IT is hardly possible that a nation so far advanced as the Aztecs in mathematical science should not have made considerable progress in the mechanical arts, which are so nearly connected with it. Indeed, intellectual progress of any kind implies a degree of refinement1 that requires a certain cultivation2 of both useful and elegant art. The savage3 wandering through the wide forest, without shelter for his head or raiment for his back, knows no other wants than those of animal appetites, and, when they are satisfied, seems to himself to have answered the only ends of existence. But man, in society, feels numerous desires, and artificial tastes spring up, accommodated to the various relations in which he is placed, and perpetually stimulating4 his invention to devise new expedients5 to gratify them.
There is a wide difference in the mechanical skill of different nations; but the difference is still greater in the inventive power which directs this skill and makes it available. Some nations seem to have no power beyond that of imitation, or, if they possess invention, have it in so low a degree that{147} they are constantly repeating the same idea, without a shadow of alteration6 or improvement; as the bird builds precisely7 the same kind of nest which those of its own species built at the beginning of the world. Such, for example, are the Chinese, who have probably been familiar for ages with the germs of some discoveries,[210] of little practical benefit to themselves, but which, under the influence of European genius, have reached a degree of excellence8 that has wrought9 an important change in the constitution of society.
Far from looking back and forming itself slavishly on the past, it is characteristic of the European intellect to be ever on the advance. Old discoveries become the basis of new ones. It passes onward10 from truth to truth, connecting the whole by a succession of links, as it were, into the great chain of science which is to encircle and bind11 together the universe. The light of learning is shed over the labors12 of art. New avenues are opened for the communication both of person and of thought. New facilities are devised for subsistence. Personal comforts, of every kind, are inconceivably multiplied, and brought within the reach of the poorest. Secure of these, the thoughts travel into a nobler region than that of the senses; and the appliances of art are made to minister to the demands of an elegant taste and a higher moral culture.
The same enlightened spirit, applied13 to agriculture, raises it from a mere14 mechanical drudgery15, or the barren formula of traditional precepts16, to{148} the dignity of a science. As the composition of the earth is analyzed17, man learns the capacity of the soil that he cultivates; and, as his empire is gradually extended over the elements of nature, he gains the power to stimulate18 her to her most bountiful and various production. It is with satisfaction that we can turn to the land of our fathers, as the one in which the experiment has been conducted on the broadest scale and attended with results that the world has never before witnessed. With equal truth, we may point to the Anglo-Saxon race in both hemispheres, as that whose enterprising genius has contributed most essentially19 to the great interests of humanity, by the application of science to the useful arts.
Husbandry, to a very limited extent, indeed, was practised by most of the rude tribes of North America. Wherever a natural opening in the forest, or a rich strip of interval20, met their eyes, or a green slope was found along the rivers, they planted it with beans and Indian corn.[211] The cultivation was slovenly21 in the extreme, and could not secure the improvident22 natives from the frequent recurrence23 of desolating24 famines. Still, that they tilled the soil at all was a peculiarity26 which honorably distinguished27 them from other tribes of hunters, and raised them one degree higher in the scale of civilization.{149}
Agriculture in Mexico was in the same advanced state as the other arts of social life. In few countries, indeed, has it been more respected. It was closely interwoven with the civil and religious institutions of the nation. There were peculiar25 deities28 to preside over it; the names of the months and of the religious festivals had more or less reference to it. The public taxes, as we have seen, were often paid in agricultural produce. All except the soldiers and great nobles, even the inhabitants of the cities, cultivated the soil. The work was chiefly done by the men; the women scattering29 the seed, husking the corn, and taking part only in the lighter30 labors of the field.[212] In this they presented an honorable contrast to the other tribes of the continent, who imposed the burden of agriculture, severe as it is in the North, on their women.[213] Indeed, the sex was as tenderly regarded by the Aztecs in this matter, as it is, in most parts of Europe, at the present day.
