte
d essi, e spezialmente i piu grandi, come quelli di Xilotopec e di Huitzapan
nelle vicinanze del paese, che innanzi occupavano altri sparsi fra i Matlat-
:
zinchi, ed i Tlascallesi, ed in altre Provincie del Regno. Id., p. 148. Loa-

indios de este pais (Queretaro) eran por la mayor parte otomites. Akgre,
Hist. Comp. de Jesus, torn, ii., p. 163; Humboldt, Essai Pol., torn, i., p.
77. Sous le nom d Othomis, on comprenait generalement les restes des
nations primitives, repandus dans les hautes vallees qui bornent 1 Ana-
huac a 1 occident. Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., torn, iii., p.
56. Les traditions les plus anciennes du Mexique nous montrent les
Othomis en possession des montagnes et de la vallee d Anahuac, ainsii
que des vastes contrees qui s etendent au dela, dans le Michoacan, jus-
qu aux frontieres de Xalizco etde Tonalan; ils etaient egalement les maitres-
du plateau de Tlaxcallan. Id., torn, i., p. 160. Us occupaient la plus
grande partie de la vallee d Anahuac, avec ses contours jusqu aux environs
de Cholullan, ainsi que les provinces que s etendent au nord entre le Mi
choacan et Tullantzinco. Id,, p. 196. Otompan, aujourd hui Otumba, tut
leur capitale. Brasseur de Bourbourg, Popol Vuh, introd., pp. xxx.. ex.
Queretaro f ue siempre domicilio de los esf orzados Othomites .... Tlerten
Vol. I. 43
poblado todo lo alto de las Montafias, que circundan a Mexico, siendo cat>e-
cera de toda la Provincia Othomi Xilotepec, que la hacen numerosa los

Pueblos de Tepexic, Tula, Huichiapan, Xiquilpo, Atocpan, el Mexquital, S.
Juan del Rio, y Queretaro. Espinosa, Chron. Apostolica, pp. 1-2. The Otomt
language se le encuentra derramado por el Estado de Mexico, entra en San
Luis Potosi, abraza todo Queretaro y la mayor parte de Guanajuato, limi-
tandose al O. por los pueblos de los tarascos; reaparece confundido con el
tepehua cerca del totonaco, y salpicado aqui y alia se tropieza con el en
Puebla y en Veracruz. Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 17, 216-7, 240, 255-6,
261-4, 272. En todo el Estado de Queretaro y en una parte de los de San
Luis, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Mexico, Puebla, Veracruz y Tlaxcala. Pi
mentel, Cuadro, torn, i., p. 117. Concurrent authorities: Hassel, Mex., Gnat.,
p. 138; Delaporte, Eeisen, torn, x., p. 323; Ward s Mexico, vol. ii., p. 345;
Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, ii., pt ii., p. 477; Wappdus, Geog. u. Stat., pp.
.36, 188, 196-7; Klemm, Cultur-Geschichte, torn, v., p. 193; Gallatin, in Amer.
Ethno. Soc., Transact., vol. i., p. 2; Gemelli Careri, in Churchill s Col. Voy
ages, torn, iv., p. 513. Habitait les bords du golfe du Mexique, depuis la
province de Panuco jusqu au Nueces. Domenech, Jour., p. 16.
The Mazahuas f urouo tempo fa parte della Nazione Otomita I prin-
cipali luoghi da erano sulle montagne occidentali della Valle

.loro abitati
Messicana, e componevano la Provincia di Mazahuacan, appartenente alia

Corona di Tacuba. Clavigero, Storia Ant. del Messico, torn, i., pp. 149-50?
copied in Heredia y Sarmiento, Sermon de Guadalupe, p. 83. Mazahua r
Mazahui, Matzahua, Matlazahua, Mozahui, en Mexico y en Michoacan. En
tiempos del imperio azteca esta tribu pertenecia al reino de Tlacopan; sus
pueblos marcaban los limites entre su senorio y Michoacan. Orozco y Berra,
Geografia, p. 256. Parece que solo quedan algunos restos de la nacion
mazahua en eldistrito Ixtlahuaca, perteneciente al Departamento de Mexico.
Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, ii., p. 193. Au nord ils etendaient leurs villages
jusqu a peu de distance de 1 ancien Tollan. Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist.
Jat. Civ., torn, iii., p. 56.
The Huastecs, Huaxtecs, Guastecs, or Cuextecas inhabit portions of the
states of Vera Cruz and Tamaulipas. A los misnios llamaban Panteca 6
Panoteca, que quiere decir hombres del lugar pasadero, los cuales fueron
.asi llamados, y son los que viven en la provincia de Panuco, que propia-
mente se llaman Pantlan, 6 Panotlan. Sahayun, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., lib. x.,
p. 132.El Huaxtecapan se extendid de Veracruz a, San Luis Potosi, y
coma a lo largo de la costa del Golfo, hacia el Norte, prolongandose
probablemente muy adentro de Tamaulipas, por lugares en donde ahora no
;se encuentra ni vestigio suyo. Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 206, 19.
Cuando llegaron los espanoles, el lugar que ocupaban era la frontera Norte
del reino de Texcoco, y parte de la del mexicano .Hoy se conoce su pais con . . .
elnombre de la Huaxteca: comprende la parte Norte del Estado de Veracruz

