THE AZTEQUE3. 283 



from the north of CaUfomia, or north-west of 

 New Mexico. Cla\dgero, the famous histori- 

 an heretofore alkided to, speaking of this em- 

 igration, observes, that the Azteques, or Mexi- 

 can Indians, who were the last settlers in the 

 country of Anahuac, hved until about the year 

 1160 of the Christian era in Aztlan, a country 

 situated to the north of the Gulf of Califor- 

 nia; as is inferred from the route of their 

 peregrinations, and from the information after- 

 wards acquired by the Spaniards in their ex- 

 peditions through those countries. He then 

 proceeds to" show by what incentives they 

 were probably induced to abandon their na- 

 tive land ; adding that whatever may have 

 been the motive, no doubt can possibly exist 

 as to the journey's having actually been per- 

 formed. He says that they travelled in a 

 south-eastwardly direction towards the Rio 

 Gila, where they remained for some time — 

 the ruins of their edifices being still to be seen, 

 ■upon its banks. They tlien struck out for a 

 point over two hundred and fift}^ miles to the 

 northwest of Chihuahua in about 29° of N. 

 latitude, where they made another halt This 

 place is known by the name of Casas Gnandes 

 (big houses), on account of a large edifice 

 which still stands on the spot, and which, ac- 

 cording to the general tradition of those re- 

 gions, was erected by the Mexican Indians, 

 during their wanderings. The buildmg is 

 constructed after the plan of those in New 

 Mexico, with three stories covered with au 

 azalea or terrace, and without door or entrance 