There was no want of judgment31 in the management of their ground. When somewhat exhausted,{150} it was permitted to recover by lying fallow. Its extreme dryness was relieved by canals, with which the land was partially32 irrigated33; and the same end was promoted by severe penalties against the destruction of the woods, with which the country, as already noticed, was well covered before the Conquest. Lastly, they provided for their harvests ample granaries, which were admitted by the Conquerors34 to be of admirable construction. In this provision we see the forecast of civilized35 man.[214]
Among the most important articles of husbandry, we may notice the banana, whose facility of cultivation and exuberant36 returns are so fatal to habits of systematic37 and hardy38 industry.[215] Another celebrated39 plant was the cacao, the fruit of which furnished the chocolate,—from the Mexican chocolatl,—now so common a beverage40 throughout Europe.[216] The vanilla41, confined to a small district of the sea-coast, was used for the same purposes, of flavoring their food and drink, as with us.[217] The great staple42 of the country, as, indeed, of the{151} American continent, was maize43, or Indian corn,[218] which grew freely along the valleys, and up the steep sides of the Cordilleras to the high level of the table-land. The Aztecs were as curious in its preparation, and as well instructed in its manifold uses, as the most expert New England housewife. Its gigantic stalks, in these equinoctial regions, afford a saccharine44 matter, not found to the same extent in northern latitudes45, and supplied the natives with sugar little inferior to that of the cane46 itself, which was not introduced among them till after the Conquest.[219] But the miracle of nature was the great Mexican aloe, or maguey, whose clustering pyramids of flowers, towering above their dark coronals of leaves, were seen sprinkled over many a broad acre of the table-land. As we have already noticed, its bruised47 leaves afforded a paste from which paper was manufactured;[220] its{152} juice was fermented48 into an intoxicating49 beverage, pulque, of which the natives, to this day, are excessively fond;[221] its leaves further supplied an impenetrable thatch50 for the more humble51 dwellings52; thread, of which coarse stuffs were made, and strong cords, were drawn53 from its tough and twisted fibres; pins and needles were made of the thorns at the extremity54 of its leaves; and the root, when properly cooked, was converted into a palatable55 and nutritious56 food. The agave,[222] in short, was meat, drink, clothing, and writing-materials, for the Aztec! Surely, never did Nature enclose in so compact a form so many of the elements of human comfort and civilization!{153}[223]
It would be obviously out of place to enumerate57 in these pages all the varieties of plants, many of them of medicinal virtue58, which have been introduced from Mexico into Europe. Still less can I attempt a catalogue of its flowers, which, with their variegated59 and gaudy60 colors, form the greatest attraction of our greenhouses. The opposite climates embraced within the narrow latitudes of New Spain have given to it, probably, the richest and most diversified61 flora62 to be found in any country on the globe. These different products were systematically63 arranged by the Aztecs, who understood their properties, and collected them into nurseries, more extensive than any then existing in the Old World. It is not improbable that they suggested the idea of those “gardens of plants” which were introduced into Europe not many years after the Conquest.[224]
The Mexicans were as well acquainted with the mineral as with the vegetable treasures of their kingdom. Silver, lead, and tin they drew from the mines of Tasco; copper64 from the mountains of{154} Zacotollan. These were taken not only from the crude masses on the surface, but from veins65 wrought in the solid rock, into which they opened extensive galleries. In fact, the traces of their labors furnished the best indications for the early Spanish miners.[225] Gold, found on the surface, or gleaned66 from the beds of rivers, was cast into bars, or, in the form of dust, made part of the regular tribute of the southern provinces of the empire. The use of iron, with which the soil was impregnated, was unknown to them. Notwithstanding its abundance, it demands so many processes to prepare it for use that it has commonly been one of the last metals pressed into the service of man. The age of iron has followed that of brass67, in fact as well as in fiction.{155}[226]
They found a substitute in an alloy68 of tin and copper, and, with tools made of this bronze, could cut not only metals, but, with the aid of a silicious dust, the hardest substances, as basalt, porphyry, amethysts69, and emeralds.[227] They fashioned these last, which were found very large, into many curious and fantastic forms. They cast, also, vessels70 of gold and silver, carving71 them with their metallic72 chisels73 in a very delicate manner. Some of the silver vases were so large that a man could not encircle them with his arms. They imitated very nicely the figures of animals, and, what was extraordinary, could mix the metals in such a manner that the feathers of a bird, or the scales of a fish, should be alternately of gold and silver. The Spanish goldsmiths admitted their superiority over themselves in these ingenious works.[228]
They employed another tool, made of itztli, or obsidian74, a dark transparent75 mineral, exceedingly hard, found in abundance in their hills. They{156} made it into knives, razors, and their serrated swords. It took a keen edge, though soon blunted. With this they wrought the various stones and alabasters employed in the construction of their public works and principal dwellings. I shall defer76 a more particular account of these to the body of the narrative77, and will only add here that the entrances and angles of the buildings were profusely78 ornamented79 with images, sometimes of their fantastic deities, and frequently of animals.[229] The latter were executed with great accuracy. “The former,” according to Torquemada, “were the hideous81 reflection of their own souls. And it was not till after they had been converted to Christianity that they could model the true figure of a man.”[230] The old chronicler’s facts are well founded, whatever we may think of his reasons. The allegorical phantasms of his religion, no doubt, gave a direction to the Aztec artist, in his delineation82 of the human figure; supplying him with an imaginary beauty in the personification of divinity itself. As these superstitions83 lost their hold on his mind, it opened to the influences of a purer taste; and, after the Conquest, the Mexicans furnished many examples of correct, and some of beautiful, portraiture85.
