试译稿
From the Rio Grande（格兰德河）to the southern continent extends（延伸）the great land bridge connecting North and South America, forming（构成）a region（地区）which might properly（适当地；正确地；恰当地）be called Middle America. This region divides naturally into several sections（地区）. To the north is the body of Mexico, its coastal（沿海的；海岸的）lands mounting（增加；上升）abruptly（突然地；唐突地）on the western side, but rising more gradually（逐步地；渐渐地）on the eastern littoral（沿海地区）toward the broad（宽的，辽阔的；显著的；大概的）central plateau（高原）, the shape of which — roughly（粗糙地；概略地）triangular（三角的，[数] 三角形的；三人间的）, with its apex（顶点；尖端）in the lofty（高的；崇高的）mountains of the south — conforms（符合；一致的；顺从的）to that of the whole land north of the Isthmus （地峡）of Tehuantepec（特万特佩克）. Next to this is the low-lying（低洼的）peninsular（半岛的）region of Yucatan, ascending（上升；登高；追溯）into mountains toward the Pacific, and forming（形成，构成）a great broadening（扩展，增宽）of the southward（向南的；在南方的）tapering（使逐渐变窄；逐渐减少）land. A second bulge（胀；膨胀；凸出部分）is Central America, lying between the Gulf（海湾；深渊；分歧；漩涡）of Honduras（洪都拉斯）and the Mosquito Gulf（蚊子湾）, and terminating（结束，终止；结果）in the thin Isthmus（地峡）forming an arc（弧（度）；弧光 全称electric arc；弧形物；天穹）about the Bay of Panama（巴拿马湾）.
在格兰德河与南方大陆间延伸出的连接南北美洲的大陆桥构成了被称为中美洲的地区。这一地区通常被划分为以下几个部分。北部是墨西哥的主体部分，从其西部沿海至形状恰好契合南部特万特佩克地峡的广阔中央高原（大致呈三角形，顶峰位于其南部的山脉上），高度陡增，东部的高度则增加的更加平缓。其下，是低洼的尤卡坦半岛，靠近太平洋的部分逐步增高，形成了北宽南窄的地区（形成了逐步增宽，向南逐步变窄的地区）。第二个凸出部分便是中美洲，位于洪都拉斯湾与蚊子湾之间，止步于巴拿马湾的弧形狭窄地峡。
The physiography（地文学，地相学；自然地理学；自然现象志）of the region is an Index （指标；指数；索引；指针）to its pre-Columbian（前哥伦布时期）ethnography（民族志；人种志；人种学）. The northern portion（部分；一份；命运）, including Lower California （下加利福尼亚）and, roughly, the mainlands in its latitudes（纬度 ，某一纬度地区）, was a region of wild tribes（部落）, the best of them much inferior（差的；自卑的；下级的，下等的）in culture to the Pueblo（普韦布洛）Indians on the Gila（希拉河）and the upper Rio Grande, and the lowest as destitute （穷困的；无的；缺乏的）of arts as any in America. Yuman （尤马）and Waicurian？tribes in Lower California; Seri on the Island of TIburon and the neighbouring mainland; PIman in the north central and western mainlands; Apache In the desert-like lands south of the Rio Grande; and Tamaulipecan on the east, coasting the Gulf of Mexico — these are the principal（主要的）groups of this region, peoples whose ideas （想法；主意；概念）and myths differ little from those of their kindred （家族；相似；亲属关系）groups of the arid （干旱的；不毛的）South-west of North America. The Piman group, however, possesses（拥有，掌握）a special interest in that it forms a possible connexion（连接，联系）between the Shoshonean to the north and the Nahuatlan nations of the Aztec world. Such peoples as the Papago, Yaqui, Tarahumare, and Tepehuane are the wilder cousins of the Nahua, while the Tepecano, Hulchol, and Cora tribes, just to the south, distinctly（明显地；无疑地，确实地）show Aztec acculturation（文化适应；文化移入；文化互渗）. In general, the Mexican tribes north of the Tropic（回归线） of Cancer（巨蟹；癌症） belong, in habit and thought, with the groups of the South-West of the northern continent; ethnically（人种上；民族上）, Middle America falls south of the Tropic.
