The Native Races [of the Pacific states], Volume 1, Wild Tribes

ZAPOTECS AND MIJES.

The Zapotecs occupy the large valley of Oajaca. 'Fue la Zapotecapan Señora, y tan apoderada de las demas de su Orizonte, que ambiciosos sus Reyes, rompieron los terminos de su mando, y se entraron ferozes, y valientes, por Chontales, Mijes, y tierras maritimas de ambos mares del Sur, y del Norte … y venciendo, hasta Señorear los fertiles llanos de Teguantepeque, y corriendo hasta Xoconusco.' Burgoa, Geog. Descrip., tom. i., pt. ii., fol. 196, tom. ii., fol. 362. 'Hasta Tepeiac, Techamachalco, Quecholac y Teohuacan, que por aquí dicen que hicieron sus poblaciones los zapotecas.' Veytia, Hist. Ant. Mej., tom. i., p. 153. 'A Levante de' Mixtechi erano i Zapotechi, cosí chiamati dalla loro capitale Teotzapotlan. Nel loro distretto era la Valle di Huaxyacac, dagli Spagnuoli detta Oaxaca o Guaxaca.' Clavigero, Storia Ant. del Messico, tom. i., p. 32. 'En una parte del Estado de Oajaca, limitada al Sur por el Pacífico, exceptuando una pequeña fraccion de terreno ocupada por los chontales.' Pimentel, Cuadro, tom. i., p. 319. See also: Orozco y Berra, Geografía, pp. 177-87; Murguía y Galardi, in Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin, tom. vii., pp. 245-6. 'The Zapotecs constitute the greater part of the population of the southern division of the Isthmus (of Tehuantepec).' Barnard's Tehuantepec, p. 226. 'Inhabit the Pacific plains and the elevated table-lands from Tarifa to Petapa.' Shufeldt's Explor. Tehuantepec, pp. 125, 133-4; Garay's Tehuantepec, p. 59; Fossey, Mexique, pp. 338, 470. 'Zapotécos, welche die Mitte des Staates, das grosse Thal von Oajáca bewohnen, sich im Osten über die Gebirge von Huixázo, Iztlán und Tanétze und die Thäler Los Cajónos ausbreiten, und im Süden, im Partido Quíechápa (Depart. Tehuantepéc) mit den Mijes, im Partido von Pochútla (Depart. Ejútla) aber mit den Chontáles, Nachbaren jener, gränzen.' Mühlenpfordt, Mejico, tom. ii., pt. i., pp. 141, 170, 173-6, 183-6, 189, 191, 199, 212-13; Wappäus, Geog. u. Stat., p. 162. 'Les Zapotèques appelaient leur pays Lachea.' Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., tom. iii., p. 38; Macgregor's Progress of America, p. 848.

The Mijes dwell in the mountains of southern Oajaca and in a small portion of Tehuantepec. 'Antérieurement à la ruine de l'empire toltèque … les Mijes occupaient tout le territoire de l'isthme de Tehuantepec, d'une mer à l'autre.' Brasseur de Bourbourg, Voy. Tehuantepec, pp. 138-9. 'Toute cette région, comprenant, à l'est, les cimes de la Sierra de Macuilapa que domine le village actuel de Zanatepec et les montagnes qui s'étendent, du côté opposé, vers Lachixila, baignées par la rivière de Tehuantepec, au sud, et, au nord, par celle de la Villa-Alta, jusqu'aux savanes, oú roulent les affluents de l'Alvarado et du Guazacoalco, appartenait à la même nation des Mixi ou Mijes … les Mijes vaincus demeurèrent soumis dès lors aux rois de la Mixtèque et du Zapotecapan, à l'exception d'un petit nombre qui, jusqu'à l'époque espagnole, continuérent dans leur résistance dans les cantons austères qui environnent le Cempoaltepec. Ce qui reste de cette nation sur l'isthme de Tehuantepec est disséminé actuellement en divers villages de la montagne. Entre les plus importants est celui de Guichicovi que j'avais laissé à ma droite en venant de la plaine de Xochiapa au Barrio.' Id., pp. 105-7. 'Les Mixi avaient possédé anciennement la plus grande partie des royaumes de Tehuantepec, de Soconusco et du Zapotecapan; peut-être même les rivages de Tututepec leur devaient-ils leur première civilisation.' Id., Hist. Nat. Civ., tom. iii., pp. 34-5. 'En algunos lugares del Departamento de Oajaca como Juquila, Quezaltepec y Atilan.' Pimentel, Cuadro, tom. ii., p. 173. 'Les Indiens mijes habitent une contrée montagneuse, au sud-ouest du Goatzacoalco et au nord-ouest de Tehuantepec… De la chaîne des monts Mijes descend la rivière de Sarrabia, qui traverse la belle plaine de Boca-del-Monte.' Fossey, Mexique, p. 49. 'The Mijes, once a powerful tribe, inhabit the mountains to the west, in the central division of the Isthmus, and are now confined to the town of San Juan Guichicovi.' Barnard's Tehuantepec, p. 224; Montanus, Nieuwe Weereld, p. 225; Hermesdorf, in Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. xxxii., p. 547. 'The Mijes constituted formerly a powerful nation, and they still occupy the land from the Sierra, north of Tehuantepec, to the district of Chiapas. In the Isthmus they only inhabit the village of Guichicovi, and a small portion of the Sierra, which is never visited.' Garay's Tehuantepec, p. 60. Also Macgregor's Progress of America, p. 849; Orozco y Berra, Geografía, pp. 176-7.