Sculptured images were so numerous that the foundations of the cathedral in the plaza86 mayor, the great square of Mexico, are said to be entirely{157} composed of them.[231] This spot may, indeed, be regarded as the Aztec forum,—the great depository of the treasures of ancient sculpture, which now lie hid in its bosom87. Such monuments are spread all over the capital, however, and a new cellar can hardly be dug, or foundation laid, without turning up some of the mouldering88 relics89 of barbaric art. But they are little heeded90, and, if not wantonly broken in pieces at once, are usually worked into the rising wall or supports of the new edifice91.[232] Two celebrated bas-reliefs of the last Montezuma and his father, cut in the solid rock, in the beautiful groves92 of Chapoltepec, were deliberately93 destroyed, as late as the eighteenth century, by order of the government![233] The monuments of the barbarian94 meet with as little respect from civilized man as those of the civilized man from the barbarian.[234]
The most remarkable95 piece of sculpture yet disinterred is the great calendar stone, noticed in the preceding chapter. It consists of dark porphyry, and in its original dimensions, as taken from the{158} quarry96, is computed97 to have weighed nearly fifty tons. It was transported from the mountains beyond Lake Chalco, a distance of many leagues, over a broken country intersected by watercourses and canals. In crossing a bridge which traversed one of these latter, in the capital, the supports gave way, and the huge mass was precipitated98 into the water, whence it was with difficulty recovered. The fact that so enormous a fragment of porphyry could be thus safely carried for leagues, in the face of such obstacles, and without the aid of cattle,—for the Aztecs, as already mentioned, had no animals of draught,—suggests to us no mean ideas of their mechanical skill, and of their machinery99, and implies a degree of cultivation little inferior to that demanded for the geometrical and astronomical100 science displayed in the inscriptions101 on this very stone.[235][236]
The ancient Mexicans made utensils102 of earthenware103 for the ordinary purposes of domestic life,{159} numerous specimens104 of which still exist.[237] They made cups and vases of a lackered or painted wood, impervious105 to wet and gaudily106 colored. Their dyes were obtained from both mineral and vegetable substances. Among them was the rich crimson107 of the cochineal, the modern rival of the famed Tyrian purple. It was introduced into Europe from Mexico, where the curious little insect was nourished with great care on plantations108 of cactus109, since fallen into neglect.[238] The natives were thus enabled to give a brilliant coloring to the webs which were manufactured, of every degree of fineness, from the cotton raised in abundance throughout the warmer regions of the country. They had the art, also, of interweaving with these the delicate hair of rabbits and other animals, which made a cloth of great warmth as well as beauty, of a kind altogether original; and on this they often laid a rich embroidery110, of birds, flowers, or some other fanciful device.{160}[239]
But the art in which they most delighted was their plumaje, or feather-work. With this they could produce all the effect of a beautiful mosaic111. The gorgeous plumage of the tropical birds, especially of the parrot tribe, afforded every variety of color; and the fine down of the humming-bird, which revelled112 in swarms113 among the honeysuckle bowers114 of Mexico, supplied them with soft aerial tints115 that gave an exquisite116 finish to the picture. The feathers, pasted on a fine cotton web, were wrought into dresses for the wealthy, hangings for apartments, and ornaments117 for the temples. No one of the American fabrics118 excited such admiration119 in Europe, whither numerous specimens were sent by the Conquerors. It is to be regretted that so graceful120 an art should have been suffered to fall into decay.[240]
There were no shops in Mexico, but the various{161} manufactures and agricultural products were brought together for sale in the great marketplaces of the principal cities. Fairs were held there every fifth day, and were thronged121 by a numerous concourse of persons, who came to buy or sell from all the neighboring country. A particular quarter was allotted122 to each kind of article. The numerous transactions were conducted without confusion, and with entire regard to justice, under the inspection123 of magistrates124 appointed for the purpose. The traffic was carried on partly by barter125, and partly by means of a regulated currency, of different values. This consisted of transparent quills126 of gold dust; of bits of tin, cut in the form of a T; and of bags of cacao, containing a specified127 number of grains. “Blessed money,” exclaims Peter Martyr128, “which exempts129 its possessors from avarice130, since it cannot be long hoarded131, nor hidden under ground!”[241]
There did not exist in Mexico that distinction of castes found among the Egyptian and Asiatic nations. It was usual, however, for the son to follow the occupation of his father. The different trades were arranged into something like guilds132; each having a particular district of the city appropriated{162} to it, with its own chief, its own tutelar deity133, its peculiar festivals, and the like. Trade was held in avowed134 estimation by the Aztecs. “Apply thyself, my son,” was the advice of an aged136 chief, “to agriculture, or to feather-work, or some other honorable calling. Thus did your ancestors before you. Else how would they have provided for themselves and their families? Never was it heard that nobility alone was able to maintain its possessor.”[242] Shrewd maxims137, that must have sounded somewhat strange in the ear of a Spanish hidalgo![243]