y una fraccion lindante del de San Luis, confmando, al Oriente, con el Golfo
de Mexico, desde la barra de Tuxpan hasta Tampico. Pimentel, Cuadro,
torn, i., p. 5. Further mention in Chaves, Rapport, in Ternaux-Compans, Voy.,
Berie ii., torn, v., p. 298; Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, ii., pt i., p. 46; Hassel,
Mex. Goat., p. 226; Wappdus, Geog. u. Stat., pp. 35-6; Squier sCent. Amer.
p. 316; Villa-Senor, Theatro, torn, i., p. 122.
TOTONACS AND NAHUATLACS. 675
The Totonacs occupy the country east of the valley of Mexico down to
the sea-coast, and particularly the state of Veracruz and a portion of Puebla.
Estos Totonaques estan poblados a la parte del norte, y se dice ser
guastemas. Sahagun, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., lib. x., pp. 131-4. Totonachi.
Questa grande Provincia, ch era per quella parte I ultima dell imperio,
si stendeva per ben centocinqunnta miglia, cominciando dalla frontiers
di Zacatlan. .e terminando nel Golfo Messicano.

. . Oltre alia capitale Miz-
quihuacan, quindici miglia a Levante da Zacatlan, v era la bella Citta di
Cempoallan sulla costa del Golfo. Clavigero, Storia Ant. del Messico, torn, i.,
p. 34. Raccontavano dunque, que essendosi eglino da principio per qual-
che tempo stabiliti su le rive del lago tezcucano, quindi si portarono a popo-
lare quelle montague, che da loro presero il nome di Totonacapan. Id.,
torn, iv., p. 51. En Puebla y en Veracruz. Los totonacos ocupan la parte
Norte del Departamento, formando un solo grupo con sus vecinos-de Vera
cruz; terminan sobre la costa del golfo, en toda la zona que se extiende entre
los rios de Chachalacasy de Cazones 6 S. Marcos. Orozco y Berra, Geografia,
pp. 214, 216. Estan estendidos, y derramados por las Sierras, que le caen, al
Norte, a esta Ciudad de Mexico. Torquemada, Monarq. Ind., torn, i., p. 278;
Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, i., p. 223. In the districts of Zacatlan, State of
Puebla, and in the State of Vera Cruz. Ludewig s Ab. Lang., p. 190; Villa-
Senor, Theatro, torn, i., p. 312; Muhlenpfordt, Mejlco, torn, i., p. 208; Galla-
tin,in Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact., vol. i., p. 4.
The Meztitlanecs inhabited the region north of Tezcuco, between the Sierra
Madre and the territory occupied by the Huastecs. Al Norte de Tetzcoco
existia el senorio independiente de Meztitlan, que hoy corresponde al Estado
de Mexico .... Obedecian a Meztitlan, cabecera principal, las provincias de
Molango, Malila, Tlanchinolticpac, Ilamatlan, Atlihuetzian, Suchicoatlan,
Tiauguiztengo, Guazalingo, Yagualica. El senorio, pues, se extendia por
toda la sierra, hasta el li mite con los huaxtecos: en Yahualica estaba la
guaruicion contra ellos, por ser la frontera, comenzando desde alii las llanuras
de Huaxtecapan. Xelitla era el punto mas avanzado al Oeste y confmaba con
los barbaros chichimecas el termino al Sur era Zacualtipan y al Norte tenia
:
a los chichimecas. Cliavez, Relation de Meztitlan, quoted in Orozco y Berra,

Geografia, p. 246.
The Nahuatlacs se diuiden en siete linajes .... Los primeros f ueron los
Suchimilcos, que quiere dezir, gente de sementeras de flores. Estos pobla-

ron a la orilla de la gran laguna de Mexico hazia el Mediodia, y fundaron
vna ciudad de su nombre, y otros muchos lugares. Mucho despues llegaron
los del segundo linage llamados Chalcas, que significa gente de las bocas, y
tambien fundaron otra ciudad de su nombre, partiendo terminos con los
Suchimilcos. Los terceros f ueron los Tepanecas, que quiere dezir, gente
de la Puente. Y tambien poblaron en la orilla de la laguna al Occidente
La cabeâ de su provincia la llamaron Azcapuzalco. . . .Tras estos vinieron,
los que poblaron a Tezcuco, que son los de Culhua, que quiere dezir, gente
corua Y assi quedo la laguna cercada de estas quatro naciones, poblando
estos al Oriente, y los Tepanecas al Norte. .Despues llegaron los Tlatlui-
. .
cas, que significa gente de la sierra. .Y como hallaron ocupados todos los
. .
llanos en contorno de la laguna hasta las sierras, passaron de la otra parte de

la sierra. Y a la cabeâ de suprouincia llamaron Quahunahuac

. . .
que eor-
rompidamente nuestro vulgo llama Quernauaca, y aquella prouincia es, la que
oy se dize el Marquesado. Los de la sexta generacion, que son los Tlas-
caltecas, que quiere dezir gente de pan, passaron la serrania hazia el Oriente
atrauessando la sierra neuada, donde esta el famoso bolcan entre Mexico y
laciudad de los Arigeles la cabeqa de suprouincia llamaron de su noinbre
Tlascala. .La septima cueua, o linage, que es la nacion Mexicana, la qual
. .
como las otras, salio de las prouincias de Aztlan, y Teuculhuacan. Acosta,