The Huaves, Huavi, Huabi, Huabes, Guavi, Wabi, etc., live on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. 'Les Wabi avaient été, dans les siècles passés, possesseurs de la province de Tehuantepec… Ils avaient été les maîtres du riche territoire de Soconusco (autrefois Xoconochco … espèce de nopal), et avaient étendu leurs conquêtes jusqu'au sein même des montagnes, où ils avaient fondé ou accru la ville de Xalapa la Grande (Xalapa-del-Marques).' Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., tom. iii., p. 3. 'The Huaves are in all little more than three thousand, and occupy the four villages of the coast called San Mateo, Santa Maria, San Dionisio, and San Francisco.' Garay's Tehuantepec, p. 59. 'Scattered over the sandy peninsulas formed by the lakes and the Pacific. At present they occupy the four villages of San Mateo, Santa Maria, San Dionisio, and San Francisco.' Barnard's Tehuantepec, p. 227. 'San Francisco Istaltepec is the last village, inhabited by the descendants of a tribe called Huaves.' Hermesdorf, in Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. xxxii., p. 546. 'Habitent les villages du bord de la mer au sud de Guichicovi.' Fossey, Mexique, p. 467. Shufeldt's Explor. Tehuantepec, p. 126; Mühlenpfordt, Mejico, tom. ii., pt. i., p. 141. 'Se extienden en Tehuantepec, desde las playas del Pacífico hasta la cordillera interior.' Orozco y Berra, Geografía, pp. 173-6.

The Beni-Xonos 'composaient une province nombreuse, occupant en partie les routes qui conduisaient au Mexique et aux montagnes des Mixi… Leur ville principale, depuis la conquête, s'appelait San-Francisco, à 15 l. N. O. de la cité d'Oaxaca.' 'Habitant sur les confins des Mixi et des Zapotêques.' Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., tom. iii., pp. 42-3. 'Les Beni-Xono sont appelés aussi Nexicha et Cajones.' Ib.

The Mazatecs live in the state of Oajaca, near the Puebla boundary. 'A Tramontana dei Mixtechi v'era la Provincia di Mazatlan, e a Tramontana, e a Levante dei Zapotechi quella di Chinantla colle loro capitali dello stesso nome, onde furono i loro abitanti Mazatechi e Chinantechi appellati.' Clavigero, Storia Ant. del Messico, tom. i., p. 33. 'In den Partidos Teutitlán und Teutíla, Departement Teutitlán del Camíno.' Mühlenpfordt, Mejico, tom. ii., pt. i., pp. 141, 206, 210. 'En el Departamento de Teotitlan, formando una pequeña fraccion en el límite con el Estado de Veracruz.' Orozco y Berra, Geografía, p. 188.

TRIBES OF OAJACA AND CHIAPAS.

