Produced by Julia Miller, Rachael Schultz and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Transcriber's Note In the original text, verses in the chapter headings were typeset in Gothic font; they are displayed below ~like this~. Footnotes are indicated within the text by a capital letter in brackets (e.g., [A]) and are located at the end of their respective chapter. Punctuation has been standardized. For details on typographical corrections, please refer to the note at the end of the text. AMERICAN TABLEAUX, No. 1. SKETCHES OF ABORIGINAL LIFE. 'Tis like a dream, when one awakes,-- These visions of the scenes of old; 'Tis like the moon, when morning breaks; 'Tis like a tale round watch-fires told. By V. V. VIDE. NEW-YORK: PUBLISHED BY BUCKLAND & SUMNER, 79 JOHN-STREET. 1846. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1846, by BUCKLAND & SUMNER, in the Clerk's office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of New York. Stereotyped by Vincent L. Dill, 128 Fulton st. Sun Building, N. Y. C. A. Alvord, Printer, Cor. of John and Dutch sts. PREFACE. The American Tableaux lay no claim to the respect and confidence, which is justly shown to authentic history; nor do they anticipate the ready favor usually accorded to high wrought romance. They are neither the one nor the other. The general outline is designed to be historical, and true to the characters of individuals, and the customs of nations and tribes; and the drapery in which it is arrayed is intended rather to illustrate the truth, and place it in bolder relief, than to weaken its force by irrelevant inventions. It is proposed rather to shade and color the naked sketches of history, and restore them to their natural setting and accompaniments, than to alter or distort them. The characters of history are usually stiff, cold, and statue-like, and their drapery, if they have any, is of the same marble rigidity with themselves. The Tableaux would transfer them to canvass in their natural colors, strongly relieved by a back-ground of familiar scenery and every day associations, and shaded or lightened, as the case may be, by the sorrows or joys of social life, and the cares or honors of public station. It may be presumptuous to hope that all this has been accomplished. It is safer to say, it has been attempted. CONTENTS. THE AZTEC PRINCESS. CHAPTER I. PAGE BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE OF TECUICHPO. 15