The history of ancient Mexico : from the foundation of that empire to its destruction by the Spaniards . employed as a caustic, in cleaningwounds. The prickles which terminate the leaves,served formerly, like those of the cactus, for pins andnails to the Indians; and tlie priests and devotees,pierced their arms and breasts with them, in theiracts of expiation, analagous to those of the Bud-dists of Ilindostan.* III. 1. For the excellence, variety, and abun-dance of its timber, Mexico is not surpassed by anycountry in the world; each variety oi its climate,producing its peculiar wood. We shall
The history of ancient Mexico : from the foundation of that empire to its destruction by the Spaniards . employed as a caustic, in cleaningwounds. The prickles which terminate the leaves,served formerly, like those of the cactus, for pins andnails to the Indians; and tlie priests and devotees,pierced their arms and breasts with them, in theiracts of expiation, analagous to those of the Bud-dists of Ilindostan.* III. 1. For the excellence, variety, and abun-dance of its timber, Mexico is not surpassed by anycountry in the world; each variety oi its climate,producing its peculiar wood. We shall merelyname such, as are most known: whilst we describep:irticularly, such as are rare or curious. Besides,oak, fir, pine, cypress, beech, ash, poplar, and othertrees, common to temperate, ana cold climates,tliere are entire forests of cedar, or ebony; an abun-(Kmce of agalloco^ or wood of aloe, in Mixteca;of tapinzccan^ in Michuacan; of caoba/m Chi-apan; of palo gateado, which might be called, • 2 Humboldts, Mex. lib. 4. c. 9. Vol:/ . ^e:xjran Fh/n^ers Coa/xOfl/iCi^rcc/ti// ,i ^r//rrvc/.lf/ /A 4/. CH. II. MEXICO. 41 creeping wood, in Zoncoliuhcan; of camofe, inthe mountains of Tezcoco; oigranadillo. or redebony, in Mixteca, and elsewhere: misquitl, orreal acacia, tepehiiaxin, copti, jabin, guay-acan^ or holy wood, oyametU the wood of Zopi-lole; and innumerable others, valuable for theirdurability, their hardness, and weight, their plia-bility, or facility of being wrought, the elegance oftheir colours, or tlie pleasantness of their camote, is of a beautiful purple; and tlie gra-nadillo, a dark red colour; but the palo gateado,caoba, and tzopiloquahuitl, or wood of Zopilot, arestill more admirable. The hardness of the guaj-acan, is well known in Europe; the jabin has thesame property in no less degree. The aloe woodof Mixteca, although difterent from the true agallo-co of the east, is not less estimable for its delight-ful scent, especially when freshly cut. Hernande
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