114 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



the remaining years of the age. This was the cafe with 

 the Queen Xiutzaltzin, after whofe death in the fifth 

 year of her reign, the nobles held the government for 

 the forty-eight years which fucceeded. 



The Toltecas were the mod celebrated people of 

 Anahuac, for their fuperior civilization, and fkill in the 

 arts; whence, in after ages, it has been common to diftin- 

 guifh the moil remarkable artiits, in an honourable man- 

 ner, by the appellation of Toltecas. They always lived 

 in fociety, colle£led into cities, under the government of 

 kings, and regular laws. They were not very warlike, 

 and lefs turned to the exercife of arms than to the culti- 

 vation of the arts. The nations that have fucceeded 

 them, have acknowledged themfelves indebted to the 

 Toltecas for their knowledge of the culture of grain, 

 cotton, pepper, and other mofl ufeful fruits. Nor did 

 they only pra6life thofe arts which are diflated by ne- 

 ceflity, but thofe alfo which miniftcr to luxury. They 

 had the art of carting gold and filver, and melting them 

 in whatever forms they pleafed, and acquired the greatcft 

 reputation from the cutting of all kinds of gems : but 

 nothing, to us, raifes their chara61:er fo high as their hav- 

 ing been the inventors, or at leaft the reformers of that 

 fyftem of the arrangement of time, which was adopted 

 by all the civilized nations of Anahuac; and which, as we 

 jfliall fee afterwards, implies numerous obfervations, and 

 a Vv^onderfully correcl agronomy. 



Cav. Boturini (^), upon the faith of the ancient hiflo- 

 ries of the Toltecas, fays, that obferving-in their own 



country 



(g) In a work of his, printed at Madrid, in 1 746, under the title of, Sietcb 

 rtf a general Hijlory of Neiv Spain, founded upon a great nu7?iber of Figures, Symbols, 

 Cbara^^rs, Hieroglyphics , Hymns, and Manufcripts of Indian Authors, lately difco- 

 vered. 



