308 CHARACTER OF THE INDIANS. 



The Mexican population consists of the same ele- 

 ments as that of the other Spanish colonies. Seven 

 races are distinguished: — 1. Gachupines, or persons 

 born in Europe ; 2. Spanish Creoles, or whites of 

 European extraction born in America ; 3. Mestizoes, 

 descendants of whites and Indians ; 4. Mulattoes, 

 descendants of whites and negroes ; 5. Zambos, de- 

 scendants of negroes and Indians ; 6. Indians, of the 

 indigenous race ; and, 7. African negroes. 



The Indians appear to constitute at least two-fifths 

 of the whole. Humboldt seems to favour the opin- 

 ion, that the Aztecs, who inhabited New-Spain at 

 the period of the conquest, may have been of 

 Asiatic origin. As the migrations of the American 

 tribes have always taken place from north to south, 

 the native population of this country must necessa- 

 rily consist of very heterogeneous elements. The 

 number of languages exceeds 20 ; and of these four- 

 teen have tolerably complete grammars and diction- 

 aries. Most of these tongues, so far from being 

 only dialects of the same, as some authors have as- 

 serted, present as little affinity to each other as the 

 Greek and the German. The variety spoken by the 

 indigenous inhabitants of America forms a very- 

 striking contrast with the small number used in Asia 

 and Europe. The Aztec or Mexican is the most 

 widely distributed. 



The Indians of New-Spain bear a general resem- 

 blance to those of Florida, Canada, Peru, and Brazil. 

 They have the same dingy copper colour, straight 

 and smooth hair, deficient beard, squat body, elon- 

 gated and oblique eyes, prominent cheekbones, and 

 thick lips. But although the American tribes have 

 thus a certain uniformity of character, they differ 

 as much from each other as the numerous varieties 

 of the European or Caucasian race. Those who 

 live in this province have a more swarthy complex- 

 ion than the inhabitants of the warmest parts of the 

 south. They have also a much more abundant 



