268 
the groups ; I found several striking examples in 
looking through the Codex Anonymus of the 
Vatican, in which we found Spaniards holding 
the sword in the left hand. This singularity of 
confounding the right with the left is also cha- 
racteristic of the beginning of the art ; we ob- 
serve the same in some Egyptian reliefs ; we even 
find in the latter right hands fastened to left 
arms, whence it results, that the thumb seems 
placed on the outside of the hand.^ Learned an- 
tiquaries have been induced to think, that there 
was something mysterious in this extraordinary 
arrangement, which Mr. Zoega attributes only 
to mere caprice, or the negligence of the artist. 
I much doubt, whether this bass-relief, which 
encircles the temalacatl^ and so many other sculp- 
tures in basaltic porphyry, were executed by em- 
ploying only tools of jade, or other very hard 
stones. It is true, that I have sought in vain to 
procure some metallic chisel of the ancient Mex- 
icans^ like that I brought from Peru : but Anto- 
nio de Herera, in the tenth book of his History 
of the West Indies, says expressly, that the inha- 
bitants of the maritime province of Zacatollan, 
situate between Acapulco and Calima, prepared 
two sorts of copper, of which one was hard or 
cutting, and the other malleable ; the hard cop- 
per was used to fabricate hatchets, weapons, and 
instruments of agriculture ; the malleable copper 
was employed for vases^ caldrons, and other 
