Transcriber's Note:
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation in the originaldocument have been preserved.
Italics in the footnote citations were inconsistently applied by the typesetter.
The following changes were made or suggested:
On page 43, a word is possibly missing in the phrase "we will passover third force, 'la race';"
On the fold-out chart between pages 509 and 510, Clavigero, Month 10may be "Xocohuetzl".
In footnote 95, the citation for Herrera is missing a book name.
In footnote 638, a reference to Leon y Gama, Dos Piedras, is incomplete.
THE WORKS
OF
HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT.
VOLUME II.
SAN FRANCISCO:
A. L. BANCROFT & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS.
1883.
Entered according to Act of Congress in the Year 1882, by
HUBERT H. BANCROFT,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
All Rights Reserved.
page.
Definition of the Terms—The Universal Soul of Progress—Man the Instrumentand not the Element of Progress—Origin of ProgressionalPhenomena—The Agency of Evil—Is Civilization Conducive toHappiness?—Objective and Subjective Humanity—Conditions Essentialto Progress—Continental Configurations—Food and Climate—Wealthand Leisure—Association—War, Slavery, Religion, andGovernment—The Development of Progressional Law1
The American Civilization of the Sixteenth Century—Its Disappearance—ThePast, a New Element—Dividing line between Savageand Civilized Tribes—Bounds of American Civilization—PhysicalFeatures of the Country—Maya and Nahua Branches of AboriginalCulture—The Nahua Civilization—The Aztecs its Representatives—Limitsof the Aztec Empire—Ancient History of Anáhuacin Outline—The Toltec Era—The Chichimec Era—The Aztec Era—Extentof the Aztec Language—Civilized Peoples outside of Anáhuac—CentralAmerican Nations—The Maya Culture—The PrimitiveMaya Empire—Nahua Influence in the South—Yucatan andthe Mayas—The Nations of Chiapas—The Quiché Empire in Guatemala—TheNahuas in Nicaragua and Salvador—Etymology ofNames81
System of Government—The Aztec Confederacy—Order of Succession—Electionof Kings among the Mexicans—Royal Prerogatives—Governmentand Laws of Succession among the Toltecs, and inMichoacan, Tlascala, Cholula, Huexotzinco, and Oajaca—Magnificenceof the Nahua Monarchs—Ceremony of Anointment—Ascentto the Temple—The Holy Unction—Address of the High-Priest toivthe King—Penance and Fasting in the House called Tlacatecco—Homageof the Nobles—General Rejoicing throughout the Kingdom—Ceremonyof Coronation—The Procuring of Sacrifices—Descriptionof the C