THOMAS] INDIAN LANGUAGES OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 39 
hrritila having been selected by Orozco y Berra because it was given 
by Ribas and some other early writers as the name of one of the 
tribes or subtribes of the Laguneros. The principal region occupied 
by them lay about the lakes of the table-lands of Mapimi, of which 
the most important was the Laguna de Parras (or San Pedro). The 
brief statement by Ribas (669) in regard to location is given in the 
note below,! where it is seen that he almost confines them to the 
region about the Laguna de San Pedro. 
The southwestern boundary of the area appears to be approxi- 
mately determined by another statement of the same author (673), 
that Cuencamé, a pueblo on the Rio Nazas, 8 leagues southwest of 
the lake, was peopled by Zacatecos. On the other hand, however, 
it is uncertain what languages were spoken by the Laguneros and 
what were their affinities. The author last quoted indicates that 
at the founding of the Parras mission by Father Juan Agustin the 
Zacatec language was used, at least in part. He states, however, 
in the chapter following, that Zacatecos came to the mission and 
joined those of the locality. In chapter x he refers to the ‘‘Iritiles”’. 
as one of the several ‘“‘naciones” of the Laguna, and speaks of a 
‘“‘eacique de los que llamaua Iritilas.”’ 
Alegre (1, 380) says the people along the Nazas river and about 
the lake spoke rudely (‘‘groseramente”) the Mexican language 
(about the year 1600). In another place (1, 416) he mentions, as in 
this region, the Ochoes, a ferocious and inhuman people, and the 
Alamamas, a less barbarous people. The statement is made (Doc. 
Hist. Mex., 4th s., mr, 33, under the title ‘‘Del Anua del afio de 
1596”’) that the Indians dwelling along the Nazas river were Zaca- 
tecos, but those at the ‘‘ Laguna” are referred toas of another ‘‘gente,”’ 
the name of which is not given. The same volume (54) mentions 
Irritila and Mexicana as languages spoken, the former being the idiom 
proper to that particular locality. On a following page (58) are 
mentioned the following ‘‘naciones”’ as coming from the surround- 
ing country to join the Irritila in their religious festivities—Mio- 
pacoas, Meviras, Hoeras, and Maiconeras, and as coming from the 
lake, the Paogas and Caviseras, Vassapalles and Ahomamas, and 
the Yanabopos and Daparabopos (mentioned in pairs, as named 
here). However, it is not at all likely that these were all tribes or 
even subtribes, but mere bands, hence this reference can not be 
accepted as indicative of so many different idioms. 
It is evident, therefore, that the data regarding the tribes of the 
region marked off by Orozco y Berra, under the name Ivritila, are 
not sufficient to justify any decided conclusion regarding their lin- 
1 Y de los que nobran Laguneros, poblados. 4 las margenes de la laguna que llaman Grande de san Pedro, 
y algunos dellos en las isletas que haze lamisma laguna. A la cabecera desta doctrina, y Mission, dieron 
los Espanioles nombre de Parras. 
