6 SAriTHSOXIAX MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 94 



den of plants from many districts in Mexico. The historian Juan de 

 Torquemada," who was for a time a member of the faculty of Santa 

 Cruz, tells us that " Montezuma kept a garden of medicinal herbs 

 and that the court physicians experimented with them and attended 

 the nobility. But the common people came rarely to these doctors for 

 medical aid, not only because a fee was charged for their services, 

 but also because the medicinal value of herbs was common knowl- 

 edge and they could concoct remedies from their own gardens." 

 These gardens were undoubtedly flourishing in good condition at the 

 time the manuscript was written, and even today they furnish all 

 the flowers and vegetables for Mexico City. It is quite within reason 

 that both Martinus de la Cruz and Juannes Badianus were familiar 

 with the flora of this district from early childhood. 



Of " the Reverend Franciscan father, Brother Jacobo de Grado ", 

 no other historical reference has as yet been found — a most singular 

 fact since he held the position of superior at the convent at a time 

 when both the historians Fray Bernardino de Sahagun and Fray 

 Torquemada were in Mexico, the former Fray Bernardino de Sahagun 

 being a member of the Governing Board of the Order of Franciscans 

 at the time of the completion of this manuscript. 



As to the origin of the famous College of Santa Cruz of Tlaltelolco 

 (Tlatilulci), both the modern writers Bourne' and Merriman " ac- 

 credit its founding to Bishop Zumarraga in the year 1535. Bourne 

 adds : " Besides the elementary branches, instruction was offered in 

 Latin, philosophy, music, Mexican medicine, and the native languages. 

 Among the faculty were graduates of the University of Paris and 

 such eminent scholars as Bernardino de Sahagun. the founder of 

 American anthropology, and Juan de Torquemada, himself a product 

 of Mexican education, whose Monarquia Indiana is a great storehouse 

 of knowledge of Mexican antiquities and history. Many of the 

 graduates of this college became alcaldes and governors in the Indian 

 towns." 



' Torquemada, Juan de, Monarg. Ind., lib. 14, chap. 14 : " El emperador 

 Moctezuma tenia jardines de yerbas medicinales, y mandaba a sus medicos que 

 hiciesen experiencias con ellas, y curasen a los senores de su corte. La gente 

 comi'in occurria rara vez a los medicos, por excusarse de pagarles, y porque era 

 general el conocimiento de varies remedios, con los cuales se curaban, conio 

 podian, de sus enfermedades." 



"* Bourne, E. G., The American Nation — a history, vol. 3, p. 309, Harper & 

 Brothers, New York, 1904. 



" Merriman, R. B., The rise of the Spanish Empire, vol. 3, p. 663, Macmillan 

 Co.. New York, ig.'S. 



