HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



375 



dition of being the perpetual ally of the Mexicans, and 

 of giving them afliftance with his troops whenever it was 

 neceffary. The king of Michuacan, and the republic of 

 Tlafcala, were always rivals and profelTed enemies of the 

 Mexicans, and there is no memory that either the one or 

 the other was ever fubject to the crown of Mexico. 



The fame thing might be faid of many other countries 

 which the Spanifti hiftorians believed to be provinces of 

 the Mexican empire. How was it poflible that a nation, 

 which was reduced to a fingle city, under the dominion 

 of the Tepanecas, ftiould, in lefs than a century, fubdue 

 fo many people as were between the ifthmus of Panama 

 and California ? What the Mexicans really did, though 

 far lefs than the above mentioned authors report, was 

 truly furprifing, and would not be credible, if the ra- 

 pidity of their conquefts had not been confirmed by in- 

 conteftible proof. Neither in the narratives of the In- 

 dian hiftorians, nor in the enumeration of the ftates con- 

 quered by the kings of Mexico, which is found in the 

 collection of Mendoza, nor in the regifter of the tribu- 

 tary cities explained in that collection, can we find any 

 foundation for affenting to that arbitrary enlargement of 

 the Mexican dominions ; but, on the contrary, it is en- 

 tirely contradicted by Bernal Diaz. He, in the xciii d 

 chapter of his hiftory fays, " the great Montezuma had 

 cc feveral garrifons and people of war on the frontiers of 

 " his ftates. He had one in Soconufco, to defend him- 

 ¥ felf on the fide of Guatimala and Chiapa ; another to 

 " defend himfelf from the Panuchefe, between Tuzapan 

 <c and that place, which we call Almerla ; another in 

 " Coatzacualco, and another in Michuacan (c)." 



We 



(<r) What we have to fay of the boundaries of the kingdoms of Anahuac 

 will be better underftood by confulting our charts. 



