308 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



If by money is underftood a fign reprefenting the va- 

 lue of all merchandize, as Montefquieu defines it (c) 9 it 

 is certain, that the Mexicans, and all the other nations 

 of Anahuac, except the barbarous Chechemecas and 

 Otomies, employed money in their commerce. What 

 was the cacao, of which they made conftant ufe in 

 the market to purchafe whatever they wanted, but a 

 fign reprefenting the value of all merchandize. The ca- 

 cao, had its fixed value, and was reckoned by numbers ; 

 but to fave the trouble of counting it, when the mer- 

 chandize was of great value and worth, many thoufands 

 of the nuts, they knew that every bag of a certain fize 

 contained three Xiquipilli, or twenty-four thoufand nuts. 

 Who will not acknowledge, that the cacao is much fit- 

 ter to be made ufe of as money than oxen or flieep, 

 which the Greeks and Romans made ufe of, or the fait 

 which is at prefent employed by the Abyffmians ? The 

 oxen and flieep could not be employed to purchafe any 

 thing of fmall value, and any ficknefs, or other misfor- 

 tune, which might befall thofe animals, would impove- 

 rifh thofe who had no other capital. " Metal has been 

 u adopted for money," fays Montefquieu* " that the 

 " fign may be more durable. The fait which the Abyf- 

 " finians ufe has this defect that it is continually dimin- 

 " ifliing." Cacao, on the contrary, could pafs for any 

 merchandize, was tranfportable, and guarded more ea- 

 fily, and preferved with lefs danger and with lefs care. 



The ufe of cacao in the commerce of thofe nations, will 

 appear, perhaps, to fome perfons, a mere exchange ; 

 but it was not fo : for there were feveral fpecies of ca- 

 cao, and the Tlalcacahuatl, fmall cacao, which they ufed 

 in their diet and beverages, was not ufed as money : 

 they employed other fpecies, of inferior quality and lefs 



u fef ul 



(c) L'Efprit de Loix. 



