94 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



ing to their ancient tradition, that a certain perfon named 

 Votan (£), was prefent at that grear building, which was 

 made by order of his uncle, in order to mount up to 

 heaven ; that then every people was given its language, 

 and that Votan himfeif was charged by God to make 

 the divifion of the lands of Anahuac. The prelate adds 

 afterwards, that there was in his time in Teopixca, a 

 great fettlement of that diocefs, a family of the furname 

 of Votan, who were the reputed defendants of that an- 

 cient populator. We are not here endeavouring to 

 give antiquity to the populator of America on the faith 

 of the Chiapanefe, but merely to (hew that the Ame- 

 ricans conceived themfelves the defendants of Noah. 



Of the ancient Indians of Cuba feveral hiftorians of 

 America relate, that when they were interrogated by 

 the Spaniards concerning their origin, they anfwered, 

 they had heard from their ancellors that God created 

 the heavens, the earth, and all things ; that an old man r 

 having forefeen the deluge with which God defigned to 

 chaftife the fins of men, built a large canoe, and em- 

 barked in it with his family, and many animals ; that 

 when the inundation ceafed, he fent out a raven, which, 

 becaufe it found carrion to feed on, never returned to 

 the canoe ; that he then fent out a pigeon, which foon 

 returned bearing a branch of Hoba, a certain fruit of 

 America, in its mouth ; that when the old man faw the 

 earth was dry, he difembarked, and having made himfelf 

 fome wine of the wood-grape, he became intoxicated and 

 fell afleep ; that then one of his fons made ridicule of 

 his nakednefs, and that another fon pioufly covered him ; 

 that, upon waking he bleffed the latter, and curfed the 



former. 



(b) Votan is the chief of thofe twenty famous men whofe names were given 

 to the twenty days of the Chiapanefe month. 



