306 AMAZONIA AND LA PLATA. 



its origin, not in the Jesuit establishment of Porto Seguro, as stated by Martins, 

 but in the native market places, whence it spread from tribe to tribe. 



In the eastern forests there still survive a few peaceful groups of Coaguas 

 (Coyagua) and other Indians, who keep aloof, although conscious of their kinship 

 with the other Guarani, whose religious ceremonies, bequeathed by the Jesuits, they 

 imitate in a rude way. To the same stock belong the Apitares (" Inland People") 

 a nation of potters and weavers, who occupy the territory between the sources of 

 the Jujuy and the Guayra Falls. 



The Guarani are amongst those aborigines of America who approach nearest 

 to the Mongolie type. Nearly all of short stature, averaging about 4 feet 2 or 

 3 inches, stout and thick set, with broad chest and shoulders, and yellow-brown 

 complexion, they have a round face with low narrow brow, slightly oblique eyes 

 and coarse black hair. 



On the Paraguay above Asuncion dwelt the Payaguas, a vigorous race of 

 fishers, taller than the Guarani, with narrower features and more delicate frames. 

 Most of them perished in the incessant wars with the Spanitirds, and the few 

 survivors were removed to Asuncion, where, before the war, they still numbered 

 about 600 ; but nearly all fell in the various battles, and in 1<S78 only 17 remained 

 of the whole tribe. They were excellent craftsmen and even artists, designing 

 eleo-ant arabesques and fictile vases, modelling in clay or carving in wood 

 statuettes with extremely life-like expression. The Payaguay language, which 

 differed fundamentally from the Guarani, was so difficult to pronounce, that no 

 Parao-uayan could ever learn it. Certain words resembled deep sighs far more 

 than the sounds of articulate speech. 



The Lenguas and the Mbayas, members of the Guaycuru family, have not 

 entireiv disappeared, a few still surviving in Chaco, opposite Villa Concepcion. 

 In the same district, but a little farther north, facing the Apa confluence, live 

 the Ano-aites, who still number about 1,500. They are a remnant of the warlike 

 tribes, who in the early days of the settlement surrounded and massacred Ayolas's 

 little armed band. 



The Abipons and Tobas. 



Few also survive of the famous Abipon nation, who down to the middle of 

 the eighteenth century still occupied a vast territory in the south of the present 

 Paraguay and beyond the Parana, as well as in Gran Chaco. Although never very 

 numerous, at no time mustering 1,000 fighting men, they were much dreaded by 

 the settlers, especially when they had learnt towards the middle of the seven- 

 teenth century to train and mount the horses introduced by the Spaniards into 

 the pampas region. In about fifty years the Abipons with their Mocovi allies 

 were stated to have captured about 100,000 horses from the whites. " The land 

 is ours," they said, " and all that it produces belongs to us." 



These terrible warriors had no chiefs, properly so called ; the leader in their 



