Aboriginal Race of America. 151 
tainments in the arts and sciences are a riddle in the history 
of the human mind. The Peruvians in the south, the Mexi- 
cans in the north, and the Muyscas of Bogota between the 
two, formed these contemporary centres of civilization, each 
independent of the other, and each equally skirted by wild 
and savage hordes. The mind dwells with surprise and ad- 
miration on their Cyclopean structures, which often rival those 
of Egypt in magnitude ;—on their temples, which embrace 
almost every principle in architecture, except the arch alone ; 
and on their statues and bas-reliefs, which, notwithstanding 
some conventional imperfections, are far above the rudimen- 
tary state of the arts. 
I have elsewhere ventured to designate these demi-civilized 
nations by the collective name of the TOLTECAN FAMILy ; for 
although the Mexican annals date their civilization from a 
period long antecedent to the appearance of the Toltecas, yet 
the latter seem to have cultivated the arts and sciences to a 
degree unknown to their predecessors. Besides, the various 
nations which at different times invaded and possessed them- 
selves of Mexico, were characterized by the same fundamen- 
tal language and the same physical traits, together with a 
strong analogy in their social institutions ; and as the appear- 
ance of the Incas in Peru was nearly simultaneous with the 
dispersion of the Toltecas, in the year 1050 of our era, there 
is reasonable ground for the conjecture that the Mexicans 
and Peruvians were branches of the same Toltecan stock. 
We have alluded to a civilization antecedent to the appear- 
ance of the Incas, and which had already passed away when 
they assumed the government of the country. There are tra- 
ditional and monumental evidences of this fact, which can 
leave no doubt on the mind, although of its date we can form 
no just conception. It may have even preceded the Christian 
era, nor do we know of any positive reasons to the contrary. 
Chronology may be called the crutch of history ; but with all 
its imperfections it would be invaluable here, where no clue 
remains to unravel those mysterious records which excite our 
research, but constantly elude our scrutiny. We may be per- 
mitted, however, to repeat what is all-important to the pre- 
