BEYIEWS — NOTES ON CENTEAL AMEEICA. 377 



the Catholic religion, though intruding into its worship many peculiar 

 aboriginal rites. The mechanical arts, moreover, are described ar 

 little understood, and the fine arts still less practised, while music is 

 cultivated only as an accessory to the services of the Church. It is 

 obvious, therefore, that like other aboriginal races, their contact witli> 

 the European has led to the extinction of their own native arts and 

 civilization, without their sharing in the higher civilization of their 

 conquerors. The only title of rank recognised among them is that 

 of " Ahuales, only conceded to persons over forty years of age, who 

 have had charge of the treasure-boxes of their various Saints, or who 

 have served in some public capacity." And the predominance of the 

 foreign element in its ecclesiastical aspect is apparent throughout. 



"Agriculture among them is carried on only to the extent of pro- 

 ducing the maize requisite for the year, and nothing more. Their 

 sole wealth consists of their balsam, calculated approximately to 

 amount to twenty thousand pounds annually, and which they sell at 

 four rials, or half a dollar the pound. This, it might be supposed, 

 would gradually place in their hands some property, but it is quite 

 spent in the festivals of the saints, which are rather eating and 

 drinking bouts than sacred feasts." 



Added to this, the following description of their physical character- 

 istics suffices to complete the picture of their present condition : 



" Physically, these Indians have more angular and severer features 

 than those of the other families of Guatemala and Nicaragua. They 

 are not so symmetrical in form, and are darker in color, more taciturn, 

 and apparently less intelligent. Their women are much smaller than 

 those of the other Indian nations, are generally ugly, and, when old, 

 little short of hideous. Throughout the State they are in- 

 dustrious ; and San Salvador, favored generally with a fertile and 

 arable soil, is undoubtedly the best cultivated, as it is the best popu- 

 lated state of Central America." 



Our space forbids us following the author further in his interesting 

 inquiries into the diffusion of the Xahual or Aztec stock at the period 

 of the Spanish conquest ; but we have produced evidence enough to 

 shew that, while Mr. Squier is an author whose views must be re- 

 ceived with caution on all questions where American prejudices or 

 American interests are involved, he ha3 nevertheless produced a work 

 which will be studied with interest by all who have made themselves 

 familiar with his previous contributions to the Archaeology and Topo- 

 graphy of this continent. 



D. W 



