36 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



Of plants which were valuable for their root, their 

 leaves, their trunk, or their wood, the Mexicans had 

 many which ferved them for food, namely the Xicama, 

 Camote, Fluacamote, Cacomite, and others ; or which 

 furniflied them with thread for their clothes, or cordage, 

 namely the IczotI, and feveral fpecies of Maguei ; or 

 gave them wood for buildings and other works, as the 

 cedar, pine, cyprefs, fir, and ebony, &c. 



The Xicama^ called by the Mexicans Catzotl^ is a root 

 the figure and fize of an onion ; quite white, folid, frcfli, 

 juicy, and relifliing, and always eat raw. 



The Camote is another root, extremely common in that 

 country, of which there are three fpecies, one white, one 

 yellow, and another purple. When boiled they tafte 

 well, efpecially thofe of Queretaro, which are juftly 

 prized over all the kingdom (^/). 



The Cacomite is the efculent root of the plant which 

 bears the beautiful tyger-flower, already defcribed. 



The Huacamote is the fweet root of a fpecies of Jucca 

 (;;z), which is alfo eat boiled. The papa which is a root 

 tranfplanted into Europe, and greatly valued in Ireland, 

 was alfo brought from South America, its native country, 

 into Mexico, as many other roots and falads were from 

 Spain and the Canaries, namely, turnips, radiflies, car- 

 rots, garlic, lettuces, and afparagus, cabbages, &c. 

 Onions were fold in the markets of Mexico, as Cortez 

 mentions in his letters to Charles Vth. fo that there was 

 no neceffity for importing them from Europe. Befides 



the 



(/) Many call the Canioti, Batate or Patate ; but I have avoided this name 

 becaufe it is equivocal, and indifferently ufed by authors to fignify Camoti and 

 Pape which are totally different roots. 



{m) The Jucca is that plant of whofe root they make Cajfava bread, in feve- 

 ral countries of America. 