Hist, de las Ynd., pp. 454-8. Repeated in Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. iii.,
lib. ii., cap. x. Also in Clavigero, Storia Ant. del Messico, torn, i., pp. 151-2,
and in Heredia y Sarmiento, Sermon de Guadalupe, p. 85; Orozco y Berra,
Geografia, pp. 91-2.
The Acolhuas inhabited the kingdom of Acolhuacan. Su capital era
Tetzcoco, a la orilla del lago de su nombre La extension del reino era:
desde el mar del N. a la del Sur, con todo lo que se comprende a la banda del
Poniente hasta el puerto de la Veracruz, salvo la cuidad de Tlachcala y Hue-
xotzinco. Pomar, Relation de Texcoco, quoted in Orozco y Berra, Geografia,
pp. 240-2. Juan B. Pomar fija los limites del reino con toda la exageracion
que puede infundir el orgullo de raza. Por nuestra parte, hemos leido con
cuidado las relaciones que a la monarqufa corresponden, y hemos estudiado
en el piano los lugares a que se refieren, y ni de las unas ni de los otros
llegamos a sacar jamas que los reyes de Aculhuacan mandaraii sobre las tri-
bus avecindadas en la costa del Pacffico, no ya a la misma altura de Mexico,
sino aun a menores latitudes. Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 242-4. See
further: Motolinia, Hist. Indios, in Icazbalceta, Col. de Doc., torn, i., p. 11;
Ixtlilxochitl, Relaciones, in Kingsborough s Mex. Antiq., vol. ix., p. 341.
The Ocuiltecs viven en el distrito deToluca, en tierrasy terminos suyos.
Sahagun, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., lib. x., p. 130.
The Macaoaquez viven en una comarca de Toluca, y estan poblados en el
pueblo de Xocotitlan. Ib.
The Tarascos dwell chiefly in the state of Michoacan. La provincia de
estos, es la madre de los pescados, que es Michoacan: llamase tambien
Quaochpanme. Sahagun, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., lib. x., p. 137. Repeated
in Clavigero, Storia Ant. del Messico, torn, i., p. 148. Their territory is
bounded : Au nord-est, le royaume de Tonalan et le territoire maritime de
Colima en sont separes par le rio Pantla et le fleuve
Coahuayana, auquel
s unit cette riviere, dix lieues avant d aller tomber dans la mer Pacifique, dont
le rivage continue ensuite a borner le Michoacan, au sud-ouest, jusqu a Za-
catollan. La les courbes capricieuses du Mexcala lui constituent d autres
limites, a Test et au sud, puis, a Test encore, les riches provinces de Cohu-
ixco et de Matlatzinco Plus au nord, c etaient les Mazahuas, dont les
fertiles vallees, ainsi que celles des Matlatzincas, s etendent dans les regions
les plus froides de la Cordillere; enfin le cour majestueux du Tololotlan et
les rives pittoresques du lac Chapala formaient une barriere naturelle entre
les Tarasques et les nombreuses populations othomies et chichimeques des
etatsde Guanaxuato et de Queretaro. Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ.,
torn, iii., pp. 53, 56. El tarasco se habla en el Estado de Michoacan, excep-
tuando la parte Sur-Oeste que linda con el Pacffico donde se habla el mexi-
MATLALTZINCAS AND TLAPANECS. 677
cano, mm pequena parte al Nor-Este, donde se acostumbra el othomi 6 el

mazahua, y otra parte donde se usa el rnatlatzinca. Tambien se habla en el
Estado de Guanajuato, en la parte qtie linda con Michoacan y Guadalajara,
limitada al Oriente por una linea que puede comenzar en Acambaro, seguir
a Irapuato y terminar en San Felipe, es decir, en los limites con San Luis
PotosiV Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, i., p. 271. En Michoacan, Guerrero, Gua
najuato y Jalisco. Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 58, 238, 264, 271-2, 281.
Concurrent authorities: Gallatin, in Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact., vol. i., p.
4; Ludeicig s Ab. Lang., p. 182; Figuier s Hum. Race, p. 460; Ward s Mex
ico, vol. ii., p. 675.
The Matlaltzincas, Pirindas, or Tolucas inhabited the valley of Toluca,
situated between the valley of Mexico and Michoacan. La Provincia del
Matlatzinchi comprendeva, oltre la valle di Tolocan, tutto quello spazio,
che v e infino a Tlaximaloyan (oggi Taximaroa) frontiera del regno di
Michuacan. .Nelle montagne circoiivicine v erano gli stati di Xalatlauhco,
. .
di Tzompahuacan, e di Malinalco; in non molta lontananza verso Levante

dalla valle quello d Ocuillan, e verso Ponente quelli di Tozantla, e di Zol-
tepec. i., pp. 31-2, 150.