But the occupation peculiarly respected was that of the merchant. It formed so important and singular a feature of their social economy as to merit a much more particular notice than it has received from historians. The Aztec merchant was a sort of itinerant138 trader, who made his journeys to the remotest borders of Anahuac, and to the countries beyond, carrying with him merchandise of rich stuffs, jewelry139, slaves, and other valuable commodities. The slaves were obtained at the great market of Azcapozalco, not many leagues from the capital, where fairs were regularly held for the sale of these unfortunate beings. They were brought thither140 by their masters, dressed in their gayest apparel, and instructed to sing, dance, and{163} display their little stock of personal accomplishments141, so as to recommend themselves to the purchaser. Slave-dealing was an honorable calling among the Aztecs.[244]
With this rich freight, the merchant visited the different provinces, always bearing some present of value from his own sovereign to their chiefs, and usually receiving others in return, with a permission to trade. Should this be denied him, or should he meet with indignity142 or violence, he had the means of resistance in his power. He performed his journeys with a number of companions of his own rank, and a large body of inferior attendants who were employed to transport the goods. Fifty or sixty pounds were the usual load for a man. The whole caravan143 went armed, and so well provided against sudden hostilities144 that they could make good their defence, if necessary, till reinforced from home. In one instance, a body of these militant145 traders stood a siege of four years in the town of Ayotlan, which they finally took from the enemy.[245] Their own government, however, was always prompt to embark146 in a war on this ground, finding it a very convenient pretext147 for extending the Mexican empire. It was not unusual to allow the merchants to raise levies148 themselves, which were placed under their command. It was, moreover, very common for the prince to employ the merchants as a sort of spies, to furnish him information of the state of the countries through which they passed,{164} and the dispositions149 of the inhabitants towards himself.[246]
Thus their sphere of action was much enlarged beyond that of a humble trader, and they acquired a high consideration in the body politic150. They were allowed to assume insignia and devices of their own. Some of their number composed what is called by the Spanish writers a council of finance; at least, this was the case in Tezcuco.[247] They were much consulted by the monarch151, who had some of them constantly near his person, addressing them by the title of “uncle,” which may remind one of that of primo, or “cousin,” by which a grandee152 of Spain is saluted153 by his sovereign. They were allowed to have their own courts, in which civil and criminal cases, not excepting capital, were determined154; so that they formed an independent community, as it were, of themselves. And, as their various traffic supplied them with abundant stores of wealth, they enjoyed many of the most essential advantages of an hereditary155 aristocracy.{165}[248]
That trade should prove the path to eminent156 political preferment in a nation but partially civilized, where the names of soldier and priest are usually the only titles to respect, is certainly an anomaly in history. It forms some contrast to the standard of the more polished monarchies157 of the Old World, in which rank is supposed to be less dishonored by a life of idle ease or frivolous158 pleasure than by those active pursuits which promote equally the prosperity of the state and of the individual. If civilization corrects many prejudices, it must be allowed that it creates others.
We shall be able to form a better idea of the actual refinement of the natives by penetrating159 into their domestic life and observing the intercourse160 between the sexes. We have, fortunately, the means of doing this. We shall there find the ferocious161 Aztec frequently displaying all the sensibility of a cultivated nature; consoling his friends under affliction, or congratulating them on their good fortune, as on occasion of a marriage, or of the birth or the baptism of a child, when he was punctilious162 in his visits, bringing presents of costly163 dresses and ornaments, or the more simple offering of flowers, equally indicative of his sympathy. The visits at these times, though regulated with all the precision of Oriental courtesy, were accompanied by expressions of the most cordial and affectionate regard.{166}[249]
The discipline of children, especially at the public schools, as stated in a previous chapter, was exceedingly severe.[250] But after she had come to a mature age the Aztec maiden164 was treated by her parents with a tenderness from which all reserve seemed banished165. In the counsels to a daughter about to enter into life, they conjured166 her to preserve simplicity167 in her manners and conversation, uniform neatness in her attire169, with strict attention to personal cleanliness. They inculcated modesty170, as the great ornament80 of a woman, and implicit168 reverence171 for her husband; softening172 their admonitions by such endearing epithets173 as showed the fulness of a parent’s love.[251]
Polygamy was permitted among the Mexicans, though chiefly confined, probably, to the wealthiest{167} classes.[252] And the obligations of the marriage vow135, which was made with all the formality of a religious ceremony, were fully174 recognized, and impressed on both parties. The women are described by the Spaniards as pretty, unlike their unfortunate descendants of the present day, though with the same serious and rather melancholy175 cast of countenance176. Their long black hair, covered, in some parts of the country, by a veil made of the fine web of the pita, might generally be seen wreathed with flowers, or, among the richer people, with strings177 of precious stones, and pearls from the Gulf178 of California. They appear to have been treated with much consideration by their husbands, and passed their time in indolent tranquillity179, or in such feminine occupations as spinning, embroidery, and the like, while their maidens180 beguiled181 the hours by the rehearsal182 of traditionary tales and ballads183.[253]
