"This would appear to be purely mythological, but the fact that all these imaginary antediluvian periods consist of a certain number of cycles, shows that this fable was invented subsequent to the time when the Mexicans had attained a knowledge of cycles, years and of the approximate _length_ of the solar year. It seems, therefore, probable that the mythological representation is in some way connected with celestial phenomena, and it is accordingly, found that the days designated in the parallelograms A and C, as 4 Ocelotl, and 4 Quiahuitl, correspond respectively, (on the a.s.sumption that the first year of the cycle corresponds with the 31st of December,) with the 13th of May and 17th of July, old style, or 22d of May and 26th of July, new style. And these two days 22d of May and 26th of July, are those, according to Gama, of the transit of the sun by the zenith of the city of Mexico, which, by the observations of Humboldt, lies in 19 25" and 57" north lat.i.tude and in 101 25" 20" west longitude from Paris. The two other days 4 Ehecatl, and 4 Atl, do not correspond either in the first year of the cycle or in the year 13 Acatl, with any station of the sun or any other celestial phenomena.
"There are three other hieroglyphics contained within the interior circ.u.mference or representation of the sun, which indicate the dates of some celebrated feasts of the Aztecs. The three following indications or hieroglyphics are found immediately below the figure of the sun. The first of these, designated by the letter H, is placed between the parallelograms C and D, and consists of two squares of five oblongs each, indicating the Aztec numeral 10. The symbol of the day is not annexed, but the whole of the central figure is itself the sign Olin Tonatiah, and the hieroglyphic of the day Olin, as delineated on the stone among the other emblems of the days, is on a small scale and abbreviated form of that central and princ.i.p.al figure of the stone. The day designated here, is consequently, 10 Olin. Below this, and on each side respectively of the great vertical ray of the sun, are found the hieroglyphics of the days 1 Quiahuitl, and 2 Ozomatli. Of the last mentioned days,--10 Olin corresponds in the first year of the cycle, with the 22d day of September, new style;--1 Quiahuitl with the 28th of March, and 2 Ozomatli with the 28th of June, as will be seen by the table at the end of this description of the calendar.
"We find, therefore, delineated on this stone all the dates of the princ.i.p.al positions of the sun, and it thus appears that the Aztecs had ascertained with considerable precision the respective days of the two pa.s.sages of the sun by the zenith of Mexico, of the two equinoxes, and of the summer and winter solstices. They had therefore six different means of ascertaining and verifying the length of the solar year by counting the number of days elapsed till the sun returned to each of these six points,--the two solstices, the two equinoxes, and the two pa.s.sages by the zenith."[18]
MEXICAN ALMANAC,
ACCORDING TO GAMA.
Column Headings: A: Names of the months.
B: t.i.titl.
C: Itzcalli.
D: Xiloma.n.a.liztli.
E: Tlacaxipehnaliztli.
F: Tozoztontli.
G: Hueytozoztli.
H: Toxcall.
I: Etzalqualiztli.
J: Tecuilhuitontli.
K: Heuytecuilhuitl.
L: Miccailhuitonili.
M: Heuymiccailhuitl.
N: Ochpaniztli.
O: Pachtli.
P: Heuypachtli.
Q: Quecholli.
R: Panquetzaliztli.
S: Atenioztli.
T: The five Nemontemi.
=====================================================================ABCDEFGH-------------------------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+Months.1st2d3d4th5th6th7thDay of the Julian year, N. S.,}Jan.Jan.Feb.Mar.Mar.Apr.Mayon which each month begins. }9291810301991Sea Animalc.i.p.actli1 a8 c2 e9 g3 i10 b4 d2WindEhecatl2 b9 d3 f10 h4 a11 c5 e3HouseCalli3 c10 e4 g11 i5 b12 d6 f4Small LizardCuetzpalin4 d11 f5 h12 a6 c13 e7 g5SerpentCohuatl5 e12 g6 i13 b7 d1 f8 h6DeathMiquiztli6 f13 h7 a1 c8 e2 g9 i7DeerMazatl7 g1 i8 b2 d9 f3 h10 a8RabbitTochtli8 h2 a9 c3 e10 g4 i11 b9WaterAtl9 i3 b10 d4 f11 h5 a12 c10DogItzcuintli10 a4 c11 e5 g12 i6 b13 d11ApeOzomatli11 b5 d2 f6 h13 a7 c1 e12Twisted Gra.s.sMalinalli12 c6 e13 g7 i1 b8 d2 f13ReedAcatl13 d7 f1 h8 a2 c9 e3 g14TigerOcelotl1 e8 g2 i9 b3 d10 f4 h15EagleQuauhtli2 f9 h3 a10 c4 e11 g5 i16Bird (Aura)Cozcaquauhtli3 g10 i4 b11 d5 f12 h6 a17Motion of SunOllin4 h11 a5 c12 e6 g13 i7 b18Pedestal}Tecpatl5 i12 b6 d13 f7 h1 a8 cSilex }19RainQuiahuitl6 a13 c7 e1 g8 i2 b9 d20FlowerXochitl7 b1 d8 f2 h9 a3 c10 e-------------------------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+Day of the year corresponding }20406080100120140with last day of each month. }Day of the Julian year, N. S.,}Jan.Feb.Mar.Mar.Apr.MayMayon which each month ends. }281792918828=====================================================================
MEXICAN ALMANAC, (Table Continued)
ACCORDING TO GAMA.
