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history of the native tribes of America ; but in 

 traversing the country to examine its monuments, 

 and make researches into its antiquities, he had 

 the misfortune to excite the suspicion of the 

 Spanish government. After having been de- 

 prived of all the fruits of his labours, he was sent 

 in 1736, as a state-prisoner, to Madrid. The 

 King of Spain declared him innocent, but this 

 declaration did not restore to him his property ; 

 and his collections, the catalogue of which Bo- 

 turini published at the end of his Essay on the 

 Ancient History of New-Spain, printed at Ma- 

 drid, lay buried in the archives of the Vice- 

 royalty at Mexico. These valuable relics of the 

 culture of the Aztecks were preserved with so 

 little care, that there scarcely exists at present 

 an eighth part of the hieroglyphical manuscripts 

 taken from the Italian traveller. 



They who, before Boturini, were in possession 

 of the genealogical painting, which we now 

 publish, have added to it explanatory notes, 

 sometimes in Mexican, and sometimes in the 

 Spanish language. We see by these notes, that 

 the family, whose genealogy is represented in the 

 drawing, is that of the lords (tlatoanis) of Azca- 

 pozalco. The small territory of these princes, 

 to which the Tepanecks gave the pompous name 

 of kingdom, was situate in the valley of Mexico, 

 near the western bank of the lake of Tezcuco, to 

 the north of the river Escapuzalco. Torquemada 