The Cuicatecs dwell 'en una pequeña fraccion del Departamento de Oajaca.' Pimentel, Cuadro, tom. ii., p. 259. 'In den Partidos Teutitlán und Teutíla, Departement Teutitlán del Camíno.' Mühlenpfordt, Mejico, tom. ii., pt. i., p. 141; repeated in Orozco y Berra, Geografía, pp. 188-9; Wappäus, Geog. u. Stat., p. 163.

The Pabucos live in the 'pueblo de Elotepec, Departamento del Centro.' Orozco y Berra, Geografía, p. 197; Mühlenpfordt, Mejico, tom. ii., pt. i., p. 187.

The Soltecs are in the pueblo de Sola. Orozco y Berra, Geografía, p. 197.

The Pintos are a people inhabiting small portions of Guerrero and Tehuantepec. 'A l'ouest, sur le versant des Cordillères, une grande partie de la côte baignée par le Pacifique, habitée par les Indiens Pintos.' Kératry, in Revue des Deux Mondes, Sept. 15, 1866, p. 453. 'On trouve déjà dans la plaine de Tehuantepec quelques échantillons de cette race toute particulière au Mexique, appelée pinto, qui appartient principalement à l'état de Guerrero.' Charnay, Ruines Américaines, p. 502.

The Chiapanecs inhabit the interior of the state of Chiapas. 'Dans l'intérieur des provinces bordant les rives du Chiapan, à sa sortie des gouffres d'où il s'élance, en descendant du plateau de Zacatlan.' (Guatemalan name for Chiapas,) and they extended over the whole province, later on. Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., tom. ii., p. 87. 'À l'ouest de ce plateau, entre les Zotziles ou Quélènes du sud et les Zoqui du nord, habitaient les Chiapanèques.' Id., Popol Vuh, introd., pp. 157, 199. Also in Laet, Novus Orbis, p. 325; Ludewig's Ab. Lang., p. 39. 'En Acala, distrito del Centro, y en la villa de Chiapa y en Suchiapa, distrito del Oeste.' Orozco y Berra, Geografía, p. 172. 'Le principali Città dei Chiapanechi erano Teochiapan, (chiamata dagli Spagnuoli Chiapa de Indios), Tochtla, Chamolla, e Tzinacantla.' Clavigero, Storia Ant. del Messico, tom. i., p. 33.

The Tzendales are in Chiapas. 'De l'Etat de Chiapas.' Brasseur de Bourbourg, Popol Vuh, p. 364. 'The province called Zeldales lyeth behind this of the Zoques, from the North Sea within the continent, running up towards Chiapa and reaches in some parts near to the borders of Comitlan, north-westward.' Gage's New Survey, p. 236. Also in Ludewig's Ab. Lang., p. 193; Pimentel, Cuadro, tom. ii., p. 235; Orozco y Berra, Geografía, p. 169; Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. iv., lib. x., cap. xi.; Laet, Novus Orbis, p. 325.

The Zotziles inhabit a small district in Chiapas. 'La ciudad de Tzinacantlan, que en mexicano significa "lugar de murciélagos," fué la capital de los quelenes, y despues de los tzotziles quienes la llamaban Zotzilhá, que significa lo mismo; de zotzil, murciélago.' Pimentel, Cuadro, tom. ii., p. 245. Tzinacantan (Quiche Zotzilha) 'doit avoir été le berceau de la nation zotzil, l'une des nombreuses populations du Chiapas.' Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., tom. ii., p. 88.

The Chatinos live in the 'Departamentos del Centro y de Jamiltepee.' Orozco y Berra, Geografía, p. 189; Mühlenpfordt, Mejico, tom. ii., pt. i., pp. 196-9.

The Chinantecs, or Tenez, are in the 'Departamento de Teotitlan.' Orozco y Berra, Geografía, p. 187; Mühlenpfordt, Mejico, tom. ii., pt. i., p. 214. 'In the partidos of Quiechapa, Jalalog, and Chuapan.' Ludewig's Ab. Lang., p. 40.

The Ahualulcos inhabit San Francisco de Ocuapa which 'es la Cabeza de Partido de los Indios Ahualulcos.' Alcedo, Diccionario, tom. iii., p. 366.

