169 
but in very remote times among the Chinese. 
Boturini was fortunate enough to procure speci- 
mens of real Mexican quippus, or nepohualt- 
zitzln, found in the country of the Tlascaltecks. 
In the great migrations of the nations, those of 
America transported themselves from north to 
south, as the Iberians, the Celts, and the Pelas- 
gi flowed from east to west. Perhaps the ancient 
inhabitants of Peru had already passed over the 
elevated plain of Mexico : in fact, Ulloa, who was 
well acquainted with the style of Peruvian archi- 
tecture, was struck with the great resemblance 
certain old edifices of Western Louisiana bore, 
in the distribution of the doors and niches, to the 
tamboes built by the Incas ; and it is not less sin- 
gular, according to the traditions collected at Li- 
can the ancient capital of the kingdom of Quito, 
that the quippils were known to the Puruays 
long before they were subdued by the descend- 
ants of Manco-Capac. 
The use of writing and of hieroglyphics super- 
seded in Mexico, as well as in China, that of 
knots, or the nepohualtzitzin. This change 
was effected about the year 648 of our era. A 
northern, but very polished race, the Toltecks, 
appears in the mountains of Anahuac, on the east 
of the gulf of California ; declares itself expelled 
from a country lying to the north-west of the 
Rio Gila, and called Huehuetlapallan ; it brings 
with it paintings, indicating year by year the 
