260 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



clay, but not, as we can difcover, either knives or forks. 

 Their chairs were low feats of wood and rufhes, or palm, 

 or a kind of reed called icpalli (p). No houfe wanted 

 the metlatl, or comalli. The metlatl was the flone in 

 which they ground their maize, and the cacao, as is re- 

 prefented in our figure of their mode of making bread. 

 This inftrument is dill extremely common in all New 

 Spain, and over the greatefl part of America. The 

 Europeans have alfo adopted it, and in Italy and elfe- 

 where the chocolate-makers ufe it to grind the cacao. 

 The comalli was, and ftill is, being as much ufed as the 

 metlatl, a round and rather hollow pan, which is about 

 an inch thick, and about fifteen in diameter. 



The drinking vefiels of the Mexicans were made of a 

 fruit fimilar to gourds, which grow, in hot countries, on 

 trees of a middling fize. Some of them are large and 

 perfe&ly round, which they call Xicalli (q and others 

 f mailer and cylindrical, which they give the name of 

 Tecomatl. Both thefe fruits are folid and heavy: their 

 rind is hard, woody, and of a dark green colour, and 

 the feeds are like thofe of gourds. The xicalii is about 

 eight inches in diameter; the tecomatl is not fo long, and 

 about four fingers in thicknefs. Each fruit when divided 

 in the middle made two equal veflels; they cut out all 

 the feed, and gave them a varnifh with a particular mi- 

 neral 



(p) The Spaniards corrupt the word into Equlpalcs. 



(q) The Spaniards of Mexico called the Xicalli Xhara. The Spaniards of 

 Europe adopted this word to fignify the little cup for taking chocolate, and 

 thence came the Italian Chicchera. Bomare makes mention of the tree Xicalli, 

 under the name of Calebafiier d' Amerique, and fays, that in New Spain, it is 

 known under the names of Choyne, Cujete, and Hyguero; but this is a mif- 

 take. The name Hlbuero (not Hyguero) was that which the Indians of the 

 Ifland of Hifpaniola gave to this tree ; the Spanifh conquerors made ufe of it 

 formerly, but no ufe was made of it afterwards in New Spain. None of the 

 other trees were ever heard of by us in thofe countries. 



