HISTORY OF MEXICO. 159 



tlements which they had many centuries before in the 

 northern regions of the new world. 



" Why, he again aiks, were thofe nations who lived 

 " in fociety ignorant of the art of tranfmitting to pofteri- 

 " ty the memory of events by means of durable figns, 

 " confidering that they had found the manner of com- 

 u municating together at a diftance by means of knots 

 <c on cords ?" What then were the pictures and cha- 

 racters of the Mexicans, and the other polifhed nations 

 of Anahuac, if not durable figns, deftined to perpetuate 

 the memory of events ? See what Acofta has faid on 

 this fubject:, in the fixth book of chap. 7. of his hiftory, 

 and what we fay in our diflertation on the culture of the 

 Mexicans. 



Why, he continues, had they not domefticated ani- 

 mals, nor employed any other than the Llama (2) and 

 Paco, which were not domeftic, faithful, and docile, like 

 ours ? Becaufe there were no others which could be 

 domefticated. Does Mr. BufFon think that they mould 

 have domefticated tygers, Pume, wolves, and other fuch 

 wild beafts ? M. de Paw reproaches the Americans for 

 their little induftry, in not having employed the rein- 

 deer as the Laplanders have; but thofe animals were 

 not to be found but in countries extremely diftant from 

 Mexico ; and the favages in whofe lands thofe animals 

 were found, would not make ufe of them, becaufe they 

 had no occafion for them, or it did not come into their 

 minds to domefticate them. Befides, the propofition of 

 Mr. BufFon taken in fo general a fenfe, is certainly falfe ; 



as 



(z) Llama, not Lama was, according to what Acofta fays, the generic 

 name of the four fpecies of quadrupeds of that kind ; but at prefent it is ufed 

 only to fignify the one which the Spaniards called Camus, that is, the ram of 

 Peru. The other three fpecies are the Paco, the Guanaco or Huannaco, and 

 the Vicugna, The name Llama is pronounced Lyama. 