Clavigero, Storia Ant. del Messico, torn, Antigua-
mente en usa en Charo, lugar pertene-
el valle de Toluca; pero hoy solo se
ciente al Estado de Michoacan. Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, i., p. 499. In the
district of that name, sixty miles south-west of Mexico. Gallatin, in Amer.
Ethno. Soc., Transact., torn, i., p. 4. Also in Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist.
Nat. Civ., torn, iii., p. 56.
The Chumbias inhabit the pueblos Ciutla, Axalo, Ihuitlan, Vitalata, Gua-
guayutla and Coyuquilla in the State of Guerrero. Orozco y Berra, Geogra-
fia, p. 227.
The Tlapanecs, Coviscas, Yopes, Yopis, Jopes, Yopimes, Tenimes, Pino-
mes, Chinquimes, Chochontes, Pinotl-Chochons, Chochos, Chuchones, Po-
polocas, Tecos, Tecoxines, or Popolucas are one and the same people, who
by different writers are described under one or the other of these names.
Estos Coviscas y Tlapanecas, son unos y estan poblados en Tepecuacuilco
y Tlachmalacac, y en la provincia de Chilapan. Estos Yopimes y Tlapa
necas, son de los de la comarca de Yopitzinco, llamanles Yopes son los
que llaman propiamente tenimes, pinome, chinquime, chochonti. Sahagun,
Hist. Gen., torn, iii., lib. x., p. 135; quoted also in Orozco y Berra, Geo-
grafia, pp. 235-6, 217, 196. La provincia de los Yopes lindaba al Oeste
con los Cuitlateques, al Sur con el Pacifico, al Este con los Mixtecos
y al Norte con los Cohuixcas: la division por esta parte la representaria una
linea de Este a Oeste, al Sur de Xocolmani y de Amatlan, y comprendiera a
los actuales tlapanecos. Montufar, in Id., pp. 235-6 Confinava colla costa
dei Cohuixchi quella dei Jopi, e con questa quella dei Mixtechi, conosciuta
ai nostri tempi col nome di Xicayan. Clavigero, Storia Ant. del Messico, torn,
i., p. 34; Gallatin, in Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact., vol. i., p. 4. Tecama-
chalco era su poblacion principal, y se derramaban al Sur hasta tocar con los
mixtecos. Durante el siglo XVI se encontraban aun popolocos en Tlacote-
pec y en San Salvador (unidos con los otomies), pueblo sujeto a Quecholac.
Por la parte de Tehuacan, el li mite de esta tribu se hallaba en Coxcat-
lan. Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 217-18. The Chochos dwell in sixteen
pueblos in the department of Huajuapan in the state of Oajaca. I-\, p. 196.
The Cohuixcas dwelt in the province of the same name, which confinava
a Settentrione coi Matlatzinchi, e coi Tlahuichi, a Ponente coi Cuitlatechi, a
Levante coi Jopi e coi Mixtechi, ed a Mezzogiornio si stendeva infino al
Mar Pacifico per quella parte, dove presentemente vi sono il porto e la Citta
d Acapulco. Clavigero, Storia Ant. del Messico, torn, i., p. 32. La provincia
comenzaba en Zacualpa, li mite con los matlaltzincas, y que, por ultimo, los
confines de esa porcion antigua del imperio Mexicano, eran al Norte los
matlaltzinques y los tlahuiques, al Este los mixtecos y los tlapanecos, al Sur
los yopes, y al Oeste los cuitlateques. Orozco y Berra, Gcografia, pp. 227-32.
Their country lies between Tesitzlan and Chilapan. Ker s Travels, p. 233.
The Cuitlatecs inhabit thecountry between the Cohuixcas and the Pacific
Coast. I Cuitlatechi abitavano un paese, che si stendeva piu di dugento
miglia da Maestro a Scirocco dal regno di Michuacan infino al mar Pacifico.

La loro capitale era la grande e popolosa citta di Mexcaltepec sulla costa,
della quale appena sussistono le rovine. Clavigero, Storia Ant. del Messico,
torn, i., p. 32. En Ajuchitlan, San Cristobal y Poliutla en la municipalidad
de Ajuchitlan, distrito del mismo nombre, y en Atoyac, distrito y munici
palidad de Tecpan. La provincia de los cuitlateques 6 cuitlatecos, sujeta en
lo antiguo a los emperadores de Mexico, quedaba comprendida entre las de
Zacatula y de los cohuixques. Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 233-4.
Proceeding southward, among the SOUTHEEN MEXICANS, we first encoun

whose province, Miztecapan, was in the present states of Oa-
ter the Miztecs,
jaca and Guerrero. La Mixtecapan, o sia Provincia dei Mixtechi si stendeva

da Acatlan, luogo lontano cento venti miglia dalla corte verso Scirocco, infino
al Mar Pacifico, e conteneva piu Citta e villaggj ben popolati, e di considera-
bile commercio. Clavigero, Storia Ant. del Messico, torn, i., p.- 32, Le
Mixtecapan comprenait de 1 etat d Oaxaca, depuis la
les regions occidentales
frontiere septentrionale d Acatlan, qui des principautes des Tlahui-
le separait
cas et de Mazatlan, jusque sur le rivage de 1 ocean Pacifique. Elles se

divisaient en haute et basse Mixteque, 1 une et 1 autre egalement fertiles, la
premiere resserree entre les montagnes qui lui donnaient son nom la seconde,
;
occupant les riches territoires des bords de la mer, ayant pour capitale la
ville de Tututepec (a 1 embouchure du rio Verde). Brasseur de Bourbourg,
Hist. Nat. Civ., torn, iii., p. 4. Les Mixteques donnaient eux-memesaleur
*
pays le nom de Gnudzavui-Gnuhu, Terre de pluie, pour le haute Mixteque,

et Gnuundaa, Cote de la mer, a la basse. Id., pp. 5-6. En la antigua pro
vincia de este nombre, situada sobre la costa del mar Pacifico, que com-
prende actualmente, hacia el Norte, una fraccion del Estado de Puebla;
hacia el Este, una del de Oajaca, y al Oeste, parte del Estado de Guerrero.
Dividese la Mixteca en alta y baja, estando la primera en la serrania, y la

segunda en las llanuras contiguas a la costa. Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, i., p.
37. Westlich der Zapotecos, bei San Francisco Huizo im Norden und bei
Santa Cruz Miztepec im Siiden des grossen Thales von Oajaca beginnen die
Misteken, welche den ganzen westlichen Theil des Staats einnehmen, und
siidlich bis an die Kuste des Austral-Oceans bei Jamiltepec und Tututepec
hinabreichen. Milhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, ii., pti., pp.142, 187, 192-6, 198-
9, 201-2. Also in Wappdus, Geog. u. Stat., p. 163.
ZAPOTECS AND MIJES. 679
The Zapotecs occupy the large valley of Oajaca. Fue la Zapotecapan

