162
Mechanic Arts of the Mexicans.
[Book I.
The Mexican works of gold and silver, sent by Cortez to Charles V. says Clavigero, “ filled the goldsmiths of Europe with astonishment.”“ Some of them were inlmitable.” Among others, there wer ejishes havingscales alternately of gold and silver—a parrot with moveable head, tongue,and wings —an ape with moveable head and feet, and having a spindlein its hand, in the attitude of spinning. Yol. i, 413.
Cortez, in a letter to Charles V. dated October 1520, says, “ the marketplace is twice as large as that of Seville and surrounded with an immenseportico, under which are exposed for sale all sorts of merchandise, eata-bles, Ornaments made of gold, silver, lead, pewter, precious stones, bones,shells, and feathers ; delft wäre, leather, and spun cotton. Wefind hewnstone, tiles, and timber fit for building. There are lanes for game, othersfor roots and garden fruits. There are houses where barbers shave thehead, (with razors made of obsidian,) and there are houses resembling ourapothecary shops, where prepared medicines, unguents, and plasters aresold. The market abounds with so many things, that I am unable to namethem all to your highness. To avoid confusion, every species of mer-chandise is sold in a separate lane. Every thing is sold by the yard, (bymeasure) but nothing has hitherto been seen to be weighed in the market.In the midst of the great square, is a house, which I shall call Taudcneiain which ten or twelve persons sit constantly for determining any disputeswhich may arise respecting the sale of goods. There are other personswho mix - continually with the crowd, to see that a just price is asked.We have seen them break the false measures, which they had seized fromthe merchants.”
Solis has recorded some facts, which are too interesting to mechanics tobe omitted. “ There were rows of silversmiths, who sold jeweis andchains of extraordinary fashion ; a several figures of beasts in gold andsilver, wrought with so much art, as raised the wonder of our artificers;particularly some skillets with moving handles, that were so cast; besidesother works of the same kind, with mouldings and relievos, without anysigns of a hammer or graver.” Herrera, speaking of these, observes,“ some things were cast, and others wrought with stones, to such perfec-tion, that many of them have surprised the ablest goldsmiths in Spain , forthey could never conceive how they had been made ; there being no signof a hammer, or an engraver, or any other Instrument used by them.”They brought to the fair, (continues Solis) all the different sorts of cloth,made throughout this vast empire, of cotton and rabbits’ für, which thewomen of this country, enemiesto idleness, spun extremely fine, being verydexterous in this manufacture. They had also drinking cups exquisitelymade of the finest earth, different in color, and even in smell; and of thiskind, they had all sorts of vessels, necessary either for the Service and Or-nament of .a house.
a These, which were worn round the neck, were doubtless similar to those knovvn asPanama chains; which certainly are extraordinary specimens of workmanship. Theymay sometimes be met with at our jewellers, who buy them for the purity of the gold.It is said that the mode of making them has never been discovered, and that thesecret is still preserved among the Indians of Panama . We have examined one whichcame from Carthagena, the length of which, had it been cut, was eight feet two inches;its section, which was hexagonal, did not exceed one twentieth of an inch in diameter.It was formed of one or more fine wires, which seerned to have been woven or interlacedlike the platting of a whip handle. When a single thread was examined by a micro-scope, it was found to be composed of several stnaller wires, which separate, were scarce-ly perceptible to our unaided vision. The weight of the chain was eleven penny-weights, and it appeared to be as flexible as a piece of twine, certainly far more sothan any chain formed of links. No end of a wire could be detected, and not a particleof solder was used.