142 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



Their badges of diftinclion were a little rod which they 

 carried in one hand, and a fan of feathers in the other. 

 The treafurers of the king had paintings, in which were 

 defcribed all the tributary places, and the quantity and 

 quality of the tributes. In the collection made by Men- 

 doza, there are thirty-fix paintings of this kind ( u), and 

 in each of thefe are reprefented the principal places of 

 one, or of many provinces of the empire. Befides an 

 exceffive number of cotton garments, and a certain quan- 

 tity of corn and feathers, which were the ufual taxes 

 laid on almofl all tributary places, many other different 

 things were paid in tribute according to the produce of 

 different countries. In order to give our readers fome 

 idea of them, we fliall mention fome of the taxes which 

 are reprefented in thefe paintings. 



The cities of Xoconocho, Huehuetlan, Mazatlan, and 

 others upon the coaft, paid annually to the crown, be- 

 fides the dreffes made of cotton, four thoufand handfuls 

 of beautiful feathers of different colours, two hundred 

 bags of cocoas, forty tygers ikins, and a hundred and 

 fixty birds of certain particular colours. Huaxjacac, Co- 

 jolapan, Atlacuechahuajan^ and other places belonging 

 to the Zapotecas, paid in tribute forty plates of gold 

 of a certain fize and thicknefs, and twenty bags of co- 

 chineal. Tlachquiaucho, Azotlan, twenty vafes of a cer- 

 tain meafure full of gold in powder. 1ochtepec 9 Otlatit- 

 lan, Cozamalloapan, Michapan, and other places upon 



the 



(«) The thirty-fix paintings begin with the 13th, and end with the 48th. In 

 the copy of them publilhed by Thevenot, the aift and 226. are wanting, and for 

 the molt part the figures of the tributary cities. The copy publifhed in Mexico 

 in 1770, is ftill lefs perfect, for it wants the aift, 22d, 38th, 39th, and 40th of 

 Mendoza's Collection, befides a number of errors in the interpretations ; but it 

 has the advantage over Thevenot's of having the figures of the cities, and of b»- 

 ing all executed on plates. 



