142 



HISTORY OF MEXICO, 



after the Chechemccas, and peopled the little iflands, 

 banks, and boundaries of the Mexican lakes. Thefe 

 tribes were the Sochimilcas, the Chalchefe, the Tapane- 

 cas, the Colhuas, the Tlahuicas, the Tlafcalans, and the 

 Mexicans. The origin of all thefe tribes was the pro- 

 vince of Aztlan, from whence came the Mexicans 5 or 

 from fome other contiguous to it, and peopled with the 

 fame nation. All hillorians reprefent them as originally 

 x)f one and the fame country : all of them fpoke the fame 

 language. The different names by which they have been 

 known, were taken from the places which they fettled, 

 or from thofe in which they eftablillied themfelves. 



The Sochimilcas derived their name from the great city 

 Xochimilco which they founded on the fouthern fbore of 

 the lake of fv/eet water or Chaico ; the Chalchefe, from 

 the city of Chaico, upon the eaftern fliore of the fame 

 lake \ the Colhuas, from Colhuacan ^ the Mexicans, 

 from Mexico ; the Tlafcalans, from Tlafcala ; and the 

 Tlahuicas, from the land where they eftablillied them- 

 felves ; which, from its abounding in cinnabar, was called 

 llahuican {a). The Tepanecas poffibly had their name 

 from a place called Tepan (Z^), where they had been be- 

 fore they fettled their famous city Azcapozalco. 



It is beyond a doubt that thefe tribes did not arrive 

 together in that country, but at different times, and in 

 the order we have mentioned ; but there is a great dif- 

 ference among hiftorians refpecling the precife time of 



their 



^lahu'itl^ is the Mexican name of cinnabar; and Tlahukan means the 

 |)lace or country of Cinnabar. Some authors call them Tlalbukas^ and derive 

 the name from a place of that land called Tlalhuk ; but befides that we never 

 iheard of fuch a place, the name does not appear conforming with the language. 



{b) Several authors call them Tecpanecas ; both are Mexican. Tecpanecatl 

 means the inhabitant of the palace; Hepanecatl^ inhabitant of a flony place. Others' 

 .give it a very violent etymology. 



