THE AZTECS Q17 
In the old days the Tarascans were skilled in weaving 
and were particularly famous for feather mosaics and 
feather pictures made largely of the brilliant plumage of 
humming birds. The use of the atlatl or spear-thrower 
survives among the present-day ‘Tarascan Indians. 
These natives also make gourd vessels covered with 
colored clays in pleasing geometric and floral designs. 
Southern Mexico. Somewhere about the middle of 
the fifteenth century Moctezuma I planted an Aztecan 
colony at Uaxyacac on the edge of the Zapotecan terri- 
tory to protect the trade route to Tabasco. This name 
gave rise to the modern Oaxaca. From this point 
expeditions were sent out which harrassed the Zapote- 
can towns to the south. In the Tribute Roll of Mocte- 
zuma II more than twenty Zapotecan towns are listed 
as paying tribute that consisted of gold disks and gold 
dust, jadeite beads, quetzal feathers, cochineal dye, fine 
textiles, etc. Very little is preserved concerning the 
traditional history of Southern Mexico, but it is pre- 
sumed that the Zapotecan culture before the Aztecan 
influence took place was a development of that im- 
planted under the Mayan horizon and which we have 
already examined. 
Some of the finest pre-Cortesian codices that have 
come down to us are probably of Zapotecan and Mix- 
tecan origin although reflecting to some extent the 
religion of the Aztecs. Several of these have been inter- 
preted by Doctor Seler in terms of Aztecan religion and 
art. Among the documents from southern Mexico that 
seemingly belong to the Aztecan period are:— 
Codex Borgia Codex Féjervary-Mayer 
Codex Vaticanus 3773 Codex Vindobonensis 
Codex Bologna Codex Nuttall 
Several /zenzos or documents written on cloth are also 
from this region. The Lienzo of Amoltepec which is a 
