HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



143 



their arrival in Anahuac. We are perfuaded, for the 

 reafons fet forth hi our dilTertations, that the firft fix 

 tribes arrived under conduct of the lix lords who made 

 their appearance immediately after the Chechemecas, 

 and there was not fo great an interval as Acofta fuppofes, 

 between their arrival and that of the Mexicans. 



The Colhuas, whom in general the Spanifli hiftorians 

 confound with the Acolhuas, from the affinity of their 

 names, founded thefmall monarchy of Colhuacan, which 

 was annexed afterwards to the crown of Mexico, by the 

 marriage of a princcfs, heirefs of that ftate, with a king 

 of Mexico. 



The Tepanecas had alfo their petty kings, among 

 whom the firfl was prince Acolhuatzin, after having 

 married the daughter of Xolotl. His defcendants ufurp- 

 ed, as we fliall relate, the kingdom of Acolhuacan, and 

 governed all that country, until the arms of the Mexi- 

 cans, joined with thofe of the true heir of Acolhuacan, 

 deflroyed both the tyrant and monarchy of Tepaneca. 



The TIafcaians, whom Torquemada and other authors 

 call Teochechemecas, and confider as a tribe of the (c) 



Chechemecaa 



(c) Torquemada not only fays that the TIafcaians were Teochechemecas» 

 hut likewife afTirms, in Kb. iii. cap. lO. that thefe Teocbecbemecas^ 'were Otomies.^ 

 If the TIafcaians were Otomies, why did they not fpeak the language of th^ 

 Otomies? And if they ever did fpeak it, why did they give ic up for the Mex« 

 ican ! Where is there an inllance of a free nation abandoning its own native 

 language, to adopt that of its enemies? Nor is it lefs incredible that the Cheche- 

 mecas v/ere Otomies, as the above author fuppofes, although in lib. i. can. %» 

 be affirms the contrary. "Who forced the Chcchemec&s to give up tlieir primiv 

 tive language ? He only who was unacquainted with the chara-fier of thefs 

 nations, and knew not how conftant they were in retaining their national 

 language, could be capable of contending that the Chechemccas, by their 

 communication and alliance with the Acolhuas, abandoned the language of the 

 Otomies for the Mexican. If the true Otomies have not, during fo many ages, 

 altered their idiom, neither under the dominion of tlig Mexicans, nor und<;r that 



