HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



219 



ing to the Indians, and regretted fufficiently afterwards 

 by the authors of it, when they became fenfible of their 

 error ; for they were compelled to endeavour to remedy 

 the evil, in the firft place by obtaining information from 

 the mouths of the Indians ; fecondly, by collecting all the 

 paintings which had efcaped their fury, to illuftrate the 

 hiftory of the nation ; but although they recovered many, 

 thefe were not fufficient ; for from that time forward, 

 the poffeffors of paintings became fo jealous of their pre- 

 fervation and concealment from the Spaniards, it has 

 proved difficult, if not impoffible to make them part with 

 one of them. 



The cloth on which they painted was made of the 

 thread of the maguei, or aloe, or the palm Icxotl (k\ 

 dreffed ikins, or paper. They made paper of the leaves 

 of a certain fpecies of aloe, fteeped together like hemp, 

 and afterwards warned, ftretched, and fmoothed. They 

 made alfo of the palm Icxotl, and the thin barks of other 

 trees, when united and prepared with a certain gum, 

 both (ilk and cotton ; but we are unable to explain any 

 particulars of this manufacture. We have had in our 

 hands feveral fheets of Mexican paper ; it is fimilar in 

 the thicknefs to the pafteboard of Europe, but fofter, 

 fmoother, and eafy for writing. 



In general they made their paper in very long fheets, 

 which they preferved rolled up like the ancient mem- 

 branes of Europe, or folded up like bed-fkreens. The 

 volume of Mexican paintings, which is preferved in the 

 library of Bologna, is a thick ildn ill dreffed, compofed 

 of different pieces, painted all over, and folded up in 

 that manner. 



The 



(*) The coarfe cloth on which the famous image of the Virgin of Guade- 

 loupe is painted, is of the palm Icxotl. 