本地区的自然地理可谓是对本地前哥伦布诸民族的指针。北部，包含下加利福尼亚和回归线附近的大陆区域，是诸多原始部落的所在地，其中文明程度最高的也不过是位于希拉河和格兰德河下游的普韦布洛人的水准，最低的同其他原住民一样缺乏艺术。Yuman 和Waicurian部落位于下加利福尼亚；Seri 位于蒂伯龙岛和其附近的大陆上；PIman位于大陆正北方和西方；Apache位于格兰德河以南的荒芜地域；Tamaulipecan位于东部的墨西哥湾沿岸地域——这些是这一地区的主要部落，这些人的各式神话和传统观念与他们在北美洲西南部的亲缘族群差异极小。但Piman部落却在此间握有一种特殊的？兴趣？，这构筑了在北方的Shoshonean和阿兹特克世界的Nahuatlan 之间的一种可能的联系。诸如Papago, Yaqui, Tarahumare, Tepehuane等部落是Nahua的更为野性的表亲，尽管Tepecano, Hulchol和 Cora 部落确实表现出了部分为阿兹特克文化影响的痕迹（仅在其南部）。总的来说，回归线以北的墨西哥诸部落？巨蟹星空下？在文化风俗和思想方面可以归属于北美洲西南地区；但在人种上，中美地区仍归属于回归线以南的族群。
Below this line, extending（延伸；扩大；推广；伸展）as far as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, is the region dominated（主导，控制，支配）by the empire of the Aztec, marked（标志；做标记于） by the civilization which bears（忍受，承受；相称表现；带有 ）their name. As a matter of fact, although at the time of the culmination（顶点；高潮；中天） of their power this whole region was politically（政治上）subordinated（把…列入下级；使居次要地位）to the Aztec (It was not completely conquered by them), it contained several centres（中心）of culture, each in degree（程度，等级；度；学位；阶层）distinct（明显的；独特的；清楚的；有区别的）. To the north, about the Panuco, were the Huastec, a branch（分支；分公司；分部；树枝；支流；岔路；（血管）分枝）of the Maya stock（股份，股票；库存；血统；树干；家畜）; while immediately（立即，立刻；直接地）south of them, and also on the Gulf Coast, were the Totonac, possibly of Maya kinship（亲属关系，家属关系；亲密关系）. The central highlands, immediately west of these peoples, were occupied by the OtomI, primitive（原始的，远古的；简单的，粗糙的）and warlike（战争的；好战的；有战争危险的）foes（敌人；反对者；危害物）of the Aztec emperors. On their west, in turn（反过来；转而；轮流，依次）, the Otomi had a common frontier（前沿；边界；国境）with Nahuatlan tribes — Hulchol, Cora, and others — forming a transitional（变迁的；过渡期的）group between the wild tribes of the north and the civilized Nahua. Quite（很；相当；完全）surrounded by Nahuatlan and Otomian tribes was the Tarascan stock of Michoacan, a group of peoples whose culture certainly antedates（先于；前于）that of the Nahua, of whom, indeed, they may have been the teachers. Still to the south —their territories（地区；领土；边疆区）nearly conterminous（相接的；连接的；同一延伸的）with the state of Oaxaca —were the Zapotecan peoples, chief among them the Zapotec and Mixtec, whose civilization ranks with those of Nahua and Maya in individual（个人的；个别的；独特的）quality, while in native vitality（活力，生气；生命力，生动性）it has proved stronger than either.
从此线延伸至特万特佩克地峡的广大地区为阿兹特克帝国所支配？并被以其名所称呼的文明留下了深刻的印记？事实上，即便是在其力量鼎盛时期，这一地区也仅是其政治上的附属国。（并未被其完全征服）这一地区仍然包含着数个？具有独特？程度？阶层？的文化中心。在北方，？临近？帕奴可的瓦斯特克，是玛雅主干的一个分支；就在其南方，同样是/也是在海湾地区，是可能与玛雅有亲属关系的托托纳克。在中央高地，即是在正西方的那些人，他们为奥托米人所征服，奥托米人是阿兹特克统治者们的原始而又善战的敌人。反过来看奥托米人的西部，他们与纳瓦人部落——Hulchol, Cora和其他一些部落——有着很正常的边界，这构成了北部的原始部落和更文明的纳瓦人之间的过渡性部落群。为奥托米人和纳瓦人所完全包围的是位于米却肯的塔拉斯科人主干，这些人的文明先于纳瓦人，或许是纳瓦人某种程度上的老师。仍在南部，他们的土地与瓦哈卡相连，瓦哈卡人属于萨巴特克人，其他萨巴特克人和米斯特克人串杂在其间，他们的文化同纳瓦人和玛雅人相比更注重个人，在个人的身体素质方面他们被证明优于其他部族。
The Zoquean tribes (Mixe, Zoque, and others), back from（回归，退回）the Gulf of Tehuantepec, form a transition（过渡；转变）to the next great culture centre, that of the Maya nations. The territories （地区；领土；边疆区）of this most remarkable（卓越的；非凡的；值得注意的）of all American civilizations Included the whole of Yucatan, the greater portions（部分；一份；命运）of Tabasco, Chiapas, and Guatemala, and the lands bordering（接近；接界；近似）on both sides of the Gulf of Honduras. Thus（因此；从而；这样；如此）the Mayan regions dominate the strategy（战略，策略）of the Americas, since they not only control the juncture（接缝；连接；接合；特定时刻，关头；交接处，接合点；音渡）of the continents, but, stretching（（柔软或弹性物）伸展；拉紧；（使）过分延长；（资金、资源）足够；大量要求；（使）最大限度利用（才能）；夸大；延续）out toward the Greater Antilles（安的列斯群岛）, command（命令；统率（陆军、海军等）；值得（同情、尊重等）；俯瞰；控制（情感）；掌握，拥有）the passage（一段（文章）；走廊；通路；通过；旅程，行程；船费）between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. It is easily conceivable（可想像的；可相信的）that, had a free maritime（海运的，航海的，海事的；近海的，沿海的）commerce（贸易；商业；商务）grown up, the Maya might have become, not merely（仅仅，只不过；只是）the Greeks, but the Romans, of the New World.
