ANCIENT HISTORY OF MEXICO. XXxi 



the Events of the Aztecan, or Mexican Nation, from the 

 year 1066 to 1316 ; and others alfo in the Mexican lan- 

 guage from the year 1367 to 1509. 3. A Mexican 

 Hiftory in the Mexican language, carried back as far as 

 the year 1406. In this hillory, the arrival of the Mexi- 

 cans at the city of Tollan, is fixed at 1 196, agreeably to 

 what we report in our hiftory. All thefe manufcripts 

 were in the valuable mufeum of Boturini. 



We fhall not here mention thofe authors who wrote 

 on the antiquity of Michuacan, of Yucatan, of Guate- 

 mala, and of New Mexico ; becaufe, although many at 

 prefent believe all thefe provinces were comprehended in 

 Mexico, they did not belong to the Mexican empire, the 

 liiftory of which we write. We have mentioned the 

 writers on the ancient hiflory of the kingdom of Acolhua- 

 can, and the republic of Tlafcala, becaufe their events 

 are for the moft part connected with thofe of the Mexi- 

 cans. 



If in enumerating the writers on Mexico, we meant to 

 difplay our erudition, we could add a long catalogue of 

 French, Englifli, Itahan, Dutch, Flemifli, and German 

 writers, who have written either defignedly, or acciden- 

 tally, on the ancient hiftory of that kingdom ; but after 

 having read many of them, to obtain affiflance to this 

 work, I found none who were of fervice except the two 

 Italians, Gemelli and Boturini, vjho having been in Mexi- 

 co, and procured from the Mexicans many of their paint- 

 ings, and particular intelligence concerning their anti- 

 quity, have contributed in fome meafure to illuflrate their 

 hiftory. All the others have either repeated what was 

 already written by Spanifti authors mentioned by us, 

 or have altered fa^ts, at their own difcretion, to inveigh 

 the more ftrongly againft the Spaniards, as has lately 



been 



