192 



MEXICO. 



Mexico, tezuma was the ninth monarch who had swayed the 

 ^ "V*~ Mexifin sceptre, not by hereditary right, hut !>y popu- 

 lar election. This recent origin of the Mexican nation 

 (which is indeed confirmed by their own want of his- 

 torical traditions) is not easily reconciled with the high 

 degree of civilization, which the Spanish accounts re- 

 present them to hare attained at the time of the con- 

 quest : and it is highly probable, that the splendid de- 

 scriptions of their government and manners are consi- 

 derably exaggerated. These accounts also are obvi- 

 ously so contradictor}', and apparently so inaccurate, 

 that no correct estimate can be formed of the state of 

 society and progress of the arts in the Mexican empire, 

 when it fell under the power of Spain. The extent 

 even of the empire was represented by the conquerors 

 in a very delusive light ; and the dominions of Monte- 

 zuma were spoken of as stretching over all the provin- 

 ce* of New Spain, from the Northern to the Southern 

 Ocean. But a great part of the mountainous country 

 north of the river Santiaga, was possessed by the Oto- 

 mites and Chichemecs, a raee of ferocious and uncivili- 

 zed hunters, none of whom recognized the supremacy 

 of the Mexican monarch. These tribes occupied the 

 plains of Zelaya and Salamanca, now admired for their 

 fine cultivation ; and frequently extended their ravages 

 as far as Tula, on the northern bank of the valley of 

 Tenochtitlan. Even in the interior and level country 

 there were several cities and provinces which had never 

 submitted to the Mexican yoke ; and the territory de- 

 nominated Anahuac, between the 14th anil 21st degrees 

 of latitude, contained, besides the Aztec empire of Mon- 

 tezuma, the small republic of Cholollan, (Cholula, ) 

 within less than 20 leagues of the capital, and subjected 

 to the Mexican crown only a short time 'before the ar- 

 rival of the Spaniards; Tlaxcallan, (Tlascala, ) another 

 independent and hostile state ; Tezcuco (Tepeaca) and 

 Mechoacan, two considerable kingdoms, whose fron- 

 tiers reached within 30 or 20 leagues of Mexico, and 

 the latter of which was remarkable for its implacable 

 Mexican enmity to the Mexican name. The empire of Monte- 

 cmpire. zuma was thus bounded towards the east by the rivers 

 of Guasacualco and Tuspan ; and towards the west by 

 the plains of Soconusco and the port of Zacatula ; com- 

 prising only the modern intendancies of Vera Cruz, 

 Oaxaca, Puebla, Mexico, and Valladolid, an area of 

 about 15,000 square leagues. 



State of ci- "^he progress of civilization and state of society in 

 vil'izution. *his empire may be estimated by the following facts. 



1. The right nf private properly was fully understood; 

 and both property in land and property in goods might 

 be transferred by barter, or descend by inheritance. 

 Land was held by various tenures ; by some it was 

 possessed by full right, and it descended to their heirs; 

 but, by others, it was enjoyed along with some office 

 or dignity with which it was acquired or lost. These 

 two modes of occupation were deemed noble, and were 

 peculiar to the highest class. The great body of the 

 people had only a share in the produce of a common 

 tract of land., which was measured out in every district, 

 according to the number of families, and was cultivated 

 by the joint labour of the whole community; its pro- 

 duce deposited in a common storehouse, and divided 

 among them according to their respective exigencies. 



2. The cities were numerous, well inhabited, and, though 

 doubtless greatly overrated in point of population and 

 splendour, in the accounts of the conquerors, yet ap- 

 pear to have been of such importance as to indicate a 

 considerable degree of progress in the arts of social life. 

 The capital seems at least to have contained 60,000 in- 



habitants. 3. The separation of the professions had Mcxlcn. 

 taken place to a considerable extent. The function of ""* 

 the mason, the weaver, the goldsmith, the painter, and 

 several other trades, were carried on by different per- 

 sons, who were regularly instructed in their respective 

 crafts ; and, by means of assiduous application to one 

 object, they attained a degree of neatness and perfec- 

 tion beyond what could have been expected from the 

 rudeness of their tools. Their various productions were 

 brought to markets regularly held in the cities, and ex. 

 changed in the orderly intercourse of commerce. 4. The 

 distinction of ranks was established by very wide inter- 

 vals. The great body of the people was placed in a 

 very humiliating state. A considerable number, nam- 

 ed Mayeques, were attached to the soil, which they 

 were bound to cultivate, and with which they were 

 conreyed from one proprietor to another. Others were 

 held in the most rigorous condition of domestic servi- 

 tude, and their lives were deemed of so little value, 

 that the murderer of any of them was not subjected to 

 any punishment. Even those who were considered as 

 freemen, and had their share of a common tract of land 

 as above mentioned, were treated by the haughty nobles 

 as beings of an inferior species. The nobles themselves 

 were divided into various classes, with their peculiar 

 titles, some of which descended with their lands to 

 their families, and others were annexed to particular 

 offices, and conferred for life as marks of personal dis- 

 tinction. The respect due from one rank to another, 

 was prescribed with the most ceremonious accuracy, 

 and incorporated itself with the expressions and idioms 

 of the language, which is said to abound in terms of 

 courtesy. The people were not allowed to wear the 

 same dress, or to dwell in houses of the same form with 

 those of the nobles, or to accost them without the most 

 submissive reverence, while, in the presence of their 

 sovereign, they durst not lift their eyes from the ground 

 or look him in the face. The nobles themselves, when 

 admitted to an audience with the monarch, were oblig- 

 ed to enter bare-footed, in mean garments, and with 

 forms of homage approaching to adoration. 5. There 

 appear to have been many established larvs and customs 

 circumscribing the power of the crown, previous to the 

 election of Montezunia, who subverted the original 

 system of government, and introduced a pure despo- 

 tism. There were thirty nobles of the highest order, 

 each of whom had about 100,000 people in his terri- 

 tories; and subordinate to these there were about 3000 

 nobles of a lower class. The jurisdiction of the crown was 

 extremely limited, as in the times of feudal policy in 

 Europe; and the nobles guarded their extensive privi- 

 leges with the utmost jealousy, against the encroach- 

 ments of the crown. The king could not determine 

 concerning any point of general importance, such as 

 making war and disposing of the revenue, without the 

 approbation of a council composed of the principal no- 

 bility. The right of electing the sovereign seems to 

 have been originally vested in the whole body of the 

 nobles; but was afterwards committed to six electors. 

 Generally the choice fell upon some individual who 

 was sprung from the royal family ; and to the successive 

 choice of able and warlike princes may be ascribed the 

 extraordinary power which the empire attained in so 

 short a period of time. Under Montezuma, the splen- 

 dour of the Mexican court resembled the magnificence 

 displayed in the ancient monarchies of Asia. C. Con- 

 siderable ordar and regularity were manifest in the in- 

 ternal administration and police of the empire. The 

 crown exercised complete jurisdiction over its imrne- 



