141 
these images a great resemblance to Egyptian 
mummies. It is almost superfluous in this place 
to notice the general observation, that, in all the 
Mexican paintings, the objects tied to a head by 
means of a thread, indicate to those acquainted 
with the language of the natives, the names of 
the persons drawn by the artist. The natives 
pronounce these names, when they see the hiero- 
glyphic. Chimalpopoca signifies a buckler that 
smokes ; Acamapitzin, a hand that holds reeds. 
Thus, to indicate the names of these two kings, 
predecessors of Montezuma, the Mexicans paint- 
ed a buckler and a fist tied by a thread to two 
heads ornamented with a royal fillet. I have 
remarked, that in the pictures made after the 
conquest, the valiant Pedro Alvarado was drawn 
with two keys placed behind the neck, in allu- 
sion, no doubt, to the keys of St. Peter, whose 
images were every where seen by the people in 
the Christian churches. I do not understand the 
meaning of the marks of feet, in the genealogical 
picture, behind the heads. In other Azteck 
paintings, this hieroglyphic indicates roads, mi- 
grations, and sometimes the direction of a move- 
ment. 
A Law-suit in Hieroglyphical Writing, 
Amidst the enormous quantity of paintings 
found among the Mexican nations by the first 
