169 



but in very remote times among the Chinese. 

 Boturini was fortunate enough to procure speci- 

 mens of real Mexican quippus, or nepohualt- 

 zitzin, found in the country of the Tlascaltecks. 

 In the great migrations of the nations, those of 

 America transported themselves from north to 

 south, as the Iberians, the Celts, and the Pelas- 

 gi flowed from east to west. Perhaps the ancient 

 inhabitants of Peru had already passed over the 

 elevated plain of Mexico : in fact, Ulloa, who was 

 well acquainted with the style of Peruvian archi- 

 tecture, was struck with the great resemblance 

 certain old edifices of Western Louisiana bore, 

 in the distribution of the doors and niches, to the 

 tambnes built by the Incas ; and it is not less sin- 

 gular, according to the traditions collected at Li- 

 can the ancient capital of the kingdom of Quito, 

 that the quippus were known to the Puruays 

 long before they were subdued by the descend- 

 ants of Manco-Capac. 



The use of writing and of hieroglyphics super- 

 sede^ in Mexico, as well as in China, that of 

 knots, or the nepohualtzitzin. This change 

 was effected about the year 648 of our era. A 

 northern, but very polished race, the Toltecks, 

 appears in the mountains of Anahuac, on the east 

 of the gulf of California ; declares itself expelled 

 from a country lying to the north-west of the 

 Rio Gila, and called Huehuetlapallan ; it brings 

 with it paintings, indicating year by year the 