The Quelenes occupied a district in Chiapas near the Guatemala boundary line. 'La nation des Quelènes, dont la capitale était Comitan, occupait la frontière guatémalienne.' Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., tom. iii., p. 4. 'Au temps de la conquête, la ville principale des Quelènes était Copanahuaztlan.' Brasseur de Bourbourg, Popol Vuh, introd., p. 157. 'Établies entre le haut plateau de Ghovel ou de Ciudad-Real et les montagnes de Soconusco au midi.' Ib.; and Montanus, Nieuwe Weereld, p. 271.

The Zoques are scattered over portions of Tabasco, Chiapas, Oajaca, and Tehuantepec. 'Se encuentran derramados en Chiapas, Tabasco y Oaxaca; tienen al Norte el mexicano y el chontal, al Este el tzendal, el tzotzil y el chiapaneco, al Sur el mexicano, y al Oeste el huave, el zapoteco y el mixe.' Orozco y Berra, Geografía, p. 170. 'Occupy the mountain towns of Santa Maria and San Miguel, and number altogether about two thousand souls.' Shufeldt's Explor. Tehuantepec, p. 126. 'Les Zotziles et les Zoqui, confinant, au sud-est, avec les Mixi montagnards, au nord avec les Nonohualcas, et les Xicalancas, qui habitaient les territoires fertiles de Tabasco.' Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., tom. iii., p. 5. 'Quorum præcipuum Tecpatlan.' Laet, Novus Orbis, p. 325. 'The Soques, who came originally from Chiapas, inhabit in the Isthmus only the villages of San Miguel and Santa María Chimalapa.' Garay's Tehuantepec, p. 60. 'La mayor de ellas está situada á tres leguas de Tacotalpa, aguas arriba del rio de la Sierra. Ocupa un pequeño valle causado por el descenso de varios cerros y colinas que la circuyen.' Pimentel, Cuadro, tom. ii., pp. 236-8; Mühlenpfordt, Mejico, tom. ii., pt. i., pp. 181-2; Macgregor's Progress of America, pp. 849-50. 'The Zoques inhabit the mountainous region to the east, from the valley of the Chiapa on the south, to the Rio del Corte on the north. Originally occupying a small province lying on the confines of Tabasco, they were subjugated by the expedition to Chiapas under Luis Marin. At present they are confined to the villages of San Miguel and Santa Maria Chimalapa.' Barnard's Tehuantepec, p. 225. 'Near the Arroyo de Otates, on the road from Tarifa to Santa Maria, stands a new settlement, composed of a few shanties, inhabited by Zoques, which is called Tierra Blanca.' Hermesdorf, in Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. xxxii., p. 546.

The Choles, Manches, and Mopanes are scattered through small portions of Chiapas and Vera Paz in Guatemala. '23 leagues from Cahbón, in the midst of inaccessible mountains and morasses, dwell the Chóls and Manchés.' Escobar, in Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour., vol. xi., pp. 94-5. Residen en la 'Provincia del Manché.' Alcedo, Dicc., tom. iii., p. 452. Also in Boyle's Ride, vol. i., preface, p. 14; Dunlop's Cent. Amer., p. 196; Gavarrete, in Panamá Star and Herald, Dec. 19, 1867. 'Los Choles forman una tribu establecida desde tiempos remotos en Guatemala; dividos en dos fracciones … la una se encuentra al Este de Chiapas, y la otra muy retirada en la Verapaz.' Orozco y Berra, Geografía, p. 167. 'Tenia por el Sur la Provincia del Chòl: Por la Parte del Oriente, y de el Norte, de igual modo, las Naciones de los Itzaex Petenes: Y por el Poniente, las de los Lacandones, y Xoquinoès.' Villagutierre, Hist. Conq. Itza, pp. 278-9. 'The nation of the Chol Indians is settled in a country about 25 or 30 leagues distant from Cahabon, the last village in Verapaz, and far removed from the Manchés.' Juarros' Hist. Guat., p. 275.

MAYAS AND ITZAS.

