INTRODUCTION 33 
translated into the Mexican language. ‘There were, 
however, large groups of Indians of the Nahuan stock 
already located in this territory. The Pipiles were 
given their name, which means “boys,” because their 
speech was somewhat different from classical Mexican. 
They were situated in southern Guatemala and in 
Salvador. Still farther south were the Niquirao of 
Nicaragua and a little-known group called the Sigua in 
Costa Rica. 
The wide geographical distribution of Nahuan lan- 
guages has an undeniable historical significance. The 
numerous tribes represent a very wide range In culture 
albeit nearly all are dwellers of arid or semi-arid regions. 
Some like the Paiute are miserable “diggers” willing to 
eat anything that will support life; others like the 
Comanche are warlike raiders; more progressive tribes 
like the Hopi have adopted agriculture and developed 
interesting arts and customs; while the highest members 
of the group are among the most civilized nations of the 
New World. It seems clear that language as a basis of 
classification extends over a much greater stretch of 
time than does culture. Particular phases of art, 
religion, and government develop and disappear, but 
the grouping of sounds used to express ideas remains as 
proof that peoples now far apart geographically as well 
as in their habits and achievements were once close 
together. ‘The peculiar grouping, in this instance, may 
indicate a general southward movement. 
The second most important group of languages is the 
Mayan, now spoken by over half a million people. 
This stock has only one outlying member, namely, the 
Huasteca of northern Vera Cruz. The other twenty- 
one languages cover a continuous area in the Mexican 
states of Yucatan, Tabasco, and Chiapas and in the 
republic of Guatemala. The most important language 
