Page:Archæologia Americana—volume 2, 1836.djvu/182

 146 A SYNOPSIS OF THE INDIAN TRIBES. [iNTROD. and of the Tigris. And it is accordingly in those favored spots, in the vicinity o( Mexico, of Santa Fe de Bogota, of Quito, and of disco, that were found those agricultural and manufacturing nations, those extensive empires and populous cities, with regu- lar forms of worship and of government, which excited the wonder and inflamed the cupidity of the European invaders. Although we may not place full reliance on the details and the dates of the Mexican annals, it is indubitable that several nations, some of them speaking different languages, have, sub- sequent to the first civilization of the country, successively occupied the various provinces of the Mexican empire. The ruins of Palenque and of other cities are monuments of those revolutions. The annals and traditions ascend no higher than the Tolteques, as the authors of the first civilization. Whether the merit is due to them, or to some more ancient and unknown people, it may be asked, whence came the subsequent succes- sive conquerors? The abodes of the Azteques, or Mexicans proper, may probably be traced as far north as the Casas Grandas of the Rio Gila ; but from what quarter had they come to that place ? In order to account for their success, it must necessarily be admitted, that they were previously an agricultural people ; for the pastoral state cannot exist where there are no domesticated animals ; and we know with the utmost certainty, that no purely hunting nations could be numerous enough, or keep together and support for any length of time a force sufficient successfully to invade, or make any serious impression on a country, such as Mexico is represented to have been, and in fact was at the time of the invasion. But we now know that, north of the latitude of the Rio Gila, there is nothing west of the Rio Colorado but a sandy desert, nothing between that river and the Rio Norte but accumu- lated ridges of mountains, nothing east of the last river but the buffalo plains. In fact we find in no part of the country, whether east or north, adjacent to the northern civilized provinces of Mexico, any trace, or any probability of the former existence, of an agricultural people. But we may easily understand, that the civilization of Mexico gradually extended its influence, as from a common centre, northwardly as well as southwardly ; that the northerly tribes, as far north as the thirtieth degree of latitude, and perhaps the Rio Gila, without having made the same progress in arts, or attained the same degree of wealth as the ancient inhabitants of Mexico, may have been gradually