APPENDIX. 



363 



Moteuczoma^ the name of the ninth king, means, an- 

 gry lord ; but we do not underftand the figure of it. 



The figures of the two laft kings Cuitlahuatzin and 

 ^auhtemotzin^ are wanting ; but we do not doubt but 

 that of Suauhtemotzin^ fignifies, a dropping eagle, as 

 the name has that meaning. 



VI. Of the figure of the deluge^ and the confufion of 

 tongues. 



The water fignifies the deluge ; the human head, and 

 the bird in the water, fignify the drowning of men and 

 animals. The fliip, with a man in it, denotes the vefifel 

 in which, according to their tradition, one man, and one 

 woman, were faved to preferve the human race. The 

 figure in one corner is that of the mountain Colhuacan, 

 near to which, according to their account, the man and 

 the woman who were faved difem.barked from the de- 

 luge. In all the Mexican paintings, in which mention 

 is made of that mountain, it is reprefented by the fame 

 figure. The bird upon the tree reprefents the pigeon, 

 which, as they fay, communicated fpeech to men, as 

 they were all born dumb after the deluge. Thofe rods 

 which iffue from the mouth of the pigeon towards men, 

 are the fymbols of languages. Wherever the Mexican 

 paintings allude either to languages or words, they em- 

 ploy thefe rods. The multitude of them in one figure, 

 fignifies the multitude of thofe which were thus commu- 

 nicated. Thofe fifteen men, who receive the languages 

 from the pigeon, reprefent fo many families feparated 

 from the reft of mankind, from whom, as they account, 

 defcended the nations of Anahuac* 



LET. 