Zoquean部落（包含Mixe, Zoque和其他一些部落），退回了特万特佩克地峡，这构成了像下一个伟大的文化中心的过渡，？这归属于？玛雅诸国。这一在所有美洲文明中最为卓越的国家领土包含了整个尤卡坦，塔巴斯科、恰帕斯和危地马拉的一大部分，？领土的边界与洪都拉斯湾的两边均相接？因此，玛雅控制了美洲的？战略要地？他们不仅控制了大陆的连接点，并且延长至了大安的列斯群岛，控制了位于墨西哥湾和加勒比海之间的走廊。很容易构想，在这一区域内的海洋自由贸易的兴起，玛雅或许能成为，不仅仅像是新世界的希腊，而更像是新世界的罗马的国度。
Central America, occupied by no less than a dozen distinct（明显的；独特的；清楚的；有区别的）linguistic（语言的；语言学的）stocks（股份，股票；库存；血统；树干；家畜）, forms a fourth cultural district.Its peoples show not only the influences of the Maya and Nahua to the north (a tribe of the Nahuatlan stock had penetrated（鞭辟入里）as far south as Lake Nicaragua), but also of the Chibchan（奇布查）civilization of the southern continent, dominant（显性的；占优势的；支配的，统治的）In the Isthmus of Panama, and extending beyond Costa Rica up into Nicaragua. In addition（另外，此外）, there is more than a suggestion of influence from the Antilles（安的列斯群岛）and from the sea-faring（航海的）Carib（加勒比人）. Here, we can truly say, is the meeting-place（会场；聚会地点）of the continents.
中美洲，为不少于一打的具有独特语言学血统的民族所占据，？构筑了文明第四起源？这些民族不仅仅展现出玛雅人和纳瓦人对北方的影响（纳瓦人的一支部落，远至尼加拉瓜湖南，仍有发现），也展现出对南方大陆的奇布查文明的影响，在巴拿马地峡居于统治性地位，其拓展超出了哥斯达黎加远至尼加拉瓜。此外，不止一条证据可以证明其对安的列斯群岛和航海民族加勒比人的影响。这里，我们可以说，是正片大陆的“文明会场”/文明聚集点。
The nodes（节点；瘤；[数] 叉点）of interest in the culture and history of Middle America are the Aztec and Maya civilizations, which are justly（公正地；正当地；恰当地；正直地）regarded（注重，考虑；看待；尊敬；把…看作；与…有关）as marking the highest attainment（达到；成就；学识）of native Americans. Neither Aztec nor Maya could vie（争夺，激烈竞争）with the Peruvian（秘鲁人的；秘鲁的）peoples In the engineering（工程，工程学）and political（政治的；党派的）skill which made the empire of the Incas such a marvel of organization; but in the general level of the arts, in the intricacy（错综，复杂；难以理解）of their science, and above all in the possession（拥有；财产；领地；自制；着迷）of systems of hieroglyphic（象形文字的；（尤指艺术）风格化的；似象形文字的）writing and of monumental（不朽的；纪念碑的；非常的）records（记录，记载；唱片；（过去的）经历，履历；纪录，最佳成绩；前科，犯罪记录）the Middle Americans had touched a level properly comparable（类似的，可比较的；同等的，相当的）with the earliest civilizations of the Old World, nor can theirs have been vastly（非常，极其；极大地，广大地；深远地）later than Old World culture In origin.
对中美洲历史与文化的兴趣节点是阿兹特克文明和玛雅文明，它们被恰当的认为是美洲原住民中取得最高成就的民族。无论是阿兹特克人还是玛雅人都可以与秘鲁人在工程和政治技巧上一较高下——这是使印加帝国成为如此令人惊奇的国家组织的原因，但在艺术上的总体等级、他们令人难以理解的科学技术和？他们全部的令人着迷的？象形文字和纪念碑形式的记录，中美洲人达到了一个或许可以与旧世界的最早期的文明相提并论的水平，？他们在时间上非常晚于旧世界文明的起源？
