CHARACTERS. 



605 



earth, in which there are fewer 

 persons deformed ; and it would 

 be more difficult to find a single 

 hump-backed, lame, or squint- 

 eyed man, amongst a thousand 

 Mexicans, than among a hundred 

 of any other nation. Their ap- 

 pearance neither engages nor dis- 

 gusts ; but among the Indian 

 young women, there are many 

 very handsome and fair : they 

 have a sweetness of manner and 

 expression, and a pleasantness and 

 natural modesty in their whole 

 behaviour. The men are very 

 moderate in eating; but their pas- 

 sion for strong liquors is carried 

 to the greatest excess. 



A peculiar feature in the de- 

 scription of Mexico is, the cele- 

 brated artificial fields and gardens 

 which float in the lakes, and add 

 to their picturesque appearance. 

 The original method of forming 

 them is extremely simple : they 

 plat and twist willows, and the 

 roots of marsh plants, or other 

 materialstogether, which are light, 

 but capable of supporting the earth 

 of the garden firmly united. Upon 

 this foundation they lay the light 

 bushes which float on the lake, 

 and over all, the mud and dirt 

 which they draw up from the bot- 

 tom. The regular figure of these 

 islands is quadrangular, their 

 length and breadth various, but 

 in general they are about eight 

 perches long, and not more than 

 three perches in breadth, and have 

 less than a foot of elevation above 

 the surface of the water. These 

 were the first fields which the 

 Mexicans owned after the founda- 

 tion of the city of Mexico ; there 

 they first cultivated the maize, 

 great pepper, and other plants ne- 

 cessary for their support. In pro- 



cess of lime, as these fields grew 

 numerous, from the industry of 

 those people, there were culti- 

 vated among them gardens of 

 flowers and of odoriferous plants, 

 which were used in the worship of 

 the gods, and likewise served for 

 the refreshment of the nobles. At 

 present they cultivate flowers, 

 herbs, and every kind of garden- 

 stuff. Every day of the year at 

 sun-rise, innumerable boats laden 

 with flowers, fruits, and vegeta- 

 bles, which are cultivated in these 

 gardens, are seen arriving by the 

 canal at the great market-place of 

 that capital. All kinds of plants 

 thrive therein surprisingly ; the 

 mud of the lake is an extremely 

 fertile soil, and requires no irriga- 

 tion. In the largest gardens there 

 is commonly a little tree, and 

 even a little hut, to shelter the 

 cultivator, and defend him from 

 rain or the sun. When the chi- 

 nampa, or owner of a garden, 

 wishes to change his situation, to 

 remove from a disagreeable neigh- 

 bour, or to come nearer to his 

 own family, he gets into his little 

 vessel, and by his own strength 

 alone, if the garden is small, or, 

 with the assistance of others if it 

 is large, he rows it after him, and 

 conducts it wherever he pleases, 

 with the little hut and tree upon 

 it. That part of the lake where 

 the floating gardens are, is a place 

 of infinite recreation and amuse- 

 ment, where the senses receive 

 the highest gratification, and mul- 

 titudes of people are constantly 

 visiting them in boats, on parties 

 of pleasure. 



The fields and gardens round 

 the city of Mexico are wonder- 

 fully productive of maize, called 

 by the Mexicans huoU, which the 



