208 



flames in Yucatan, and the loss of which book 

 was so deeply lamented by Acosta, who was 

 more learned and enlightened than his contem- 

 poraries ? Is it certain, that the Toltecks, that 

 industrious and enterprising people, who have 

 several traits of resemblance with the Tchouds*, 

 or ancient inhabitants of Siberia, were the first 

 to introduce painting ? or had the Cuitlaltecks 

 and the Olmecks, who dwelt on the elevated 

 plain of Anahuac before the irruption of the 

 nations of Aztlan, and to whom the learned 

 Siguenza attributes' the construction of the pyra- 

 mids of Teotihuacan, already recorded their 

 annals and their mythology in collections of 

 hieroglyphical paintings? We have not data 

 enough to answer these important questions; 

 the obscurity, that envelops the origin of the 

 Mongul and Tartar nations, seems to extend 

 over the whole history of the New Continent. 



The Codex Borgianus has been commented 

 upon by the Jesuit Fabrega, of Mexican origin. 

 During my last abode in Italy, in 1805, the 

 Chevalier Borgia, nephew of the Cardinal, had 

 the kindness to send for the Mexican manuscript 

 with its commentary from Veletri to Rome. I 

 examined them carefully : the explanations of 

 P. Fabrega appeared to me often arbitrary and 



• Voyage de Pallas (traduction de Paris), torn. 4, p. 

 282. 





