WHOLE VOL. THE WEST INDIES VAZQUEZ DE ESPINOSA 35 



chose as their first king a grandson of the King of Culhuacan, son 

 of a Mexican prince ; and once they had kings, they managed so well 

 that in a short time they emerged from their previous low estate and 

 overcame and subdued all their enemies, and made themselves so 

 powerful that their monarchy endured for 319 years, up to the year 

 1 52 1, when the valiant and most Christian Don Fernando Cortes, 

 Marques del Valle, took Mexico and conquered many kingdoms and 

 provinces, aided by Heaven, so that the Holy Gospel might be preached 

 in them as we see it preached in so many kingdoms and provinces. 



87. I would state further that during this period of 319 years, the 

 duration of the Mexican monarchy, while the kings of Mexico kept 

 conquering and taking over into their empire the kingdoms, provinces, 

 and nationalities which they subdued, like the Incas of Peru they 

 introduced the Mexican language, ordaining and prescribing that all 

 should learn it. For this reason the sons of the lords and chieftains 

 flocked to their court, and thus the Mexican language spread over 

 that vast area more than 800 leagues in length, up to the extreme 

 limits of the Provinces of Honduras and Nicaragua in that direc- 

 tion, and over all New Spain. This is a lingua franca spoken over 

 all the kingdom, although in each province and tribe, and even in 

 each village, they speak their own special mother tongue ; but the 

 Mexican language is so rich and polished that it ranks among the 

 best which are known in those parts. 



88. Their numerals run like ours, as follows : i, ce ; 2, ome ; 3, yei ; 

 4, nague ; 5, maccuile ; 6, chicuassen ; 7, chicome ; 8, chiquei ; 9, 

 chinague; 10, matlacte, and from there on the numbers increase like 

 ours; what is your name? tlemotoca? find something to eat, xictemo 

 tacuale; where do you come from? campatiguala ? adios, Dios me 

 chichagua ; bring some bread, xicualica tlascuale, and other graceful 

 phrases, in which the language is very rich, but I omit further 

 mention in order to say something about the others. 



89. In the Archdiocese of Mexico, slopes of the Sierra de 

 Mestitlan as far as the Sierra de Huaxteca, there is the Tepegua 

 Indian language, e.g. : you confessed last year, in cho alazalaguananta 

 inoachitinano ; we have confessed, alazalaguananta ; you have accom- 

 plished your penance, incho macaguata penitencia ; priest, impayaga. 

 In the Otomi language, which is almost a lingua franca, they say : 

 where are you from ? apaningo ? give me some water, inde he ; hat, 

 puuchi ; dish, manza ; frogs' eyes, acuxcuahi. 



90. In the Diocese of Guatemala, passing along the King's High- 

 way for 280 leagues from Mexico City, from one town to another, 

 there are 335 distinct native dialects, although the Mexican language 