The Mayas inhabit the peninsula of Yucatan. 'Avant la conquête des Espagnols, les Mayas occupaient toute la presque'île d'Yucatan, y compris les districts de Peten, le Honduras anglais, et la partie orientale de Tabasco… La seule portion de pure race restant de cette grande nation, se réduit à quelques tribus èparses, habitant principalement les bords des rivières Usumasinta, San Pedro et Pacaitun; la totalitè de leur territoire fait, politiquement parlant, partie du Peten.' Galindo, in Nouvelles Annales des Voy., 1834, tom. lxiii., pp. 148-9, and in Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour., tom. iii., p. 59. 'En todo el Estado de Yucatan, Isla del Cármen, pueblo de Montecristo en Tabasco, y del Palenque en Chiapas.' Pimentel, Cuadro, tom. ii., p. 3; Crowe's Cent. America, pp. 46-7; Müller, Amerikanische Urreligionen, p. 453; Mühlenpfordt, Mejico, tom. i., p. 208; Wappäus, Geog. u. Stat., pp. 142-3.

The Itzas occupy a like-named district in the centre of Yucatan. 'Los que poblaron a Chicheniza, se llaman los Yzaes.' Herrera, Hist. Gen., dec. iv., lib. x., cap. ii. 'Tienen por la parte del Mediodia, la Provincia de la Vera-Paz, y Reyno de Guatimala; por el Norte, las Provincias de Yucatán; por la parte del Oriente, el Mar; por la de el Occidente, la Provincia de Chiapa; y al Sueste, la Tierra, y Provincia de Honduras.' Villagutierre, Hist. Conq. Itza, p. 489.

CHAPTER VII.

WILD TRIBES OF CENTRAL AMERICA

Physical Geography and Climate – Three Groupal Divisions; First, the nations of Yucatan, Guatemala, Salvador, Western Honduras, and Nicaragua; Second, The Mosquitos of Honduras; Third, the nations of Costa Rica and the Isthmus of Panamá – The Popolucas, Pipiles, and Chontales – The Descendants of the Maya-Quiché Races – The Natives of Nicaragua – The Mosquitos, Poyas, Ramas, Lencas, Towkas, Woolwas, and Xicaques of Honduras – The Guatusos of the Rio Frio – The Caimanes, Bayamos, Dorachos, Goajiros, Mandingos, Savanerics, Sayrones, Viscitas, and others living in Costa Rica and on the Isthmus

Of the Wild Tribes of Central America, which territorial group completes the line of our Pacific States seaboard, I make three divisions following modern geographical boundaries, namely, the aborigines of Guatemala, Salvador, and Nicaragua, which I call Guatemalans; the people of the Mosquito Coast and Honduras, Mosquitos; and the nations of Costa Rica and the isthmus of Darien, or Panamá, Isthmians.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL AMERICA.

The territory occupied by this group of nations lies between the eighteenth and the seventh parallels of north latitude, that is to say, between the northern boundary of the Central American states, and the river Atrato, which stream nearly severs the Isthmus from the South American continent. This continental tract is a narrow, irregular, indented coast-country of volcanic character, in which Guatemala and Honduras alone present any considerable breadth. The two cordilleras, running through Mexico and meeting on the isthmus of Tehuantepec, continue their course through Guatemala, where they form a broken table-land studded with elevations, of less height than the plateaux of Mexico. After sinking considerably at the isthmus formed by the gulf of Honduras, this mountain range takes a fresh start and offers a formidable barrier along the Pacific coast, which sends a number of transverse ranges into the interior of Honduras, and gives rise to countless rivers, chiefly emptying into the Atlantic. The chain passes at a diminished altitude through Nicaragua, where it forms a large basin, which holds the lakes of Nicaragua and Managua; but on reaching Costa Rica it again becomes a bold, rugged range, capped by the volcano of Cartago. Seemingly exhausted by its wild contortions, it dwindles into a series of low ridges on entering Veragua, and passes in this form through the isthmus of Panamá, until it unites with the South American Andes. The scenery of this region is extremely varied, uniting that of most countries of the globe; lakes, rivers, plains, valleys, and bays abound in all forms and sizes. The north-east trade winds blow the greater part of the year, and, meeting the high ranges, deposit their superabundant moisture upon the eastern side, which is damp, overgrown with rank vegetation, filled with marshes, and unhealthful. The summer here, is hot and fever-breeding. Relieved of their moisture, and cooled by the mountains, the trade winds continue their course through the gaps left here and there, and tend materially to refresh the atmosphere of the Pacific slope for a part of the year; while the south-west winds, blowing from May to October, for a few hours at a time, bring short rains to temper what would otherwise be the hot season on this coast. Dew falls everywhere, except in the more elevated regions, and keeps vegetation fresh. Palms, plantains, mahogany, and dye-woods abound in the hot district; maize flourishes best in the temperate parts, while cedars, pines, and hardier growths find a home in the tierra fria. The animal kingdom is best represented on the Atlantic side, for here the puma, the tiger-cat, and the deer, startled only by the climbing opossum or the chattering monkey, find a more secure retreat. Birds of brilliant plumage fill the forests with their songs, while the buzz of insects everywhere is heard as they swarm over sweltering alligators, lizards, and snakes. The manifold productions, and varied features of the country have had, no doubt, a great influence in shaping the destiny of the inhabitants. The fine climate, good soil, and scarcity of game on the Pacific side must have contributed to the allurements of a settled life and assisted in the progress of nations who had for centuries before the conquest lived in the enjoyment of a high culture. It is hard to say what might have been the present condition of a people so happily situated, but the advent of the white race, bent only upon the acquirement of present riches by means of oppression, checked the advancement of a civilization which struck even the invaders with admiration. Crossing to the Atlantic side we find an over-abundant vegetation, whose dark recesses serve as a fitting shelter for the wild beast. Here man, imbibing the wildness of his surroundings, and oppressed by a feverish climate, seems content to remain in a savage state depending upon natural fruits, the chase, and fishing for his subsistence. Of a roaming disposition, he objects to the restraint imposed by government and forms. The natives of Costa Rica and the isthmus of Darien escaped the civilizing influence of foreign intercourse, – thanks to their geographical isolation, – and remain on about the same level of culture as in their primitive days.