(
Senora, y tan apoderada de las demas de su Orizonte, que ambiciosos sus

Reyes, rompieron los terminos de su mando, y se entraron ferozes, y valientes,
por Chontales, Mijes, y tierras maritimas de ambos mares del Sur, y del Norte
y venciendo, hasta Senorear los fertiles llanos de Teguantepeque, y cor-
riendo hasta Xoconusco. Burgoa, Geog. Descrip., tom.i., ptii., fol. 196, torn,
ii., fol. 362. Hasta Tepeiac, Techamachalco, Quecholac y Teohuacan, que
por aqui dicen que hicieron sus poblaciones los zapotecas. Veytia, Hist.
Ant. Mej., torn, i., p. 153. A Levante de Mixtechi erauo i Zapotechi, cosi
chiamati dalla loro capitale Teotzapotlan. Nel loro distretto era la Valle di
Huaxyacac, dagli Spagnuoli detta Oaxaca o Guaxaca. Clavigero, Storia Ant.
del Messico, torn. i. p. 32. En una parte del Estado de Oajaca, liinitada al
Sur por el Pacifico, exceptuando una pequena fraccion de terreno ocupada
por los chontales. Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, i., p. 319. See also: Orozco y
Berra, Geografia, pp. 177-87: Murguia y Galardi, in Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin,
torn, vii., pp. 245-6. The Zapotecs constitute the greater part of the popu
lation of the southern division of the Isthmus (of Tehuantepec). Barnard s
Tehuantepec, p. 226. Inhabit the Pacific plains and the elevated table-lands
fromTarifatoPetapa. Shufeldt s Explor. Tehuantepec, pp. 125, 133-4; Garay s
Tehuantepec, p. 59; Fossey, Mexique, pp. 338, 470. Zapotecos, welche die
Mitte des Staates, das grosse Thai von Oajaca bewohnen, sich im Osten iiber
die Gebirge von Huixazo, Iztlan und Tanetze und die Thaler Los Cajdnos
ausbreiten,und im Siiden, im Partido Quiechapa (Depart. Tehuantepec)
mit den Mijes, im Partido von Pochutla (Depart. Ejutla) aber niit den Chon
tales,Nachbaren jener, granzen. Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, ii., pt i., pp.
141, 170, 173-6, 183-6, 189, 191, 199, 212-13; Wappfius, Geog. u. Stat., p. 162.
Les Zapoteques appelaient leur pays Lachea. Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist.
Nat. Civ., torn, iii., p. 38; Macgregor s Progress of America, p. 848.
The Mijes dwell in the mountains of southern Oajaca and in a small por
tion of Tehuantepec. Anterieurement a la ruine de 1 empire tolteque les
Mijes occupaient tout le territoire de 1 isthme de Tehuantepec, d une mer a

1autre. Brasseur de Bourbourg, Voy. Tehuantepec, pp. 138-9. Toute cette re
gion, comprenant, a 1 est, les cimes de la Sierra de Macuilapa que domine le
village actuel deZanatepec et les montagnes qui s etendent, du cote oppose,
vers Lachixila, baignees par la riviere de Tehuantepec, au sud, et, au
nord, par celle de la Villa-Alta, jusqu aux savanes, ou roulent les affluents
de 1 Alvarado et du G-uazacoalco, appartenait a la meme nation des Mixi ou
Mijes. les Mijes vaincus demeurerent soumis des lors aux rois de la Mixteque
. .
et 1 exception d un
du Zapotecapan, a petit nombre qui, jusqu a 1 epoque
espagrole, continuerent dans leur resistance dans les cantons austeres qui
environnent le Cempoaltepec. Ce qui reste de cette nation snr 1 isthme Je
Tehuantepec est dissemine actuellement en divers villages de la montagne.
Entre les plus importants est celui de Guichicovi que j avais laisse a ma
droite en venant de la plaine de Xochiapa au Barrio. Id., pp. 105-7.
Les Mixi avaient possede anciennement la plus grande partie des royaumes
de Tehuantepec, de Soconusco et du Zapotecapan; peut-etre meme lesrivages
de Tututepec leur devaient-ils leur premiere civilisation. Id., Hist. Nat.
Civ., torn, iii., pp. 34-5. En algunos lugares del Departamento de Oajaca.
como Juquila, Quezaltepec y Atilan. Pimentel, Cuadro, tom.ii., p. 173. Lea

