16 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



Sahagun, another early chronicler of Mexico, who wrote some 

 time previous to 1569, briefly describes the Mexican avocado 

 (Persea drymifolia) under the Aztec name, which he spelled aoacatl. 



Acosta, writing in 1590, distinguished clearly between the 

 Mexican form and that grown in Peru. He used the Peruvian 

 name palta, in place of the Mexican ahuacatl or any of its 

 corruptions. 



Garcilasso de la Vega, writing in 1605, states that the name 

 palta was applied to this fruit by the Incas, who brought the 

 tree from the province of Palta to the valley of Cuzco. 



One of the most valuable accounts written in the early 

 days is that of Hernandez, as edited and published by the 

 friar Francisco Ximenez in 1615. Hernandez, who was a 

 physician sent by the King of Spain to study the medicinal 

 plants of Mexico, was evidently familiar only with the Mexican 

 avocado (P. drymifolia) ; at least, if he had seen the lowland 

 species he makes no mention of it. 



Another excellent account was written in 1653 by Bernabe 

 Cobo, a priest who had traveled widely in tropical America. 

 He was the first, so far as known, to mention the Guatemalan 

 avocados. After describing at some length the West Indian 

 race, as it is now called, mentioning in particular the varieties 

 grown in Yucatan and those of certain sections of Peru, he says : 



"There are three distinct kinds of paltas. The second 

 kind is a large, round one which is produced in the province of 

 Guatemala, and which does not have as smooth a skin as the 

 first. The third is a small palta which is found in Mexico 

 which in size, color and form resembles a Breva fig ; some are 

 round and others elongate, and the skin is as thin and smooth 

 as that of a plum." 



Thus it is seen that the three groups of cultivated avocados, 

 recognized at the present day by horticulturists under the names 

 of West Indian, Guatemalan, and Mexican, were distinguished 

 as early as 1653 by Padre Cobo. 



