Brinton.] ->4:A [Nov. 20, 



Rio Grande in Central Chiapas, where they constructed a for- 

 midable fortress, and became the terror of their Nakuatl-speak- 

 ing neighbors.* 



No connection has been demonstrated between the Mangue 

 (or Chapanec), and any other North American language, 

 although owing to the liberal exertions of M. Alphonse Pinart, 

 we have now in print and easily procurable, a grammar and a 

 number of texts of the Chapanec dialect.f 



A comparison, the partial results of which I have previously 

 published, proves that the differences between the Chapanec and 

 Mangue are slight and unimportant, and for purposes of colla- 

 tion vvith other stocks the two may be looked upon as identical. 



In the Introduction to " The Gueguence," I pointed out some 

 singular coincidences between the Mangue aud the Aymara of 

 Peru. Further examination of the two tongues has not added 

 to the list given, and has weakened the belief I entertained of 

 some possible connection in the past between them. 



1 take this occasion to point out an error which has crept iuto 

 several philological works, that of confounding the Mangue 

 with the Nagrandan of Nicaragua. Thus, Francisco Pimentel, in 

 his work on the languages of Mexico, falls into the capital mis- 

 take of declaring the Chapanec of Chiapas to be allied to the 

 Nagrandan of Nicaragua ; and to prove his assertion, gives a 

 list of alleged Nagrandan words, all of which belong to the 

 Mangue tongue !J 



The same confusion marks an attempt of Mr. Hyde Clark, of 



* " Vinieron antiguamente de la Provinciade Nicaragua unas gentes que can- 

 sados de andar y de las descomodades que la peregrinacion trse eonsigo, se qued- 

 aron en tierradeChiapa, y poblaron en un pefiol aspero orillas deun Rio Grande 

 que pasa por medio dellay fortificaronse alii, porque nunca se quisieron suje- 

 tar & los Reyes de Mejico, antes tenian continuamente guerra con sus capi- 

 tanes." etc. Remesal, Historia de Chiapay Guatemala, Lib. iv, cap. xiii. 



t Arte de la Lengua Chiapcneca. Por Fray Juan de Albornoz. 



Doctrina C'risliana en Lengua Chiapaneca. Por Fray Luis Barrientos. 



These two publications comprise Vol. i of the Bibliothique <lc Linguislique el 

 d'Elhnogruphie Americaines, publiee par Alph. L. Pinart (Paris, 1675). 



Dr. Berendt states that the natives pronounce the name of the province 

 Chapa, not Chiapa, and that the word is the Mangue Chapa, which means their 

 sacred bird, the Ara or Guacamayo, from which they named their fortress in the 

 State of Chiapas. Father Juan Nunez, who was missionary among them about 

 1620, and who preached and wrote in their tongue, also called it "la lengua 

 Chapaneca." See Brasseur (de Bourbourg), Bibliothique Mexico- Guatemalienne, 

 pp. L09, 110. 



XQ'iadro Descriptive) de las Lenguas Indigenas de Mexico, Tomo iil, p. 559 .Mexico. 

 1875). 



