THE MEXICANS. 143 



Having thus traced, in as few words as possible, the affiliation of the various 

 tribes which intruded themselves into Mexico, we proceed in the next place to 

 inquire into the distinguishing traits of these communities, all which are now 

 registered in history by the collective name of Mexicans. 



All these nations were characterised, as we have observed, by similarity of 

 language, and they possessed also similar manners, institutions, and physical traits ; 

 ^nd Humboldt has compared their affinity to that which is known to exist between 

 the Germans, the Norwegians, the Goths and the Danes, who are all embraced in 

 a single race.* 



The moral and physical qualities of the Mexicans, says Clavigero, their 

 tempers and dispositions, were the same with those of the Alcohuans, the 

 Tepanecas, the Tlascalans and other nations, with no other difference than what 

 arose from their different mode of education, so that what is said of one may be 

 considered applicable to all the others.f " The Mexicans are of good stature, 

 generally rather exceeding than falling short of the middling size, and well 

 proportioned in all their limbs : they have good complexions, narrow foreheads, 

 black eyes, clean, firm, regular white teeth ; thick, black, coarse, glossy hair, thin 

 beards, and generally no hair upon their legs and arms. There is scarcely a 

 nation, perhaps, upon earth in which there are fewer deformed persons, and it 

 would be more difficult to find a single hump-backed, lame or squint-eyed man 

 among a thousand Mexicans, than among a hundred of any other nation. The 

 unpleasantness of their color, the smallness of their forehead, the thinness of their 

 beard and the coarseness of their hair, are so far compensated by the regularity 

 and fine proportion of their limbs, that they can neither be called very beautiful, 

 nor the contrary, but seem to hold a middle place between the extremes. 



" Their appearance neither engages nor disgusts; but among the young women 

 of Mexico, there are many very beautiful and fair ; whose beauty is at the same 

 time rendered more winning by the sweetness of their manner of speaking, and by 

 the pleasantness and natural modesty of their whole behaviour."J 



Their senses are very acute, especially that of sight, which they retain 

 unimpaired to old age. They are moderate in eating, but like all the American 

 nation they delight in intoxicating drinks, which have already caused a frightful 

 waste of life. To these observations of Clavigero may be added a few others 

 from Humboldt, who describes them as possessing " a swarthy and copper color, 

 flat and smooth hair, squat body, long eye with the corner directed upwards 



* Monuments, I, p. 214. t Hist, of Mexico, I, p. 103. 



± Clavigero, I, p. 104. Am, ed. 