The women partook equally with the men of social festivities and entertainments. These were often conducted on a large scale, both as regards the number of guests and the costliness184 of the preparations. Numerous attendants, of both sexes, waited at the banquet. The halls were scented185 with perfumes, and the courts strewed186 with odorif{168}erous herbs and flowers, which were distributed in profusion187 among the guests, as they arrived. Cotton napkins and ewers188 of water were placed before them, as they took their seats at the board; for the venerable ceremony of ablution[254] before and after eating was punctiliously189 observed by the Aztecs.[255] Tobacco was then offered to the company, in pipes, mixed up with aromatic190 substances, or in the form of cigars, inserted in tubes of tortoise-shell or silver. They compressed the nostrils191 with the fingers, while they inhaled192 the smoke, which they frequently swallowed. Whether the women, who sat apart from the men at table, were allowed the indulgence of the fragrant193 weed, as in the most pol{169}ished circles of modern Mexico, is not told us. It is a curious fact that the Aztecs also took the dried leaf in the pulverized194 form of snuff.[256]
The table was well provided with substantial meats, especially game; among which the most conspicuous195 was the turkey, erroneously supposed, as its name imports, to have come originally from the East.[257] These more solid dishes were flanked by others of vegetables and fruits, of every deli{170}cious variety found on the North American continent. The different viands196 were prepared in various ways, with delicate sauces and seasoning197, of which the Mexicans were very fond. Their palate was still further regaled by confections and pastry198, for which their maize-flour and sugar supplied ample materials. One other dish, of a disgusting nature, was sometimes added to the feast, especially when the celebration partook of a religious character. On such occasions a slave was sacrificed, and his flesh, elaborately dressed, formed one of the chief ornaments of the banquet. Cannibalism199, in the guise200 of an Epicurean science, becomes even the more revolting.[258]
The meats were kept warm by chafing-dishes. The table was ornamented with vases of silver, and sometimes gold, of delicate workmanship. The drinking-cups and spoons were of the same costly materials, and likewise of tortoise-shell. The favorite beverage was the chocolatl, flavored with vanilla and different spices. They had a way of preparing the froth of it, so as to make it almost solid enough to be eaten, and took it cold.[259] The{171} fermented juice of the maguey, with a mixture of sweets and acids, supplied, also, various agreeable drinks, of different degrees of strength, and formed the chief beverage of the elder part of the company.[260]
As soon as they had finished their repast, the young people rose from the table, to close the festivities of the day with dancing. They danced gracefully201, to the sound of various instruments, accompanying their movements with chants of a pleasing though somewhat plaintive202 character.[261] The older guests continued at table, sipping203 pulque, and gossiping about other times, till the virtues204 of the exhilarating beverage put them in good humor with their own. Intoxication205 was not{172} rare in this part of the company, and, what is singular, was excused in them, though severely206 punished in the younger. The entertainment was concluded by a liberal distribution of rich dresses and ornaments among the guests, when they withdrew, after midnight, “some commending the feast, and others condemning207 the bad taste or extravagance of their host; in the same manner,” says an old Spanish writer, “as with us.”[262] Human nature is, indeed, much the same all the world over.
In this remarkable picture of manners, which I have copied faithfully from the records of earliest date after the Conquest, we find no resemblance to the other races of North American Indians. Some resemblance we may trace to the general style of Asiatic pomp and luxury. But in Asia, woman, far from being admitted to unreserved intercourse with the other sex, is too often jealously immured208 within the walls of the harem. European civilization, which accords to this loveliest portion of creation her proper rank in the social scale, is still more removed from some of the brutish usages of the Aztecs. That such usages should have existed with the degree of refinement they showed in other things is almost inconceivable. It can only be explained as the result of religious superstition84; superstition which clouds the moral perception, and perverts209 even the natural senses, till man, civilized
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OUR LADY OF GUADALOUPE
Goupil & Co. Paris
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man, is reconciled to the very things which are most revolting to humanity. Habits and opinions founded on religion must not be taken as conclusive210 evidence of the actual refinement of a people.
The Aztec character was perfectly211 original and unique. It was made up of incongruities212 apparently213 irreconcilable214. It blended into one the marked peculiarities215 of different nations, not only of the same phase of civilization, but as far removed from each other as the extremes of barbarism and refinement. It may find a fitting parallel in their own wonderful climate, capable of producing, on a few square leagues of surface, the boundless216 variety of vegetable forms which belong to the frozen regions of the North, the temperate217 zone of Europe, and the burning skies of Arabia and Hindostan.
