WILD AND CIVILIZED INDIANS. 97 



the aborigines still form fully one-half of the scanty 

 population. Their number may be about 60,000, of 

 which 24,000 inhabit the first of these provinces. 

 This amount appears large when we refer to the 

 hunting tribes of North America, but seems the re- 

 verse when we look to those districts of New-Spain 

 where agriculture has been followed for more than 

 eight centuries. Thus, the intendancy of Oaxaca, 

 which forms part of the old Mexican empire, and 

 which is one-third smaller than the two provinces 

 of Cumana and Barcelona, contains more than 400,000 

 of the original race. The Indians of Cumana do not 

 all live assembled in the missions, some being found 

 dispersed in the neighbourhood of towns along the 

 coasts. The stations of the Arragonese Capuchins 

 contain 15,000, almost all of the Chayma tribe. The 

 villages, however, are less crowded than in the 

 province of Barcelona, their indigenous population 

 being only between five and six hundred ; whereas, 

 more to the west, in the establishments of the Fran- 

 ciscans of Piritoo, there are towns of 2000 or 3000 

 inhabitants. Besides the 60,000 natives of the prov- 

 inces of Cumana and Barcelona, there are some 

 thousands of Guaraounoes who have preserved their 

 independence in the islands at the mouth of the 

 Orinoco. Excepting a few families there are no wild 

 Indians in New-Andalusia. 



The term wild or savage Humboldt says he uses 

 with regret, because it implies a difference of cultiva- 

 tion which does not always exist between the re- 

 duced or civilized Indian, living in the missions, and 

 the free or independent Indian. In the forests of 

 South America there are tribes which dwell in vil- 

 lages, rear plantains, cassava, and cotton, and are 

 scarcely more barbarous than those in the religious 

 establishments, who have been taught to make the 

 sign of the Cross. It is an error to consider all the 

 free natives as wandering hunters ; for agriculture 

 existed on the continent long before the arrival of 



