38 ARCH^OLOGICAL AND ETHNOLOGICAL 



streams east and west, while a third stream runs through the centre. But these 

 statements are exaggerated, as proved by the topographical survey of my itinerary. 

 This survey proves that the extent of the city could have been only one-half the 

 size attributed to it. The same can be proved by the course of the two brooks 

 forming the boundaries of the place, which were noted on my map. Rio, river, in 

 those countries, is applied to every brook and running stream. Occasionally on 

 that plain sculptured figures of stone of smaller size are found. The whole place 

 was covered with bushes, Avhich prevented a general view of the ruins, and per- 

 mitted only the sight of very small areas at once. The ticks, (jarapitos, Avhich 

 infested the plain in incalculable numbers, are a great drawback to exploration. 



I next passed Panchimalco, a purely Indian village, the inhabitants of which 

 spoke the Nmvhuafl, but very much corrupted. Having found an interpreter, I 

 commenced, as usual, by asking for terms which were already familiar to me. 

 My custom was, after acquiring a set of terms in a language, to see whether these 

 terms were used in other localities, or Avhether there was any deviation from them. 

 I also tested the knowledge and integrity of the interrogated person by ascertaining 

 whetiier he possessed the idiom in question, and whether his answers were correctly 

 and honestly given. In this instance I found out at once that my man was 

 deceiving me by giving erroneous answers. 



In Panchimalco are likewise remains of ancient habitations, many relics having 

 been found on the hill near the village. 



I shall mention now a spectacle which I had occasion to observe many times; I 

 mean tlie funeral of a child. All over Central America the death of a child is 

 not mourned as an affliction, but on the contrary is a cause for rejoicing, which is 

 expressed in the manner of conducting the funeral. The corpse is carried on an 

 open bier, clothed in the best garments, and adorned with flowers. In front of the 

 bier marches a band playing waltzes, polkas, and other dances, accompanied by 

 some young men and boys discharging rockets all the way to the cemetery. The 

 motive of this proceeding is the belief that the child has become an angel, and as 

 such enjoys a better fate than would have befallen it here on earth. However, 

 some may think that the rejoicing of the parents was occasioned by relief from a 

 burden, for which they would have been obliged to provide in the future. 



I may say a few words on the Naiohuatl language, of which I collected vocabu- 

 laries from the inhabitants of twelve different places, during the space of several 

 months. First of all, this language is devoid of the sounds represented by the 

 letters J,f,q, and r; and amongst all the words in my vocabularies there are but 

 three commencing with the letter /. This circumstance might indicate that these 

 words do not belong to the pure Nawhuatl. As the mode of thinking of the 

 people who used and now use this language vastly differed from our own, their 

 conceptions of things, and consequently the terms for them, were different from 

 ours. This is principally the case with those ideas which we call abstract. For 

 example, there is no term to express good and handsome; or had and wjly ; yeh, 

 which at present is used to express good, means in reality serviceable, and for the 

 word had and ughj, inte yeh, not serviceaUe, is used. They have no term for tree 

 or hird, but the species which is meant has to be designated by its proper name. 