CENTRAL AMERICAN NATIONS.

Under the name of Guatemalans, I include the natives of Guatemala, Salvador, and Nicaragua. I have already pointed out the favorable features of the region inhabited by them. The only sultry portion of Guatemala is a narrow strip along the Pacific; it is occupied by a few planters and fishermen, who find most of their requirements supplied by the palms that grow here in the greatest luxuriance. The chief part of the population is concentrated round the various lakes and rivers of the table-land above, where maize, indigo, cochineal, and sugar-cane are staple products. In the altos, the banana is displaced by hardier fruits sheltered under the lofty cedar, and here we find a thrifty and less humble people who pay some attention to manufactures. Salvador presents less abrupt variation in its features. Although outside of the higher range of mountains, it still possesses a considerable elevation running through its entire length, which breaks out at frequent intervals into volcanic peaks, and gives rise to an abundant and well-spread water system. Such favorable conditions have not failed to gather a population which is not only the most numerous comparatively, but also the most industrious in Central America. Northern Nicaragua is a continuation of Salvador in its features and inhabitants; but the central and southern parts are low and have more the character of the Guatemalan coast, the climate being hot, yet not unhealthful. Its Atlantic coast region, however, partakes of the generally unfavorable condition described above.

The Spanish rulers naturally exercised a great influence upon the natives, and their ancient civilization was lost in the stream of Caucasian progress, a stream which, in this region, itself flowed but slowly in later times. Oppressed and despised, a sullen indifference has settled upon the race, and caused it to neglect even its traditions. The greater portion still endeavor to keep up tribal distinctions and certain customs; certain tribes of lesser culture, as the cognate Manches and Lacandones, retired before the Spaniards to the north and north-east, where they still live in a certain isolation and independence. The name Lacandones has been applied to a number of tribes, of which the eastern are described to be quite harmless as compared with the western. The Quichés, a people living in the altos, have also surrounded themselves with a certain reserve, and are truer to their ancient customs than the Zutugils, Cakchiquels, and many others related by language to the Quichés surrounding them. The Pipiles, meaning children, according to Molina, are the chief people in Salvador, where their villages are scattered over a large extent of territory. In Nicaragua we find several distinct peoples. The aboriginal inhabitants seem to have been the different peoples known as Chorotegans, who occupy the country lying between the bay of Fonseca and lake Nicaragua. The Chontales (strangers, or barbarians) live to the north-east of the lakes, and assimilate more to the barbarous tribes of the Mosquito country adjoining them. The Cholutecs inhabit the north from the gulf of Fonseca towards Honduras. The Orotiñans occupy the country south of the lake of Nicaragua and around the gulf of Nicoya. Further information about the location of the different nations and tribes of this family will be found at the end of this chapter.957