ZENTENO, Carlos de Tapia (thayn-tay'-no), Mexican author, born in the city of Mexico in 1698: died there about 17';0. He studied in Trinity seminary of his native city, where he was graduated in theology and canonical law. After receiving holy orders he was appointed to the parish of Tampa-melon, and later was made ecclesiastical judge of the district, but gave his leisure time to the study of the Aztec and Huastec dialects, in which he became proficient, resigning his parish, he settled in Mexico, where he became secretary of the College of San Pedro and, by competitive examination, professor of Aztec in the university. It e wrote "Arte Novisimo de la Lengua Mexicana" (Mexico, 1753) ; " Noticia de la Lengua Huasteca" (1767)" "Apologia de la Provincia de la Huasteca, desaereditada per su intemperie "; and dictionaries and catechisms in Aztec and Huastec, the manuscripts of which are preserved in the National library of Mexico. Hubert H. Bancroft, in his "Native Races" (San Francisco, 1883), often refers to Zenteno's works.