208 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



However imperfect they were in mufic, their dances 

 in which they exercifed themfelves from childhood, un- 

 der the direction of the priefts, were mod graceful. They 

 were of various kinds, and were differently named, ac- 

 cording to the nature of the dance, or the circumftan- 

 ces of the feflival on which they were made. They 

 danced fometimes in a circle, and fometimes in ranks. 

 At fome dances only men, and at others, only women 

 danced. On fuch occafions, the nobles put on their mofl 

 pompous dreffes, adorned themfelves with bracelets, ear- 

 rings, and various pendants of gold, jewels, and fine 

 feathers, and carried in one hand a ftiield covered with 

 the mofl beautiful plumes, or a fan made of feathers ; 

 and in the other an Ajacaxtli^ which is a certain 

 little veffel, which we fhall mention hereafter, refem- 

 bling a helmet, round or oval in fliape, having many 

 little holes, and containing a number of little ftones 

 which they fhook together, accompanying the found, 

 which is not difagreeable, with their mufical inftruments. 

 The populace difguifed themfelves, under various figures 

 of animals, in drefles made of paper, or feathers, or ikins. 



The little dance, which was made in the palaces for 

 the amufement of the lords, or in the temples, as a par- 

 ticular act of devotion, or in private houfes, when they 

 celebrated nuptials, or made any other domeflic rejoic- 

 ing, confuted of but a few dancers, who formed them- 

 felves in two parallel lines, dancing fometimes with their 

 faces turned to the one, fometimes towards the other ex- 

 tremity of their lines ; fometimes the perfon of one line 

 faced thofe correfpondent to them in the other, each line 

 occafionally croffing and intermingling with the other, 

 and fometimes one of each line detaching themfelves from 

 the reft, danced in the fpace between both, while the 

 others flood ftill. 



The 