One of the works repeatedly consulted and referred to in this Introduction is Boturini’s Idea de una nueva Historia general de la América Septentrional. The singular persecutions sustained by its author, even more than the merits of his book, have associated his name inseparably with the literary history of Mexico. The Chevalier Lorenzo Boturini Benaduci was a Milanese by birth, of an ancient family, and possessed218 of much learning. From Madrid, where he was residing, he passed over to New Spain, in 1735, on some business of the Countess of Santiba?ez, a lineal descendant of Montezuma. While employed on this, he visited the celebrated shrine219 of Our Lady of Guadaloupe, and, being a person of devout220 and enthusiastic temper, was filled with the desire of collecting testimony221 to establish the marvellous fact of her apparition222. In the course of his excursions, made with this view, he fell in with many relics of Aztec antiquity223, and conceived—what to a Protestant, at least, would seem much more rational—the idea of gathering224 together all the memorials he could meet with of the primitive225 civilization of the land.
In pursuit of this double object, he penetrated226 into the remotest parts of the country, living much with the natives, passing his nights sometimes in their huts, sometimes in caves and the depths of the lonely forests. Frequently months would elapse without his being{174} able to add anything to his collection; for the Indians had suffered too much not to be very shy of Europeans. His long intercourse with them, however, gave him ample opportunity to learn their language and popular traditions, and, in the end, to amass227 a large stock of materials, consisting of hieroglyphical228 charts on cotton, skins, and the fibre of the maguey; besides a considerable body of Indian manuscripts, written after the Conquest. To all these must be added the precious documents for placing beyond controversy229 the miraculous230 apparition of the Virgin231. With this treasure he returned, after a pilgrimage of eight years, to the capital.
His zeal232, in the mean while, had induced him to procure233 from Rome a bull authorizing234 the coronation of the sacred image at Guadaloupe. The bull, however, though sanctioned by the Audience of New Spain, had never been approved by the Council of the Indies. In consequence of this informality, Boturini was arrested in the midst of his proceedings235, his papers were taken from him, and, as he declined to give an inventory236 of them, he was thrown into prison, and confined in the same apartment with two criminals! Not long afterward237 he was sent to Spain. He there presented a memorial to the Council of the Indies, setting forth238 his manifold grievances239, and soliciting240 redress241. At the same time, he drew up his “Idea,” above noticed, in which he displayed the catalogue of his museum in New Spain, declaring, with affecting earnestness, that “he would not exchange these treasures for all the gold and silver, diamonds and pearls, in the New World.”
After some delay, the Council gave an award in his favor; acquitting242 him of any intentional243 violation244 of the law, and pronouncing a high encomium245 on his deserts. His papers, however, were not restored. But his Majesty246 was graciously pleased to appoint him Historiographer-General of the Indies, with a salary of one thousand dollars per annum. The stipend247 was too small to allow him to return to Mexico. He remained in Madrid, and completed there the first volume of a “General History of North America,” in 1749. Not long after this event, and before the publication of the work, he died. The same injustice248 was continued to his heirs; and, notwithstanding repeated applications in their behalf, they were neither put in possession of their unfortunate kinsman’s collection, nor received a remuneration for it. What was worse,—as far as the public was concerned,—the collection itself was deposited in apartments of the vice-regal palace at Mexico, so damp that they gradually fell to pieces, and the few remaining were still further diminished by the pilfering249 of the curious. When Baron250 Humboldt visited Mexico, not one-eighth of this inestimable treasure was in existence!
I have been thus particular in the account of the unfortunate Boturini, as affording, on the whole, the most remarkable example of the serious obstacles and persecutions which literary enterprise, directed in the path of the national antiquities251, has, from some cause or other, been exposed to in New Spain.{175}
Boturini’s manuscript volume was never printed, and probably never will be, if indeed it is in existence. This will scarcely prove a great detriment252 to science or to his own reputation. He was a man of a zealous253 temper, strongly inclined to the marvellous, with little of that acuteness requisite254 for penetrating the tangled255 mazes256 of antiquity, or of the philosophic257 spirit fitted for calmly weighing its doubts and difficulties. His “Idea” affords a sample of his peculiar mind. With abundant learning, ill assorted258 and ill digested, it is a jumble259 of fact and puerile260 fiction, interesting details, crazy dreams, and fantastic theories. But it is hardly fair to judge by the strict rules of criticism a work which, put together hastily, as a catalogue of literary treasures, was designed by the author rather to show what might be done, than that he could do it himself. It is rare that talents for action and contemplation are united in the same individual. Boturini was eminently261 qualified262, by his enthusiasm and perseverance263, for collecting the materials necessary to illustrate264 the antiquities of the country. It requires a more highly gifted mind to avail itself of them.
