390 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



Torquemada, following Sahagun, and the accounts of 

 the Indians, affirms, that the population of thofe four ci- 

 ties, contained an hundred and forty thoufand houfes ; 

 from which number, although we dedu£t an half, a con- 

 fiderable population would remain. No hiftorian has told 

 us the population of Tlacopan, although all affirm it 

 was confiderable. Of Xochimilco we know, that next 

 to the three royal refidences it was the largeft of all. Of 

 Iztapalapan, Cortes affirms, it had from twelve to fif- 

 teen thoufand fires ; of Mixcoac, he fays, that it had 

 about fix thoufand ; Huitzilopochco from four to five 

 thoufand ; Acolman and Otompan each four thoufand ; 

 and Mexicaltzinco, three thoufand. Chalco, Azcapo- 

 zalco, Cojoacan, Quauhtitlan, were, without compari- 

 fon, larger than thefe laft mentioned cities. All thefe, 

 and a great many others, were comprehended in the vale 

 of Mexico alone : the fight of which caufed no lefs ad- 

 miration than fear to the Spaniards when they firfl ob- 

 ferved them from the tops of the mountains of that de- 

 lightful valley. They felt the fame aftonifhment when 

 they faw the population of Tlafcala. Cortes, in his let- 

 ter to Charles V. fpeaks thus of that city ; " It is fo large 

 " and wonderful, that although I omit a great deal of 

 " what I could fay, I believe that little which I fay will 

 " appear incredible ; for it is much larger and more po- 

 " pulous than Granada when it was taken from the 

 " Moors, more ftrong, has as good buildings, and more 

 " abundance of every thing." 



The anonymous conqueror fpeaks of it in the fame 

 manner, " There are," he fays, M great cities, and 

 ¥ among others that of Tlafcala, which in fome refpe&s, 

 " refembles Granada, and in others, Segovia, but it 

 " is more populous than either." Of Tzimpantziuco, a 



city 