Indians mijes habitent une contree montagneuse, au sud-ouest du Goatza-
coalco et au nord-ouest de Tehuantepec De la chaine des monts Mijes
descend la riviere de Sarrabia, qui traverse la belle plaine de Boca-del-
Monte. Fossey, Mexique, p. 49. The Mijes, once a powerful tribe, inhab
it the mountains to the west, in the central division of the Isthmus, and
are now confined to the town of San Juan Guichicovi. Barnard s Tehuan
tepec, p. 224; Montanus, Nieuwe Weereld, p. 225; Hermesdorf, in Lond. Geog.
Soc., Jour., vol. xxxii, p. 547.The Mijes constituted formerly a powerful
nation, and they still occupy the land from the Sierra, north of Tehuante
pec, to the district of Chiapas. In the Isthmus they only inhabit the village
of Guichicovi, and a small portion of the Sierra, which is never visited.
Garay s Tehuantepec, p. 60. Also Macgregor s Progress of America, p. 849;

Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 176-7.
IheHuaves, Huavi, Huabi, Huabes, Guavi,Wabi, etc., live on the Isthmus
of Tehuantepec. Les Wabi avaient ete, dans les siecles passes, possesseurs
de la province de Tehuantepec .... Us avaient ete les maitres du riche terri-
toire de Soconusco (autrefois Xoconochco espece de nopal), et avaient
. . . .
etendu leurs conquetes jusqu au sein meme des montagnes, ou ils avaient
fonde ou accru la ville de Xalapala Grande (Xalapa-del-Marques). Brasseur
de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., torn, in., p. 3. The Huaves are in all little
more than three thousand, and occupy the four villages of the coast called
SanMateo, Santa Maria, San Dionisio, and San Francisco. Garay s Tehuaw
tepee, p. 59. Scattered over the sandy peninsulas formed by the lakes and
the Pacific. At present they occupy the four villages of San Mateo, Santa Ma
ria, San Dionisio, and San Francisco. Barnard s Tehuantepec, p. 227. San
Francisco Istaltepec is the last village, inhabited by the descendants of a
tribe called Huaves. Hermesdorf, in Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. xxxii., p.
546. Habitent les villages du bord de la mer au sud de Guichicovi. Fos
sey,Mexique, p. 467. Shufddt s Explor. Tehuantepec, p. 126; Muhlenpfordi,
Mejico, torn, ii., pt i., p. 141. Se extienden en Tehuantepec, desde las
playas del Paci fico hasta la cordillera interior. Orozco y Berra, Geografia,
pp. 173-6.
The Beni-Xonos cornposaient une province nombreuse, occupant en par-
routes qui conduisaient au Mexique et aux montagnes des Mixi
tie les
Leur ville principale, depuis la conquete, s appelait San-Francisco, a 15 1.
N. O. de la cite d Oaxaca. Habitant sur les confins des Mixi et des Zapo-
teques. Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., torn, iii., pp. 42-3 Les
Beni-Xono sont appeles aussi Nexicha et Cajones. Ib.
The Mazatecs live in the state of Oajaca, near the Puebla boundary. A
Tramontana dei Mixtechi v era la Provincia di Mazatlan, e a Tramontana, e
a Levante dei Zapotechi quella di Chinantla colle loro capitali dello stesso
nome, onde furono i loro abitanti Mazatechi e Chinantechi appellati. Clavi-
gero, Storia Ant. del Messico, torn, i., p. 33. In den Partidos Teutitlan und
Teutfla, Departement Teutitlan del Camino. Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, ii.,
pti., pp. 141, 206, 210. En el Departamento de Teotitlan, formando una
pequefia fraccion en el li mite con el Estado de Veracruz. Orozco y Berra,
Geografia, p. 188.
TRIBES OF OAJACA AND CHIAPAS. 681
The Cuicalecs dwell en una pequena fraccion del Departamento de

Oajaca. Cuadro, torn, ii., p. 259.
Pitnentel, In den Partidos Teutitlan und
Teutila, Departement Teutitlan del Camfno. Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, ii.,
pti., p. 141; repeated in Orozco y Berra, Geografia, pp. 188-9; Wappdus,
Geog. u. Stat., p. 163.
The Pabucos live in the pueblo de Elotepec, Departamento del Centro.
Orozco y Berra, Geografia, p. 197; Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, ii., pt i., p.
187.
The pueblo de Sola. Orozco y Berra, Geografia, p. 197.
Soltecs are in the
ThePintos are a people inhabiting small portions of Guerrero and Te-
huantepec. A 1 ouest, sur le versant des Cordilleres, une grande partie de la
cote baignee par le Pacifique, habitee par les Indiens Pintos. Keratry, in
Revue des Deux Mondes, Sept. 15, 1866, p. 453. On trouve deja dans la
plaine de Tehuantepec quelques echantillons de cette race toute particuliere
auMexique, appelee pinto, qui appartient principalement a 1 etat de Guerrero.
Charnay, Ruines Americaines, p. 502.

