According to these traditions, the Mexican empire had not been of long duration previous to the Spanish invasion. Their country, as they relate, was originally possessed by small independent tribes, whose manners and inede of life resembled those of the rudest savages. But, at a period nearly corresponding with the begin ning of the 10th century of the Christian era, several tribes arrived by successive migrations from unknown regions towards the north and north•west, and being more civilized than the original inhabitants of Anahu ac (the ancient name of New Spain) began to introduce the arts of social life. The Toultecs appeared first in the year 648 ; the Chichitnecks in 1170 ; the Nahual tecs in 1178; the Acolhttecs and Aztecs in 1196. These nations, speaking the same language, and apparently proceeding from the same quarter, described them selves as expelled from a country lying to the north west of the river Gila, brought with them paintings, which indicated the events of their migration; and gave the names of the cities which they had left to those which they first Intik after their arrival, namely, Huehuetlapallan, Aztlan, Teocolhuacan. Amaquemacan, 'Tehnajo, and Copalla. But their real origin still re mains an inxplicable enigma in history. They are trujectured by Al. Humboldt to have proceded from T.,rtary or China, and to have been a portion of those Hiongnoux, who, according to the Chinese historians, emigrated into the northern parts of Siberia, and part of whore pushed through Asia into Europe under the name of Huns. The era of the Toltec migration 544, about 100 years before their arrival in Anahuac, corresponds with the period when the ruin of the dynasty of 'Fain occasioned great commotions among the nations in the east of Asia. But for all this, there is, in fact, no other ground than mere conjecture; and out of 83 American languages, carefully examined by competent judges, only 170 words have been found which could IN: traced to the languages of the old continent, namely, to those of the Mantchou Tartars, the Monguls, the Cults, the Biscayans, the Copts, and the natives of Congo. From whatever quarter they proceeded, they are said to have brought with them the arts of hieroglyphic painting, of casting metals, and cutting the hardest stones. They introduced the cultivation of maize and cotton, built cities, made roads, arid constructed pyramids. They had a solar year more perfect than that of the Greeks and Romans ; and had a form of government, which sheaved that their progenitors had experienced great vi cissitudes in their social state. The last mentioned tribe, about the beginning of the ntli century, advan ced from the city of Aztlan to the plains around the great lake of Mexico, where, after several years occu pation of the spot, they founded the city of Mexico ; but were still unacquainted with regal government, and were ruled in peace, or commanded in war, by such as were most entitled to pre-eminence by their wisdom or valour. But at length the supreme authority centered in one person; and, at the time of the conquest, Mon tezuma was the ninth monarch who had swayed the Mexican sceptre, not by hereditary right, but by popu lar election. This recent origin of the Mexican nation (which is indeed confirmed by their own want of his torical•tractitions) is not easily reconciled with the high degree of civilization, which the Spanish accounts re present them to have attained at the time of the con quest; and it is highly probable that the splendid de scriptions of their government and manners are consi derably exaggerated. These accounts also are obvi ously so contradictory, and apparently so inaccurate, that no correct estimate can be formed of the state of society and progress of the arts in the Mexican empire, when it fell under the power of Spain. The extent even of the empire was represented by the conquerors in a very delusive light ; and the dominions of Monte zuma were spoken of as stretching over all the pro vinces of New Spain, from the Northern to the Southern Ocean. But a great part of the mountainous country north of the river Santiaga, was possessed by the Oto mites and Chichemecs, a race of ferocious and uncivili zed hunters, none of whom recognized the supremacy of the Mexican monarch. These tribes occupied the plains of Zelaya and Salamanca, now admired for their fine cultivation ; and frequently extended their ravages as far as Tula, on the northern bank of the valley of Tenochtitlan. Even in the interior and level country there were several cities and provinces which had never submitted to the Mexican yoke; and the territory de nominated Anahuac, between the 14th and 21st degrees of latitude, contained, besides the Aztec empire of Mon tezuma, the small republic of Cholollan, (Cholula,) within less than 20 leagues of the capital, and subjected to the Mexican crown only a short time before the ar rival of the Spaniards; Tlaxcallan (Tlascala,) another independent and hostile state ; Tezcuco (Tepeaca) and Mechoacan, two considerable kingdoms, whose fron tiers reached within 30 or 20 leagues of Mexico, and the latter of which was remarkable for its implacable enmity to the Mexican name. The empire of Monte zuma was thus bounded towards the east by the rivers of Guasacualco and Tuspan; and towards the west by the plains of Soconusco and the port of Zacatula ; corn prising only the modern intendancics of Vera Cruz, Oaxaca, Puebla, Mexico, and Valladolid, an area of about 15,000 square leagues.
