195 
The group, No. 2, represents the celebrated 
serpent worn, an Cihuacohuatl, called also Qui- 
.laztli, or Tonacacihua, woman of our flesh ; she 
is the companion of Tonacateuctli. The Mexi- 
cans considered her as the mother of the human 
race ; and, after the god of the eelestial Para- 
dise^ Ometeuctli, she held the first rank among 
the divinities of Anahiiac ; we see her always re- 
presented with a great serpent. Other paintings 
exhibit to us a feather-headed snake, cut in 
pieces by the great spirit, Tezcatiipoca, or by the 
Sun personified, the god Tonatiuh. These alle- 
gories remind us of tlie ancient traditions of 
Asia. In- the woman and serpent of the Aztech s 
we think we perceive the Eve of the Semetic 
nations; in the snake cut in pieces, the famous 
serpen^ or A^aZmagaj^conquered 'by' Vish- 
nu, when , he took the form of Knshna. The 
Tonatiuh of the Mexicans appears also to be 
identical with the Krishna of the Hindoos^ re- 
corded in the Bhagavata Purana, and 'with the 
Mithras of the Persians. The most ancient tra- 
ditions of nations go back to a state of things; 
when the earth, covered with bogs, was inhabited 
by snakes and other animals of gigantic bulk • 
the beneficent luminary, by drying: up the soil, 
delivered the earth from these aquatic monsters. 
Behind the serpent; who appears to be speak- 
ing.to the goddess Cihuacohuatl, are two naked 
figures; they are of a different colour, and>seem 
o 2 
