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Designating, or pertaining to, an American Indian linguistic stock occupying the Mexican States of Veracruz, Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, and Yucatan, together with a part of Guatemala and a part of Salvador. The Mayan peoples are dark, short, and brachycephallic, and at the time of the discovery had attained a higher g…

A cactaceous plant (Nopalea cochinellifera), originally Mexican, on which the cochineal insect feeds, and from which it is collected. The name is sometimes given to other species of Cactaceæ.

Water ousel (Zoöl.), the European dipper (Cinclus aquaticus), and the American dipper (C. Mexicanus).

A Mexican mimosaceous tree (Lysiloma candida), the bark of which is used in tanning.

A mountain tribe of Mexican Indians living near Acapulco. They are remarkable for having the dark skin of the face irregularly spotted with white. Called also speckled Indians.

A Mexican shrub (Euphorbia pulcherrima) with very large and conspicuous vermilion bracts below the yellowish flowers.

e lining of its cells; -- called also upholsterer bee. -- Prickly poppy (Bot.), Argemone Mexicana, a yellow-flowered plant of the Poppy family, but as prickly as a thistle. -- Poppy seed, the seed the opium poppy (P. somniferum). -- Spatling poppy (Bot.), a species of Silene (S. inflata). See Catchfly.…

Jack. -- Prairie hawk, Prairie falcon (Zoöl.), a falcon of Western North America (Falco Mexicanus). The upper parts are brown. The tail has transverse bands of white; the under parts, longitudinal streaks and spots of brown. -- Prairie hen. (Zoöl.) Same as Prairie chicken, above. -- Prairie itch (Med.), an affectio…

An intoxicating Mexican drink. See Agave.

ial diseases; -- called also white quebracho, to distinguish it from the red quebracho, a Mexican anacardiaceous tree (Loxopterygium Lorentzii) whose bark is said to have similar properties. J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).

A contrivance employed by the ancient Peruvians, Mexicans, etc., as a substitute for writing and figures, consisting of a main cord, from which hung at certain distances smaller cords of various colors, each having a special meaning, as silver, gold, corn, soldiers. etc. Single, double, and triple knots were tied in th…

A Mexican liliaceous plant (Schænocaulon officinale); also, its seeds, which contain the alkaloid veratrine. It was formerly used in medicine as an emetic and purgative.

whole genus, of which many species are cultivated for ornament, as the scarlet sage, and Mexican red and blue sage.

it still has external gills; especially, one of those which, like the axolotl (Amblystoma Mexicanum), sometimes lay eggs while in this larval state, but which under more favorable conditions lose their gills and become normal salamanders. See also Axolotl.

A Mexican dish made of crushed maize mixed with minced meat, seasoned with red pepper, dipped in oil, and steamed.

One of the leather hoods which cover the stirrups of a Mexican saddle.

A Mexican spinous lizard (Phrynosoma orbiculare) having a head somewhat like that of a toad; -- called also horned toad.

from the eye, and one from the angle of the mouth. Called also tortoise-shell tiger. -- Mexican tiger (Zoöl.), the jaguar. -- Tiger beetle (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of active carnivorous beetles of the family Cicindelidæ. They usually inhabit dry or sandy places, and fly rapidly. -- Tiger bittern. (Zoöl.…

The Mexican pocket gopher (Geomys Mexicanus). It resembles the common pocket gopher of the Western United States, but is larger. Called also tugan, and tuza.

urkey (Meleagris gallopavo), and the domestic turkey, which was probably derived from the Mexican wild turkey, but had been domesticated by the Indians long before the discovery of America.