Volume 1

The history of Mexico. Collected from Spanish and Mexican historians, from manuscripts and ancient paintings of the Indians. Illustrated by Charts and other copper plates. To which are added, critical dissertations on the land, the animals, and inhabitants of Mexico / By Abbé D. Francesco Saverio Clavigero. Translated from the original Italian, by Charles Cullen.

  • Francisco Javier Clavijero
Date:
1787
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history of Mexico. Collected from Spanish and Mexican historians, from manuscripts and ancient paintings of the Indians. Illustrated by Charts and other copper plates. To which are added, critical dissertations on the land, the animals, and inhabitants of Mexico / By Abbé D. Francesco Saverio Clavigero. Translated from the original Italian, by Charles Cullen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    54/576 (page 10)
    BOOK I. The river of the Jopi waters the country of that nation, and flows out fifteen miles to the eaftward of the port of Acapulco ; forming in that quarter the dividing line between the diocefes of Mexico and Angelopoli. There were befides, and flill are, feveral lakes, which did not lefs embellilh the country than give convenience to the commerce of thofe people. The lake of Nicaragua, of Chapallan, and Pazquaro, which were the mofi; confiderable, did not belong to the Mexican empire. Amongfi; the others, the mofl: important to our hihory, are thole two in the vale of Mexico, which we have already fpoken of. The lake of Chaleo extended twelve miles from eafi; to well;, as far as the city of Xochimilco, and from thence taking, for as many miles, a northerly diredlion, incorporated itfelf by means of a canal, with the lake of Tetzcuco ; but its breadth did not exceed fix miles. The lake of Tetzcuco extended fifteen miles, or rather feventeen from eall to weft, and fomething more from fouth to north ; but at prefent its extent is much lefs, for the Spaniards have diverted into new channels many rivers which formerly ran into it. All the water which affembles there is at firll fvveet, and becomes fait after- wards, from the nitrous bed of the lake where it is received (h), Befides thefe two great lakes, there were in the fame vale of Mexi- co, and to the north of the coalf, two fmaller ones, named after the cities of Tzompanco, and Xaltoccan. The lake of Tochtlan, in the province of Coatzacualco, makes a fweet profpedt, and its banks a moft delightful dwelling. With refpedt to fountains, there are fo many in that land, and fo different in quality, they would deferve a feparate hiftory, efpecially if we had to enumerate thofe of the kingdom of Michuacan. There are an infinity of nitrous, fulphureous, vitriolic, and alluminous mineral waters, fome of which [}]) M. de Bomare fays, in his Dictionary of Natural Hiflory, that the fait of the Mexican hike may proceed from the waters of the ocean ia the north being filtered through the earth; and to corroborate his opinion he quotes Le Journal des S^avans^ af the year 1676. But this is truly a grofs error, becaufe that lake is one hundred and eighty miles dillant from the ocean ; befides, the bed of this lake is fo elevated, that it has at leaft one mile of perpendicular height above the level of the fea. The anonymous author of the work intitleJ, Ohfervations curieujes fur le Lac de MexiqjtCy (the work exprefsly from which the journalills of Paris have made their extracts,) is very far from adopting the error of M. de Bomare. • fpring