HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



221 



Mexicans had another plant of the fame name, from 

 which they likewife obtained an azure colour, but of 

 an inferior quality. Red they got from the feeds of 

 the Achiot or Ruocou^ boiled in water ; and purple from 

 the Nochiztli, or cochineal. Yellow from the Tecoza- 

 huitl, or ochre ; and likewife from the Xochipalli, a 

 plant, the leaves of which referable thofe of the Arte- 

 mifia. The beautiful flowers of this plant, boiled in 

 water with nitre, furnifhed them a fine orange colour. 

 In the fame manner as they made ufe of nitre to obtain 

 this colour, they employed alum to obtain others. Af- 

 ter grinding and diffolving the aluminous earth in water, 

 which they called Tlalxocotl, they boiled it in earthen 

 veffels ; then by diftillation, they extracted the allum 

 pure, white, and tranfparent, and before they harden- 

 ed it entirely, they parted it in pieces to fell it in the 

 market. To make their colours hold better together, 

 they made ufe of the glutinous juice of the Tzauhtli (m), 

 or the fine oil of Chian (/z). 



The figures of mountains, rivers, buildings, trees, and 

 minerals, and, above all, thofe of men, which appear 

 in the paintings Hill extant of the Ancient Mexicans, are 

 for the mo ft part unproportioned and deformed ; this, 

 however, we think is not ro be afcribed fo much to their 

 ignorance of the proportions of objects, or their want 

 of abilities, as to their hafte in painting, of which the 

 Spaniih conquerors were witneffes : for as they folely 



paid 



(m) The Tzauhtli is a plant very common in that country. Its leaves arc 

 fimilar to thofe of the leek, its ftcm is ftraight and knotty, its flowers tinged with 

 a yellowifli green, its root white and fibrous. To extract its juice they broke 

 it and dried it in the fun. 



(») Thinking to render afervice to the Italian painters, we cultivated with 

 great attention three plants of the Chian fprung from feed fent from Mexico ; 

 they took root fuccefsfully, and we had the pleafure of feeing them loaded 

 with flowers in September 1777 ; but the frolt of that year coming more early 

 than ufual, nipped them entirely. 