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refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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stimulating
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| adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的 | |
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expedients
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| n.应急有效的，权宜之计的( expedient的名词复数 ) | |
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6
alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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7
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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8
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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9
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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11
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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12
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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13
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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14
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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15
drudgery
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| n.苦工，重活，单调乏味的工作 | |
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16
precepts
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| n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 ) | |
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17
analyzed
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| v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析 | |
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18
stimulate
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| vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋 | |
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19
essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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20
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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21
slovenly
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| adj.懒散的，不整齐的，邋遢的 | |
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22
improvident
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| adj.不顾将来的，不节俭的，无远见的 | |
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23
recurrence
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| n.复发，反复，重现 | |
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24
desolating
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| 毁坏( desolate的现在分词 )； 极大地破坏； 使沮丧； 使痛苦 | |
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25
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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26
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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27
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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28
deities
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| n.神，女神( deity的名词复数 )；神祗；神灵；神明 | |
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29
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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30
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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31
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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32
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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33
irrigated
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| [医]冲洗的 | |
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34
conquerors
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| 征服者，占领者( conqueror的名词复数 ) | |
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35
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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36
exuberant
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| adj.充满活力的；（植物）繁茂的 | |
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37
systematic
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| adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的 | |
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38
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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39
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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40
beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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41
vanilla
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| n.香子兰，香草 | |
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42
staple
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| n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类 | |
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43
maize
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| n.玉米 | |
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44
saccharine
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| adj.奉承的，讨好的 | |
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45
latitudes
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| 纬度 | |
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46
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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47
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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48
fermented
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| v.（使）发酵( ferment的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰 | |
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49
intoxicating
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| a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的 | |
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50
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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51
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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52
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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53
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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54
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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55
palatable
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| adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的 | |
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56
nutritious
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|
| adj.有营养的，营养价值高的 | |
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57
enumerate
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| v.列举，计算，枚举，数 | |
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58
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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59
variegated
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| adj.斑驳的，杂色的 | |
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60
gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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61
diversified
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|
| adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域 | |
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62
flora
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| n.(某一地区的)植物群 | |
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63
systematically
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| adv.有系统地 | |
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64
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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65
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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66
gleaned
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| v.一点点地收集（资料、事实）( glean的过去式和过去分词 )；（收割后）拾穗 | |
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67
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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68
alloy
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| n.合金，(金属的)成色 | |
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69
amethysts
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| n.紫蓝色宝石( amethyst的名词复数 )；紫晶；紫水晶；紫色 | |
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70
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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71
carving
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| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
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72
metallic
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|
| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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73
chisels
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| n.凿子，錾子( chisel的名词复数 )；口凿 | |
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74
obsidian
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| n.黑曜石 | |
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75
transparent
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|
| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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76
defer
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| vt.推迟，拖延；vi.(to)遵从，听从，服从 | |
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77
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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78
profusely
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| ad.abundantly | |
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79
ornamented
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|
| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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81
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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82
delineation
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| n.记述；描写 | |
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83
superstitions
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| 迷信，迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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84
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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85
portraiture
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| n.肖像画法 | |
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86
plaza
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| n.广场，市场 | |
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87
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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88
mouldering
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| v.腐朽( moulder的现在分词 )；腐烂，崩塌 | |
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89
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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90
heeded
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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91
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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92
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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93
deliberately
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|
| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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94
barbarian
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| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
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95
remarkable
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|
| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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96
quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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97
computed
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|
| adj.[医]计算的，使用计算机的v.计算，估算( compute的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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98
precipitated
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| v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的过去式和过去分词 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀 | |
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99
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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100
astronomical
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| adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的 | |
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101
inscriptions
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| （作者）题词( inscription的名词复数 )； 献词； 碑文； 证劵持有人的登记 | |
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102
utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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103
earthenware
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| n.土器，陶器 | |
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104
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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105
impervious
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| adj.不能渗透的，不能穿过的，不易伤害的 | |
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106
gaudily
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| adv.俗丽地 | |
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107
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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108
plantations
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| n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
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109
cactus
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| n.仙人掌 | |
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110
embroidery
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| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
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111
mosaic
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| n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的 | |
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112
revelled
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| v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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113
swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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114
bowers
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| n.（女子的）卧室( bower的名词复数 )；船首锚；阴凉处；鞠躬的人 | |
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115
tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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116
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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117
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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118
fabrics
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| 织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地 | |
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119
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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120
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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121
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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122
allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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123
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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124
magistrates
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| 地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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125
barter
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| n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易 | |
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126
quills
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| n.（刺猬或豪猪的）刺( quill的名词复数 )；羽毛管；翮；纡管 | |
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127
specified
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| adj.特定的 | |
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128
martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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129
exempts
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| 使免除[豁免]( exempt的第三人称单数 ) | |
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130
avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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131
hoarded
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| v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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132
guilds
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| 行会，同业公会，协会( guild的名词复数 ) | |
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133
deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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134
