174 ' REVIEWS. 
green or blue, with other colors interspersed with the white. And 
there is yet another kind of green stone which resembles the chaicbósiitn 
and called PERE ig auge * ]tis known to the Nr: as tecelic, fcr 
the reason that it is very easy to work, and has spots of c h 
wrought and curious stones which the natives wear shige! js their 
wrists, whether of crystal or other precious stones, they call chopilotl— 
a designation that is given to any stone curiously worked or very beauti- 
ful? (Historia de Nueva España, lib. xi., cap. viii.) The same author, 
deseribing the ornaments which the Mexican lords used in their — 
speaks of a ‘head-dress called quetzalalpitoat, consisting of two tassels of 
rich plumes, set in gold, and worn suspended from the hair at crown 
of the head, and hanging down on each side towards the shoulders. 
They also wear rings of gold around the arms and in their ears, and 
round their wrists a broad band of black leather, and suspended to this 
a large bead of chalchiuitl or other precious stone. They also wear a 
chin ornament (barbote) of chalchiuitl set in gold, fixed in the beard. 
Some of these barbotes are large crystals, with blue feathers put in them, 
which give them the appearance of sapphires. There are many other 
varieties of precious stones which they use for barbotes. They have 
their lower lips slit, and wear these ornaments in the openings, ys 
they appear as if coming out of the flesh; and they wear in the same 
way semilunes of gold. 'The noses of the great lords are also E 
T 
necks, sustaining a gold medal set nura with oe and having in its 
centre a smooth precious stone.’ (Zb., viii. ca 
x.) 
In these descriptions, it will be seen yo the alinia are spoken 
of as ornaments, e or oblong beads, which conforms with the repre- 
sentations in the paintings. But these or similar green stones were used 
for other purposes Pra chronicler D MM in his account of the 
conquest of the Tesis of Yucatan, spea idols their temples *of 
precious arp green, red, and of other apti esi in describing the 
gre e of Tayasal, mentions particularly an idol which was found 
in it, *a e long, of rough emerald (esmeralda bruta), which the infidels 
called the god of Battles," tnd sg the conquering general, Ursua, took 
as part of his share of the s 
The Mexicans nevertheless ie true emeralds, of which we have left to 
us the most glowing descriptions. Gomara describes particularly five 
large ones which Cortez took with him from Mexico to Spain at the time 
of his sin visit, and which were regarded as among the finest in the world. 
The re valued at 100,000 ducats, and for one of them the Genoese 
aneii offered 40,000 ducats, with the view of selling it to the Grand 
Turk. Cortez had also the emerald vases, which the padre Mariana as- 
sures us, in the supplement of his History of Spain, were worth 300,000 
ducats. They are reported to have been lost at sea. All these emeralds 
2s De. h Pa tht. 
cosa verde. , and tecpatl, stone; 1. e. green stone. 
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