124 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



founding thofe of other later nations. That monarchy- 

 having begun then in 667, and lafted three hundred and 

 eighty-four years, the end of it, and ruin of the Tolte- 

 cas, ought to be fixed in the year 1051. 



Between the ruin of the Toltecas and the arrival of 

 the Chechemecas, Torquemada allows but nine years; 

 this interval is too fmall, becaufe the Chechemecas found, 

 as the fame author fays, the edifices of the Toltecas in 

 ruins; and it is improbable that they would have gone 

 to ruin in only nine years. Befides, we cannot fix the 

 beginning of the Chechemecan monarchy in that centu- 

 ry, without increaling the number of their kings, or 

 prolonging their lives immoderately, as Torquemada has 

 done. Who can believe that Xolotl reigned a hundred 

 and thirteen years, and lived two hundred ? That No- 

 pa! tzin his fon lived one hundred and feventy ; that Te- 

 chotlala , his great great grandfon mould reign one hun- 

 dred and four; and Tezozomoc, his defcendant, mould 

 reign in Azcapozalco -one hundred and fixty, or one 

 hundred and eighty years ? It is true, that a man of 

 robuft conftitution, aflifted by fobriety of life, and fo 

 mild a clime as that of Mexico, might arrive at fo ad- 

 vanced an age; and in that country there are not a very 

 few examples of men who have prolonged their life be- 

 yond the regular time prefcribed to mortals. Calmeca- 

 hua, one of the Tlafcalan captains who affifted the Spa- 

 niards in the conqueft of Mexico, lived one hundred 

 and thirty years. Pedro Nieto, a jefuit, died in the 

 year 1536, at the age of one hundred and thirty-two 

 years. Diego Ordonez, a Francifcan, died in Som- 

 brerete aged one hundred and feventeen making 



preachings 



(m) Diego Ordonez lived in religion one hundred and four years, and in the 

 priefthood almoft ninety*five. In his laft preaching he took leave of the peo- 

 ple 



