128 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



quemada, unlefs it is to follow that learned Mexican; but 

 he errs in chronology when he fixes the arrival of the 

 Otomies in the year VI TecpatI, which he believes to 

 have been the year i?8i. He is certainly deceived, for 

 as it appears from the chronological table put at the end 

 of our firft volume, the year 1381 was not VI TecpatI, 

 but VI Calli; neither was Chimalpopoca reigning at that 

 time, but Acamapitzin, as we {hall fhortly mew. If the ar- 

 rival of the Otomies in the Mexican vale (not in the coun* 

 try of Anahuac, where they were fettled many years 

 before) happened in the year VI TecpatI, and under 

 the reign of Chimalpopoca, that rauft certainly have 

 been in the year 1420. There being no mention of the 

 Otomies before this epoch, and they having been found 

 lefs civilized than other nations, fcattered about in feve- 

 ral provinces, and in places furrounded by other nations 

 of different languages, inclines us to believe, that they 

 began to live in fociety under the dominion of the Tepa- 

 necas exa&ly at that time, and afterwards under that of 

 the Mexicans and Tlafcalans. We are perfuaded that on 

 account of having found the land occupied by other na- 

 tions, they could not, like the others, eftablifh them- 

 felves all in one country, although the greater part of 

 that nation peopled that part of land which is to the 

 north- weft, and north of the capital, where at firfl: they 

 lived fcattered about like the wild beads. 



The caufe of the Otomies having been confounded 

 with the Chechemecas by many hiftorians, may be ga- 

 thered from the fame hiftory. At the time the ancient 

 Chechemecas were rendered civilized by the Toltecas 

 and Nahuatlacas, many families of that nation abandon- 

 ed themfelves to a favage life in the country of the 

 Otomies, choofmg the exercife of the chafe rather than 



the 



