^4 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 



Hue Hue Tlapalan — the same historian just quoted, says : "It is 

 found in the history of the Toltecs that the age of the first world, as 

 they call it, lasted 1716 years ; that men were destroyed by tremend- 

 ous rains and lightning from the sky ; and even all the land, without 

 exception of anything, the highest mountains, were covered up and 

 submerged (coxtolmocatli) fifteen cubits ; and here they added other 

 fables of how men came to multiply from the few who escaped from 

 destruction in a large chest (toptlipetocali), and how, after men had 

 multiplied, they erected a very high tower (zacali), in order to take 

 refuge should the second world be destroyed. Presently their 

 language was confused, and being unable to understand each other, 

 they went to different parts of the earth." 



It must be remembered these records were written by an Aztec 

 prince and historian who lived about the time of Cortez, and who 

 received his information from the archives of his family. By 

 comparing this version of the flood legend with the account given in 

 the Book of Genesis, a striking analogy will be found ; it will also be 

 observed that these people had a clearly preserved account of the 

 building of the tower of Babel. 



Further than this the Mexican historian throws no light on the 

 early history of the Toltecs ; he leaves us in darkness as to the 

 exact location of that Tlapalan land m the far East, though we 

 cannot doubt it was among those teeming nations of the Orient, that 

 have been the first great womb of all mankind. 



When the Aztecs first entered Mexico they were little better 

 than our Northern savages, but they were a strong, brave, and war. 

 like people, and by the latter part of the 14th century had all the 

 country under their subjection. It was at this time they began the 

 adoption of the manners and customs of the Toltecs, absorbing one 

 by one the different branches, until the civilization of the conquered 

 lived again, to a certain degree, in that of the conquerers. It is in 

 this manner then, that we have transmitted to us, though perhaps in 

 a perverted form, the customs of the Toltecs ; these in turn received 

 their knowledge through the far branches of the Nahua family, who 

 are unquestionably supposed to have been a part of the first 

 colonizers. Therefore, by a close consideration of the customs 

 existing and practiced among the Mexicans at the time of the Cortez 



