138 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 102 



from the village of Yahualica, where it borders on Panuco in that 

 quarter and with Tampico of the Archdiocese of Mexico, to Nueva 

 Almeria and the Rio de Alvarado on the S., where it borders on the 

 Diocese of Oaxaca ; that comes to 85 leagues along the Atlantic coast 

 from Yahualica to the Rio de Alvarado ; and it is over 100 leagues 

 across from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, between the Archdiocese 

 of Mexico which lies somewhat N. of W. of it, and the Diocese of 

 Oaxaca on the E. and S. Along the Pacific coast it is some 20 leagues 

 broad from the Rio de Yepes near the harbor of Acapulco, where it 

 borders on the Archdiocese of Mexico, down to the large bay where 

 its jurisdiction ends and that of the Diocese of Oaxaca begins. 



391. The Viceroy appoints in the district of the Diocese of Tlax- 

 cala to 33 judicial posts ; 14 are Alcaldias Mayores. Although these 

 have low salaries, they have valuable perquisites, as I shall show in 

 its proper place. The best are marked with a cross. These posts are : 

 Puebla de Los Angeles, Tlaxcala (although that appointment is now 

 made by His Majesty), Acatlan, Chiautla de la Sal, Zacatlan, and 

 Hueytlapan, Tehuacan, the mines of Tonala and Zilacauyapa, the 

 mines of Tleutalco and Tlalzingo, the city of Tepeaca, the town of 

 Carrion de Atlixco, Old Vera Cruz, [the city and port of New Vera 

 Cruz], the town of Jalapa, the port of Tamiahua, Ysucar. 



392. He appoints further in this Diocese for 19 Corregimientos, 

 viz : The city of Cholula, Chilapa, Ahuatlan and Coyatitlanapa, 

 Chietla, Cuzcatlan, the city of Huejotzingo, Huatlatlauca, Orizaba, 

 San Juan de los Llanos, San Antonio de Huatusco, Tlapa, Tonatico 

 and Zozocolco, Teziutlan and Atempa, Tepeji de la Seda, Tixtla and 

 Zumpango, Tuxtepec and Quimixtlan, the city and port of New Vera 

 Cruz, Jalacingo, Xonotla; not to mention many other officials he ap- 

 points in this district, like mill inspectors, cochineal inspectors, and 

 others with large perquisites. 



393. There is in this country and in all New Spain a mysterious 

 plant or shrub called maguey (agave), which resembles the aloe. 

 From this the Indians make their wine, which they call pulque, by 

 slashing the leaves or cutting off the top shoot or boring holes in the 

 stem ; from the juice which oozes out they make their wine, which is 

 sweet in taste ; they throw in a root also. With this the Indians get 

 drunk; they are greatly given to it, and this beverage causes much 

 harm, as I have remarked in the book I published in the year 1623, 

 entitled "Luz y Quia del Cielo" (Light and Guide to Heaven), on 

 folio 33. From this plant they make honey water and excellent honey 

 vinegar like that from sugarcane ; they make thread with which to 

 sew the cotton blankets the natives use for clothing, and use the fibers 