The Chiapanecs inhabit the interior of the state of Chiapas. Dans 1 in-
terieur des provinces bordant les rives du Chiapan, a sa sortie des gouffres
d oii il s elance, en descendant du plateau de Zacatlan. (Guatemalan name
for Chiapas,) and they extended over the whole province, later on. Brasseur
de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., torn, ii., p. 87. A
1 ouest de ce plateau, entre
les Zotziles ou Quelenes du sud et lesZoqui du nord, habitaient les Chiapa-

neques. Id., Popol Vuh, introd., pp. 157, 199. Also inLaet, Novus Orbis, p.
325; Ludewig s Ab. Lang., p. 39. En Acala, distrito del Centro, y en la
villa de Chiapa y en Suchiapa, distrito del Oeste, Orozco y Berra, Geogra
fia, p. 172. Le principali Citta dei Chiapanechi erano Teochiapan, (chia-
mata dagli Spagnuoli Chiapa de Indios), Tochtla, Chamolla, e Tzinacantla.
Clavigero, Sloria Ant. del Messico, torn, i., p. 33.
The Tzendalesare in Chiapas. De 1 Etat de Chiapas. Brasseur de Bour
bourg, Popol Vuh, p. 364. The province called Zeldales lyeth behind this
of the Zoques, from the North Sea within the continent, running up towards
Chiapa and reaches in some parts near to the borders of Comitlan, north
westward. Gage s New Survey, p. 236. Also in Ludewig s Ab. Lang., p. 193;
Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, p. 235; Orozco y Berra, Geografia, p. 169; Herrera,
ii.,
Hist. Gen., dec. iv., lib. x., cap. xi.; Laet, Novus Orbis, p. 325.
The Zotziles inhabit a small district in Chiapas. La ciudad de Tzina-
que en mexicano significa "lugar de murcielagos, fue la capital
"
cantlan,
de los quelenes, y despues de los tzotziles quienes la llamaban Zotzilha, que
significa lo mismo; de zotzil, murcielago. Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, ii., p. 245.
Tzinac^ntan (Quiche Zotzilha) doit avoir ete le berceau de la nation zotzil,
line des nombreuses populations du
I
Chiapas. Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist.
Nat. Civ., torn, ii., p. 88.
The Chatinos live in the Departamentos del Centro y de Jamiltepec.
Orozco y Berra, Geografia, p. 189; Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, ii., pt i., pp.
196-9.
The Chinantecs, or Tenez, are in the Departamento de Teotitlan. Orozco
y Berra, Geografia, p. 187; Muhlenpfordt, Mejico, torn, pt i., p. 214.
ii., In
the partidos of Quiechapa, Jalalog, and Chuapan. Ludewig s Ab. Lang., p. 40.
The Ahualulcos inhabit San Francisco de Ocuapa which es la Cabeza de

Partido de los Indies Ahualulcos. Alcedo, Diccionario, torn, iii., p. 366.
The Quelenes occupied a district in Chiapas near the Guatemala boundary
line. La nation des Quelenes, dont la capitale etait Comitan, occupait la
frontiere guatemalienne. Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., torn, iii.,
p. 4.
*
Au temps de la conquete, la ville principale des Quelenes etait Co-
panahuaztlan. Brasseur de Bourbourg, Popol Vuh, introd., p. 157. Eta-
blies entre le haut plateau de Ghovel ou de Ciudad-Real et les montagnes
de Soconusco au midi. Ib.; and Montanus, Nieuwe Weereld, p. 271.
The Zoques are scattered over portions of Tabasco, Chiapas, Oajaca, and
Tehuantepec. Se encuentran derramados en Chiapas, Tabasco y Oaxaca;
tienen al Norte mexicano y el chontal, al Este el tzendal, el tzotzil y el
el
chiapaneco, al Sur el mexicano, y al Oeste el huave, el zapoteco y el mixe.

Orozco y Berra, Geografia, p. 170. Occupy the mountain towns of Santa
Maria and San Miguel, and number altogether about two thousand souls.
Shufeldt s Explor. Tehuantepec, p. 126. Les Zotziles et les Zoqui, confinant,
au avec les Mixi rnontagnards, au nord avec les Nonohualcas,
sud-est,
et les Xicalancas, qui habitaient les territoires fertiles de Tabasco. Brasseur
de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., torn, p. 5.
iii., Quorum prsecipuum Tecpat-
lan. Laet, Novus Orbis, p. 325. The Soques, who came originally from
Chiapas, inhabit in the Isthmus only the villages of San Miguel and
Santa Maria Chimalapa, Garay s Tehuantepec, p. 60. La mayor de ellas
esta situada a tres leguas de Tacotalpa, aguas arriba del rio de la Sierra.
Ocupa un pequeno valle causado por el descenso de varies cerros y

colinas que lacircuyen. Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, ii., pp. 236-8; Muhlenpfordt,
Mejico, torn, ii., pt i., pp. 181-2; Macgregor s Progress of America, pp. 849-
50. The Zoques inhabit the mountainous region to the east, from the valley
of the Chiapa on the south, to the Rio del Corte on the north. Originally
occupying a small province lying on the confines of Tabasco, they were sub
jugated by the expedition to Chiapas under Luis Marin. At present they
are confined to the villages of San Miguel and Santa Maria Chimalapa.
Barnard s Tehuantepec, p. 225. Near the Arroyo de Otates, on the road
from Tarifa to Santa Maria, stands a new settlement, composed of a few
shanties, inhabited by Zoques, which is called Tierra Blanca. Hermesdorf,
in Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. xxxii., p. 546.
The and Mopanes are scattered through small portions of
Choles, Blanches,
Chiapas and Vera Paz in Guatemala. 23 leagues from Cahboii, in the midst
of inaccessible mountains and morasses, dwell the Chdls and Manches.
Escobar, in Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. xi., pp. 94-5. Residen en la Pro-
vincia del Manche. Alcedo, Dice., torn, iii., p. 452. Also in Boyle s Ride,
vol. preface, p. 14; Dunlop s Cent. Amer., p. 196; Gavarrete, in Pa
i.,
nama Star and Herald, Dec. 19, 1867. Los Choles forman una tribu esta-
blecida desde tiempos remotos en Guatemala; dividos en dos fracciones
... .la una se encuentra al Este de Chiapas, y la otra rnuy retirada en la
Verapaz. Orozco y Berra, Geografia, p. 167. Tenia por el Sur la Provincia

