OCR Text |
Show S1cT. XL, Men who carried burdens. H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. more pliant than the willow, but thicker and ftron~~r, called ~nAme rica Bejucos, twifi:ed and wove together, the extretmt1cs of wh1ch were tied to the trees on each fide of rivers, the trefs or net for rned by them remaining fufpended in the air in the manner of a fwing (a). There are fome rivers with fuch bridges fl:ill. The Spaniards dudl: not pals them, but the Indians pafs them with as much confidence and intrepidity as if they were croi1ing by a !l:one bridge, perfeCtly regar?l fs of the undulatory motion of the hamaca, or the depth of the nvcr. But it is to be obferved, that the ancient Mexicans having been excellent fwimrners, had no need of bridges, unlefs where fi-om the rapidity of the current, or the weight of fome burden, they coull not fwim acrofs. The Mexican hifi:orians tell us nothing of the maritime commerce of the Mexicans. It is probable that it was very trifling, and th:~t' their velfels, which were feen coafiing on both feas, were chiefly thofe of filhermen. Their greateft traffick by water was carried on in the lake of Mexico. All the il:one and wood for building, and for fire, the fi01, the g~eater part of the maize, the pulfe, fruit, flowers, &c. was brought by water. The commerce of the capital with Tezcuco, Xochimilco, Chalco, Cuitlahuac, and other cities fituated u pen the lake, was carried on by water, and occafioned that wonderful number of veffels to be employed which we have already mentioned. Whatever was not tranfported by water was carried upon men ·~ back$, and on that account there were numbers of men who carried burdens, called 'I'Iamama or 'I'Iameme. They were brought up from childhood to this bufinefs, which they continued all their lives. A regular load was about iixty pounds, and the length of way they daily walked was fifteen miles; but they made alfo journeys of two hundred and three hundred miles, tmvelling frequently over ·rocky and fteep mountains. They were fubjecl:ed to this intolerable fatigue from the want of beafis of burden ; and even at prefent, although thofe countries abound in animals of this fort, the Mexicans are il:ill often feen making long journeys with burdens upon their backs. They carried cotton, maize, and other things in petlaca!li, which were baf- (a) S~m~ bridges are fo tight drawn that they have no undt\latory motion, and :1ll of them have thcu· fide fupport made of ·the fame partS •Jf the tree. 8 kcu H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X I C 0. kets made of a particular kind of cane, and covered with leather, which were light and defended their goods fu iliciently from the rain or the fun. Thefc b.1fkcts are !l:ill a good deal ufed for Journeys by the Spaniards, who corrupt their name into petaca~. The commerce of the Mexicans was by no means embarraficd, either by the multitude or variety of lan guages which were fpoken in thofe countries ; for the Mexican tongue which was the moft prevailing, was ,under!l:ood and fpokcn every \JVhere. It was the proper and natural Iangunge of. the Acolbuas and the Aztecas (b), and as we luve obferved elfewhere, likewife of the Chechemecan and Toltecan nations. The Mexican hngnage, of which we wifh to give our readers fome . idea, is entirely deil:itute of the confonants B, D, F, G, R, and S, and abounds with L, X, T, Z, Tl, Tz; but although the letter L is fo familiar to this language, there is not a fingle word in it beginning with that confonant, Nor is there a word of a~ acute termination, except fame vocatives. Almofi: all the words have the pen~lt fyllable lonO'. Its afpirates are moderate and [oft, and there never IS occaGon 0 . . to make the leail: nafal found in pronunc1atwn. Notwitb.fbnding the want of thofe fix confonants it is a mofi: copious language; tolerably poli01ed, and remarkably expreffive; on which account it has been highly valued and praiied by all Europeans who have learned it, fo as to be efi:eemed by many fuperior to the Latin, and even to the Greek (c); but altho 1gh we know the particul~ ex.c~llcncies of the Mexican language, we can never dare to compare 1t ~Jth the lnfl:. Of the copioufnefs of this language we have an excee~mg goo~ ~emonfiration in the Natural Hiftory of Hernandez; for m dcfcnbll1g twelve hundred plants of the country of Anahuac, two hundred _and more fpecies of birds, and a large number of qu~drupeds, reptiles, infeCts, and minerals, he hardly found a fingle animal, herb, or fub- ') B · · f: 1 ' ·ccllcrtce of the (o otunm ayF, t tat tne ex la· ngua• ge which we c,. all the M.io;iaw, wa.s the rear.o n o f ·r ts b em· g· un' optcd 1> y the Chechemec·' m ' the Mexican,. and · fe· ochec·h emdc'ctla' n naufo·n s, nnd of their relinquilhing thei· r nau·v e tongur ; b ut b c f1id es tins oprnron be.mg 1 ercnt 10m • 1 '(t f 1 't hat of ;411 other writers and of the lntt 'm ns t 1l Cill r,e 1v es, there 'a re no tracesb m J1 1 o.r y o t. te 1 1 1 1 e~n -1 11 ,o~ n known to n an on 1ts n:1t1ve event of fuch a change. Where . tH t tcrc e~ e r 1 · ' • • IS as the Mexicans, aud all the idiom to ndopt a hc1tcr and partiClll arly a nat1on fo tcn.1 crol other n·ttions of thofc ~Otlntries of their p:~ rtic ular language? F 1 1 I'lc ' . 1 1 been ro1ne • rene tmrn nne · • (c) Among the admirers of the Mcx1cnn lang.uage t tcrc tavc · , mings, and many Gcnn:ms, Italians, and Sp:tmilrds. fiance, 391 BOOK VII • • • SECT. XLI. Mcxic~n language. |