The progress of civilization and state of society in this empire may be estimated by the following facts. 1. The right of private property was fully understood ; and both property in land and property in goods might be transferred by barter, or descend by inheritance. Land was held by various tenures; by some it was possessed by full right, and it descended to their heirs ; but by others it was enjoyed along with some office or dignity with which it was acquired or lost. These two modes of occupation were deemed noble, and were peculiar to the highest class. The great body of the people had only a share in the produce of a common tract of land, which was measured out in every district, according to the number of families, and was cultivated by the joint labour of the whole community ; its pro duce deposited in a common storehouse, and divided among them according to their respective exigencies, 9. The cities were numerous, well inhabited, and, though
doubtless greatly overrated in point of population and splendour, in the accounts of the conquerors, yet ap pear to have been of such importance as to indicate a considerable degree of progress in the arts of social life. The capital seems at least to have contained 60,000 in-. habitants. 3. The separation of the professions had taken place to a considerable extent. The function of the mason, the weaver, the goldsmith, the painter, and several other trades, were carried on by different per sons, who were regularly instructed in their respective crafts ; and, by means of assiduous application to one object, they attained a degree of neatness and perfec tion beyond what could have been expected from the rudeness of their tools. Their various productions were brought to markets regularly held in the cities, and ex changed in the orderly intercourse of commerce. 4. The distinction of ranks was established by very wide inter vals. The great body of the people was placed in a very humiliating state. A considerable number, nam ed Mayeques, were attached to the soil, which they were bound to cultivate, and with which they were conveyed from one proprietor to another. Others were held in the most rigorous condition of domestic servi tude, and their lives were deemed of so little value, that the murderer of any of then) was not subjected to any punishment. Even those who were considered as freemen, and had their share of a common tract of land as above mentioned, were treated by the haughty nobles as beings of an inferior species. The nobles themselves were divided into various classes, with their peculiar titles, some of which descended with their lands to their families, and others were annexed to particular offices, and conferred for life, as marks of personal dis th.ction. The respect due from one rank to another was prescribed w ith the most ceremonious accuracy, and incorporated itself with the expressions and idioms of the language, which is said to abound in terms of courtesy. The people were not allowed to wear the same dress, or to dwell in houses of the same form with those of the nobles, or to accost them without the most submissive reverence, while, in the presence of their sovereign, they durst not lift their eyes from the ground or look hint in the face. The nobles themselves, when admitted to an audience with the monarch, were oblig ed to enter bare-footed, in mean garments, and with forms of homage approaching to adoration. 5. There appear to have been many established laws and customs circumscribing the power of the crown, previous to the election of Montezuma, tvho subverted the original system of government, and introduced a pure despo tism. There were thirty nobles of the highest order, each of whom had about 100,000 people in his terri tories; and subordinate to these there were about 3000 nobles of a lower class. The jurisdiction of the crown was extremely limited, as in the times of feudal policy in Europe; and the nobles guarded their extensive pri vileges with the utmost jealousy, against the encroach tnents of the crown. The king could not determine concerning any point of general importance, such as making war and disposing of the revenue, without the approbation of a council composed of the principal no bility. The right of electing the sovereign seems to have been originally vested in the whole body of the nobles; but was afterwards committed to six electors. Generally, the choice fell upon some individual who was sprung from the royal family ; and to the successive choice of able and warlike princes may be ascribed the extraordinary power which the empire attained in so short a period of time. Under Montezuma, the splen dour of the Mexican court resembled the magnificence displayed in the ancient monarchies of Asia. 6. Con siderable order and regularity were manifest in the in ternal administration and police of the empire. The crown exercised complete jurisdiction over its imme diate vassals; and judges were appointed for each de partment, whose decisions are said to have been formed with a degree of order and equity resembling the prac tice of highly civilized societies. 7. For the support of government, taxes were laid upon land, upon the ac quisitions of industry, and upon commodities of every kind; and were levied according to equal and esta blished rules; but, as the use of money was unknown, these taxes were all paid in kind, and the public store houses were filled with every kind of natural produc tion, manufactured articles or works of art, from which the emperor supplied his attendants in peace, and his armies during war, with food, clothing, and ornaments. People of inferior rank, neither possessed of land, nor engaged in commerce, instead of taxes, were hound to render personal service, in cultivating the crown lands and carrying on public works. 8. Several regulations of police among them indicate a considerably improved state of government. The relays of couriers stationed at proper intervals, to convey intelligence from one part of the empire to the other ; the structure of the capi tal in a lake with artificial dykes and long causeways erected in the water ; the plan of their aqueducts, or conduits for conveying a stream of fresh water into the city along one of the causeways ; the appointment of a number of persons to clean the streets, to light them by fires, and to patrole as watchmen during the night, arc all marks of high refinement and order. 9. Their pro gress in various arts evinces most decisively the civili zed habits which they had attained. They represented men, and animals, and other objects, by such a disposi tion of various coloured feathers, as is said to have pro duced all the effects of light and shade, and their orna ments of gold and silver have been also described as equally curious. At the same time, it is to be kept in mind, that the specimens of these ornaments and uten sils deposited in the cabinet of the king of Spain, are affirmed to be very coarse and uncouth representations of the human form and other objects, and to be desti tute both of grace and propriety.