del Choi: Por la Parte del Oriente, y de el Norte, de igual modo, las
Naciones de los Itzaex Petenes: Y por el Poniente, las de los Lacandones,
y Xoquinoes. Villagutierre, Hist. Conq. Itza, pp. 278-9. The nation of
MAYAS AND ITZAS. 683
the Choi Indians is settled in a country about 25 or 30 leagues distant

from Cahabon, the last village in Verapaz, and far removed from the Man-
1
ches. Juarros Hist. Guat., p. 275.
The Mayas inhabit the peninsula of Yucatan. Avant la conquete des
Espagnols, les Mayas occupaient toute la presque ile d Yucatan, y compris
les districts de Peten, le Honduras anglais, et la partie orientale de Tabasco
La seule portion de pure race restant de cette grande nation, se reduit a
quelques tribus eparses, habitant principalement les bords des rivieres Usu-
masinta, San Pedro et Pacaitun; la totalite de leur territoire fait, politique-
ment parlant, partie du Peten. Galindo, in Nouvelles Annales desVoy., 1834,
torn. Ixiii., pp. 148-9, and in Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour., torn, iii., p. 59. En
todo el Estado de Yucatan, Isla del Carmen, pueblo de Montecristo en Ta
basco, y del Palenque en Chiapas. Pimentel, Cuadro, torn, ii., p. 3; Crowe s
Cent. America, pp. 46-7; Mutter, Amerikanische Urreligionen, p. 453; Miihlen-
pfordt, Mejico, torn, i., p. 208; Wappdus, Geog. u. Stat., pp. 142-3.
The Itzas occupy a like-named district in the centre of Yucatan. Los que
poblaron a Chicheniza, se Hainan los Yzaes. Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. iv.,
lib. x.,cap. ii. Tienen por la parte del Mediodia, la Provincia de la Vera-
Paz, y Reyno de Guatimala; por el Norte, las Provincias de Yucatan; por la
parte del Oriente, el Mar; por la de el Occidente, la Provincia de Chiapa;
y al Sueste, la Tierra, y Provincia de Honduras. Villagutierre, Hist. Conq.
Itza, p. 489.

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CHAPTER VI.

WILD TRIBES OF MEXICO.

TERRITORIAL ASPECTS Two MAIN DIVISIONS; WILD TRIBES OF CENTRAL

The term WILD TRIBES OF MEXICO, which I employ

to the Central American line, including Yucatan and

lization merged into that of the conquerors, and

of basalt, granite, and lava rise in fantastic shapes, inter

with its abode, there takes up its perpetual rest; the

vegetation assumes a more luxuriant aspect palms, para

sitical plants and trees of a tropical character, take the

place of the evergreens of a colder clirne; the climate

chapter such authorities as I have on the subject,

Queretaro. South of Mexico were numerous other

who, since they came in contact with the whites, have

but from what I gather we may conclude that on the

fully developed at a very early age. In Jalisco both

women are found many forms of such perfection that

ing elongated eyes, the corners turned towards the

and most of them, especially in the capital and its vicinity,

on their legs, thighs, or arms. It is very seldom that a

In the valley of Mexico the natives wear the ichapilli^

head a colored handkerchief. Most of the men and

colors or embellished with figures. The ichapilli is

continue to wear the square short cloak, tiltna or tilmatli,

coarse cotton shift with large open sleeves, often worked

the waist, very full below, and a blue or brown rebozo

short tunic made of coarse brown or blue woolen fabric,

row and handsomely woven band of many colors, with

round the crown of the head with a bright woolen rib

sembling the Moorish cloak, yet somewhat different,

cut, and the fringe, there was much resemblance to the

ninas, tambien se rapaban la cabeza, y cuando ya mosas dejaban criar los

cabello. Tambien traian sarcillos 6 orejeras, y se piutaban los pechos y los

j\ovus uruis, pp. 250, 252, 281; Lafond,

The dwellings of the Wild Tribes of Central Mexico

Corn, beans, tomatoes, chile, and a variety of fruits

stated that in former days they used human flesh as food.

reptiles. Corn-cobs they ground, mixed cacao with the

aver. Oviedo, Hist. Gen., torn, iii., p. 568.

shy as they are ;

quently among calabashes left floating on the lake for

very thin cake, which is cooked on an earthern pan

disgusting appearance, which increases with the infirmi

vapor-bath, but it does not appear to have the effect of

ried in a quiver slung at the back, a few spare ones

Aboriginally, as with most northern nations, warfare

possible; to which end ambassadors are despatched to

stranger chief, the rendezvous is named and the mes

the assault is commenced by the former, accompanied

with which they chastised those who exhibited symp

called the metlapilli, for rubbing down the maiz, and a

prise the whole effects of a native s house. For agricul

In Yera Cruz, they have canoes dug out of the trunk

fruit, feathers, vegetables, and fish. All such wares are

well-shaped specimens of cups and vases, beautifully

The wild tribes surrounding, and in places intermixed

are satisfied with each other, the ceremony of marriage

this law and takes a girl without first obtaining the