HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



5 



head and neck of which were formed by the lake of 

 fweet water, or Chalco^ the body by the lake of brack- 

 ifli water, called the lake of Tezcuco^ and the legs and 

 feet were reprefented by the rivulets, and torrents, 

 which ran from the mountains into the lake. Between 

 the two lakes there is the little peninfula of Itztapala- 

 paUy which divides them. Belides the three courts of 

 Mexico, Acolhuacan, and Tlacopan, there were forty 

 eminent cities, in this delightful vale, and innumerable 

 villages and hamlets. The cities mod noted next to 

 thefe courts v/ere Xochimilco^ Chalco^ Ttztapalapan^ and 

 ^lauhtitlan^ which now, however, fcarcely retain a 

 twentieth part of their former greatnefs ( d ), 



Mexico, the mod renowned of all the cities of the 

 nev/ world, and capital of the em.pire (the defcription of 

 which we {hall give in another place) was, like Venice, 

 built on feveral little iilands injhe lake of Tezcuco, in 

 19 deg. and 26 min. of north latitude, and in 276 deg. 

 and 34 min. of longitude, between the two courts of 

 Tetzcuco, and Tlacopan, 15 miles to the weft of the 

 one, and four to the eaft of the other. Some of its pro- 

 vinces were inland, others maritime. 



The principal inland provinces to the northward were, 

 the Otomies ; to the fouthweft, the Matlatzincas and 

 the Cuitlatecas ; to the fouth, the Tlahuicas and the Co- 

 huixcas ; to the fouth-eaft, after the ftates of Itzocan, 

 Jauhtepec^ ^auhquecbollan^ Atlixco^ Tehuacan^ and 

 others, were the great provinces of the Mixtecas, the 



Zapotecas, 



( d) The other refpedable cities of the Vale of Mexico were, Mizqm'c, Cult- 

 lahuac^ Azcapozalco, Tenayocan^ Otompan^ Colhuacan, MexicaltzincOy Huitzilopocbco, Co- 

 yohuacaity Atenco, CoatUchan, Huexotla, Chiautla, Acolman, Teotihtuacan, Itztapaloccany 

 Tepetlaoztoc, Tepcpolco, Tizayoccan, Cittlaltepec , Coyotepec, T zompanco, T iltitlan^ Xal- 

 toccan, Tetepaiico, Ehecatepcc, Tequizqtiiac, Huipochtlan, Tepotzotlan, Tehuillojoccatiy 

 Hucbeetoca, Atlacuihuayaitj &c. See our Sixth Differtation. 



