to four distinct entities in 1579: 1) an abandoned town: 
2) a newer town nearby; 8) the area and villages sur- 
rounding this newer town; and 4) the river passing 
through the area (Rio Valle Nacional). 
In defining the Chinantla, the Relacién stated: ‘“The 
town of Chinantla is situated in a valley formed between 
two ranges of mountains... . in such manner that one 
of these ranges extends along the northern side and the 
other along the southern side. The town lies on the 
banks of a swiftflowing river which they call Chinantla 
because it flows from a hill eleven leagues from here past 
a formerly inhabited village called Chinantla.... Into 
this river empty four other large rivers, three of them 
above Chinantla and the other more than three leagues 
below the town.... It, (the town of Chinantla), has 
twenty-four villages surrounding it and_ possessing 
churches. It has four other settlements or hamlets which 
have no churches. ... It isa very damp region and equal- 
ly so is the cabecera and town of Chinantla; hot, humid, 
and unhealthy, so much so that at present it is aban- 
doned, and there live in it only three Indians’’. 
The Relacién enumerated the villages comprising the 
region of which the new or second town of Chinantla 
was the capital. Many of these villages do not have re- 
cognizable names and may correspond to towns which 
(like Chinantla) are no longer in existence or to towns 
which are at present known by newer names. The fol- 
lowing names are maintained: Cuasimulco, Santa Maria 
Jacatepec, San Pedro Ozumazin, San Juan Palantla, and 
San Mateo Yetla. 
In summarizing the four original meanings of Chinan- 
tla, we may again quote from the Relacidn. ‘The town 
of Chinantla is called Chinantla because it is surrounded 
by towns and by mountains, and the natives call any kind 
of enclosed space chinamitl.... as well as because it lies 
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