HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



209 



The great dance, which was made in large open 

 fpaces of ground, or in the area of the greater temple, 

 differed from the other in the order, form, and num- 

 ber of the dancers. This dance was fo numerous that 

 fome hundreds of people ufed to join in it. The mufic 

 was placed in the middle of the area or fpace; near to 

 it the lords danced, forming two, three, or more cir- 

 cles, according to the number of them prefent. At 

 a little diftance from them were formed other circles 

 of dancers of lefs rank; and, at a fmall interval from 

 them, other circles proportionably larger were formed, 

 which were compofed of youths. All thefe circles had 

 for their centre the Huehuetl and the Teponaztli. The 

 defign which we have given of the order and difpofition 

 of this dance, reprefents it in the form of a wheel, in 

 which the points denote the dancers, and the circles 

 fliew the figure which they defcribed in their dance. 

 The radii of the wheel are as many in number as there 

 were dancers in the fmalleft circle neareft to the mufic. 

 All the dancers defcribed a circle in their dancing, and 

 no perfon departed from the radius or line to which he 

 belonged. Thofe who danced clofe to the mufic, mov- 

 ed with flownefs and gravity, as the circle which they 

 had to make was final ler, and on that account it was 

 the place of the lords and nobles mod advanced in age; 

 but thofe who occupied the ftation moft diftant from the 

 mufic, moved with the utmoft velocity, that they might 

 neither lofe the direction of the line to which they be- 

 longed, nor the meafure in which the lords danced. 



Their dances were almofl always accompanied with 

 finging; but the finging was like all the movements of 

 the dancers, adj lifted by the beating of the inftruments. 

 Two perfons fung a verfe, to which all the reft an- 



Vol. II. D d fwered 



