20 ' HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



The mountains of Anahuac abound in ores of every 

 kind of metal, and an infinite variety of other foffils. 

 The Mexicans found gold in the countries of the Co- 

 huixcas, the Mixtecas, the Zapotecas, and in feveral 

 others. They gathered this precious metal chiefly in 

 grains amongfl: the fand of the rivers, and the above 

 mentioned people paid a certain quantity in tribute to 

 the crown of Mexico. Silver dug out of the mines 

 of Tlachco, Tzompanco, and others ; but it was not fo 

 much prized by them as it is by other nations. Since 

 the conqueft, fo many filvcr mines have been difcovered 

 in that country, efpecially in the provinces which are to 

 the north-wefi: of the capital, it is quite impoffible to 

 enumerate them. Of copper they had two forts, one 

 hard, which they ufed inftead of iron to make axes, 

 hatchets, mattocks, and other inftruments of war and 

 agriculture ; the other flexible, for making of bafons, 

 pots, and other veflfels. This metal abounded formerly 

 more than elfewhere in the provinces of Zacatollan, and 

 the Cohuixchas ; at prefent it abounds in the kingdom 

 of Michuacan. 



They dug tin from the mines of Tlachco, and lead 

 from the mines of Izmiquilpan^ a place in the country 

 of the Otomies. Of tin they made money, as we fhall 

 obferve in its place, and w^e know of lead that it was 

 fold at market, but we are entirely ignorant of the ufe 

 it was put to ; there were like wife mines of iron in 

 Tlafcala, in Tlachco, and other places ; but they either 

 did not find out thefe mines, or at leaft did not know 

 how to benefit themfelves by the difcovery. There 

 were alfo in Chilapan mines of quickfilver, and in many 

 places mines of fulphur, alum, vitriol, cinnabar, ochre, 

 and a white earth ftrongly refembling white lead. Of 



quickfilver 



