Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-01-21
Gbe aap SPY: aduster Saturday umg, gannarp g. 1871

were themselves invaders. Their dominion was
only about two hundred years old. The more
southern country had not been subjected to their
sway, and their conquest of the central region,
| between the gulf of Mexico and the Pacific was
completed only few years preyiou to the ar
rival of the Spaniarls. But the Aztecs belonged
in the country, and seem to have been, origin
| ally, an obscure and somewhat rude branch Of
the native race 1t is probable, that the Colhu-
as Toltecs, and Aztecs, were all substantially the
same people, They left three distinct families
of language in the country; but their speech
has not been so thoroughly analysed as to JUS
tify us in assuming that they did not all come
from the same original source, or that there is
anymore radical difference between them than
between the well known Teutonic and Latin
| groups of languages But these people were
distinct from each other. The Toltecs, proba-
bly,, were branch of the race that settled in
the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, and dwelt
there long time before returning to Mexico.
The Aztecs seem to have dwelt obscurely in the
the south, before they rose to power. They
were, originally, less advanced in civilization
than their predecessors, but ready to adopt the
superior knowledge and methods Of the country
they invaded.
1t has sometimes, been assumed, that the
Aztecs came TO Mexico from the north; but
there is nothing to warrant this assumption,
nothing to make it probable, nothing, even, to
explain the fact that some persons have enter
tanned it. People of the ancient Mexican and
| Central American race, are not found further
fhap Naut MnyiaO and ArizOna whore
they are known as Pueblos, or Village Indians
In the old times, that was a frontier region, and
the PueblOs seem to represent ancient settlers
| who went there from the south. There is the
border line between the Pueblos and the wild
Indians; and the distinction between the Pue-
bios and the savage tribes, is, every way, so
uniform and so great, that it is well nigh inn
possible to believe they all belong to the same
race. In fact no people really like our wild In
dams of North America, have ever been found
in Mexico, Central America, or South America.
Investigation has made it probable, that the
MeXicans or Aztecs went to the valley of Mexi-
co from the south. Mr.. Squier says 1.-THE
hypothesis of migration from Nicaragua and
Cuscutlan to Anahuac, is altogether more con-
sonant with probabilities and with tradition,
than that which derives the Mexicans from the
north; and it is a significant fact, that in the
nap of their migrations presented by Gemelli,
the place of the origin of the Aztccs is designat-
ed by the sign of water, tail standing for AIT
LAM, q pyramidal temple with grades, and, near
these, palm-tree." Humboldt thought this
indicated a southern origin.
Communities of Aztecs still exist, as far south
as Nicaragua and Costa Rica, with some varia-
tons in their Speech but not so great, probably,
as TO make them unintelligible to each other.
The Spanish historian, 0viedo, called attention
to the fact that an isolated community of Aztecs
was found occupying the territory bet yeen Lake
Nicaragua and the Pacific They were called
Niquirans; and Mr.. Squier claims to have
verified this fact. The result of his investiga-
ton is that the people of the district specified
are AztecS, and that "from the comparative late
ness of the separation or some other cause"
their distinguishing features were easily recog-
nized, their speech being nearly identical with
the native speech heard in the valley of Mexico.
Oyedo said of them :-"the Niquirans who
speak the Mexican language, have the same
manners and appearance as the people of New
Spain (Mexico)." In the neighboring districts,
communities closely related to the Mayas are
found; and others that manifestly belong to the
TOtec family. Aztecs are found still further
south; and there appears to be sufficient reason
for believing that Montezumas people went
from the south to Anahuac or Mexico.