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HISTORY OF MEXICO, 



207 



y Their mufic was ftill more imperfect than their poetry. 

 They had no ftringed inftruments. All their mufic con- 

 fided in the Huehuetl, the Teponaztti, horns, fea-fhells, 

 and little flutes or pipes, which made a flirill found. The 

 Huebuetl, or Mexican drum, was a cylinder of wood, 

 more than three feet high, curioufly carved and painted 

 on the outfide, covered above with the ikin of a deer, 

 well drefled and ftretched, which they tightened or flack- 

 ened occafionally, to make the found more fharp or 

 deep. They ftruck it only with their fingers, but it re- 

 quired infinite dexterity in the (hiker. The Teponaztli, 

 which is ufed to this day among the Indians, is alfo cy- 

 lindrical and hollow, but all of wood, having no /kin 

 about it, nor any opening but two flits lengthways in 

 the middle, parallel to, and at a little diftance from each 

 other. It is founded by beating the fpace between thofe 

 two flits with two little flicks, fimilar to thofe which are 

 made ufe of for modern drums, only that their points are 

 covered with ule, or elaflic gum, to foften the found. 

 The fize of this inftrument is various ; fome are fo fmall 

 as to be hung about the neck ; fome of a middling fize, 

 and others fo large as to be upwards of five feet long. 

 The found which they yield is melancholy, and that of 

 the largeft is fo loud, that it may be heard at the diftance 

 of two or three miles. To the accompanyment of thofe 

 inftruments, the figure of which we here prefent to our 

 readers, the Mexicans fung their hymns and facred mu- 

 fic. Their ringing was harfh and offenfive to European 

 ears ; but they took fo much pleafure in it themfelves, 

 that on feftivals, they continued finging the whole day. 

 This was unqueftionably the art in which the Mexicans 

 were leaft fuccefsful. 



How- 



