of social life. In the natural openings of the primeval forest, or in a fertile strip of interval, the Aztecs planted beans and Indian corn.
All, except the nobles and soldiery, cultivated the soil, the work being done chiefly by the men.
The more important branches of husbandry were the culture of the banana, which was easily grown and gave exuberant returns; the production of chocolatl from the cocoa-palm; the cultivation of the vanilla, which was confined
to a small strip of the sea-coast; and the planting of maize and the maguey. Prescott calls the latter “a miracle of nature," on account of the large number of articles that are made from it. The Aztecs pressed the stalks of Indian corn to obtain the sap for sugar. There is no evidence that the tillage of the country was materially improved by the Spanish Conquest.
Nevertheless, it must be admitted that agriculture is still in its infancy in the various parts of Mexico. This is due to the persistency of the peons in making use of the rude implements of their forefathers. Fortunately, an easily worked and fertile soil generally exists in the Republic. Frost occurs only on the table-land, and is rare in many portions of it. All kinds of cereals, vegetables, and fruits are cultivated in the country, but the absence of facilities for cheap transportation in some of the States is a great drawback.