avowed
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| adj.公开声明的，承认的v.公开声明，承认( avow的过去式和过去分词) | |
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135
vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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136
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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137
maxims
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| n.格言，座右铭( maxim的名词复数 ) | |
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138
itinerant
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| adj.巡回的；流动的 | |
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139
jewelry
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| n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝 | |
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140
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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141
accomplishments
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| n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就 | |
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142
indignity
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| n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑 | |
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143
caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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144
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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145
militant
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| adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士 | |
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146
embark
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| vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机 | |
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147
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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148
levies
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| （部队）征兵( levy的名词复数 )； 募捐； 被征募的军队 | |
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149
dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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150
politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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151
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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152
grandee
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| n.贵族；大公 | |
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153
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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154
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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155
hereditary
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| adj.遗传的，遗传性的，可继承的，世袭的 | |
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156
eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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157
monarchies
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| n. 君主政体, 君主国, 君主政治 | |
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158
frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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159
penetrating
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|
| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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160
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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161
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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162
punctilious
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| adj.谨慎的，谨小慎微的 | |
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163
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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164
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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165
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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166
conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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167
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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168
implicit
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| a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的 | |
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169
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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170
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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171
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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172
softening
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| 变软，软化 | |
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173
epithets
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| n.（表示性质、特征等的）词语( epithet的名词复数 ) | |
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174
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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175
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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176
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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177
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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178
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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179
tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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180
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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181
beguiled
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| v.欺骗( beguile的过去式和过去分词 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等） | |
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182
rehearsal
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| n.排练，排演；练习 | |
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183
ballads
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| 民歌，民谣，特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 )； 讴 | |
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184
costliness
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| 昂贵的 | |
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185
scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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186
strewed
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| v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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187
profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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188
ewers
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| n.大口水壶，水罐( ewer的名词复数 ) | |
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189
punctiliously
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190
aromatic
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| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
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191
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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192
inhaled
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| v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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193
fragrant
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|
| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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194
pulverized
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| adj.[医]雾化的，粉末状的v.将…弄碎( pulverize的过去式和过去分词 )；将…弄成粉末或尘埃；摧毁；粉碎 | |
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195
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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196
viands
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| n.食品，食物 | |
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197
seasoning
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| n.调味；调味料；增添趣味之物 | |
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198
pastry
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| n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点 | |
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199
cannibalism
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| n.同类相食；吃人肉 | |
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200
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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201
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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202
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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203
sipping
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| v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 ) | |
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204
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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205
intoxication
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| n.wild excitement;drunkenness；poisoning | |
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206
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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207
condemning
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|
| v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地 | |
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208
immured
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| v.禁闭，监禁( immure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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209
perverts
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| n.性变态者( pervert的名词复数 )v.滥用( pervert的第三人称单数 )；腐蚀；败坏；使堕落 | |
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210
conclusive
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| adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的 | |
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211
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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212
incongruities
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| n.不协调( incongruity的名词复数 )；不一致；不适合；不协调的东西 | |
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213
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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214
irreconcilable
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| adj.（指人）难和解的，势不两立的 | |
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215
peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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216
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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217
temperate
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| adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的 | |
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218
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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219
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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220
devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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221
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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222
apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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223
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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224
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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225
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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226
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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227
amass
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| vt.积累，积聚 | |
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228
hieroglyphical
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| n.象形文字，象形文字的文章 | |
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229
controversy
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| n.争论，辩论，争吵 | |
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230
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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231
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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232
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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233
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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234
authorizing
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| 授权，批准，委托( authorize的现在分词 ) | |
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235
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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236
inventory
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| n.详细目录，存货清单 | |
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237
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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238
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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239
grievances
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| n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚 | |
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240
soliciting
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| v.恳求( solicit的现在分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求 | |
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241
redress
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| n.赔偿，救济，矫正；v.纠正，匡正，革除 | |
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242
acquitting
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| 宣判…无罪( acquit的现在分词 )； 使（自己）作出某种表现 | |
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243
intentional
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| adj.故意的，有意（识）的 | |
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244
violation
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| n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯 | |
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245
encomium
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| n.赞颂；颂词 | |
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246
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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247
stipend
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| n.薪贴；奖学金；养老金 | |
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248
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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249
pilfering
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|
| v.偷窃（小东西），小偷( pilfer的现在分词 )；偷窃（一般指小偷小摸） | |
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250
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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251
antiquities
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| n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯 | |
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252
detriment
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| n.损害；损害物，造成损害的根源 | |
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253
zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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254
requisite
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| adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品 | |
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255
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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256
mazes
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| 迷宫( maze的名词复数 )； 纷繁复杂的规则； 复杂难懂的细节； 迷宫图 | |
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257
philosophic
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| adj.哲学的，贤明的 | |
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258
assorted
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| adj.各种各样的，各色俱备的 | |
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259
jumble
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| vt.使混乱，混杂；n.混乱；杂乱的一堆 | |
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260
puerile
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| adj.幼稚的，儿童的 | |
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261
eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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262
qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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263
perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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264
illustrate
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| v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图 | |
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