Column Headings: A: Names of the months.
B: t.i.titl.
C: Itzcalli.
D: Xiloma.n.a.liztli.
E: Tlacaxipehnaliztli.
F: Tozoztontli.
G: Hueytozoztli.
H: Toxcall.
I: Etzalqualiztli.
J: Tecuilhuitontli.
K: Heuytecuilhuitl.
L: Miccailhuitonili.
M: Heuymiccailhuitl.
N: Ochpaniztli.
O: Pachtli.
P: Heuypachtli.
Q: Quecholli.
R: Panquetzaliztli.
S: Atenioztli.
T: The five Nemontemi.
=====================================================================AIJKLMNO-------------------------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+Months.8th9th10th11th12th13th14thDay of the Julian year, N. S.,}MayJuneJulyJulyAug.SeptSepton which each month begins. }2918828176261Sea Animalc.i.p.actli11 f5 h12 a6 c13 e7 g1 i2WindEhecatl12 g6 i13 b7 d1 f8 h2 a3HouseCalli13 h7 a1 c8 e2 g9 i3 b4Small LizardCuetzpalin1 i8 b2 d9 f3 h10 a4 c5SerpentCohuatl2 a9 c3 e10 g4 i11 b5 d6DeathMiquiztli3 b10 d4 f11 h5 a12 c6 e7DeerMazatl4 c11 e5 g12 i6 b13 d7 f8RabbitTochtli5 d12 f6 h13 a7 c1 e8 g9WaterAtl6 e13 g7 i1 b8 d2 f9 h10DogItzcuintli7 f1 h8 a2 c9 e3 g10 i11ApeOzomatli8 g2 i9 b3 d10 f4 h11 a12Twisted Gra.s.sMalinalli9 h3 a10 c4 e11 g5 i12 b13ReedAcatl10 i4 b11 d5 f12 h6 a13 c14TigerOcelotl11 a5 c12 e6 g13 i7 b1 d15EagleQuauhtli12 b6 d13 f7 h1 a8 c2 e16Bird (Aura)Cozcaquauhtli13 c7 e1 g8 i2 b9 d3 f17Motion of SunOllin1 d8 f2 h9 a3 c10 e4 g18Pedestal}Tecpatl2 e9 g3 i10 b4 d11 f5 hSilex }19RainQuiahuitl3 f10 h4 a11 c5 e12 g6 i20FlowerXochitl4 g11 i5 b12 d6 f13 h7 a-------------------------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+Day of the year corresponding }160180200220240260280with last day of each month. }Day of the Julian year, N. S.,}JuneJulyJulyAug.SeptSeptOct.on which each month ends. }177271652515=====================================================================
MEXICAN ALMANAC, (Table Continued)
ACCORDING TO GAMA.
Column Headings: A: Names of the months.
B: t.i.titl.
C: Itzcalli.
D: Xiloma.n.a.liztli.
E: Tlacaxipehnaliztli.
F: Tozoztontli.
G: Hueytozoztli.
H: Toxcall.
I: Etzalqualiztli.
J: Tecuilhuitontli.
K: Heuytecuilhuitl.
L: Miccailhuitonili.
M: Heuymiccailhuitl.
N: Ochpaniztli.
O: Pachtli.
P: Heuypachtli.
Q: Quecholli.
R: Panquetzaliztli.
S: Atenioztli.
T: The five Nemontemi.
============================================================APQRS T-------------------------------+----+----+----+----+----Months.15th16th17th18thDay of the Julian year, N. S.,}Oct.Nov.Nov.Dec.Jan.on which each month begins. }165251541Sea Animalc.i.p.actli8 b2 d9 f3 h102WindEhecatl9 c3 e10 g4 i113HouseCalli10 d4 f11 h5 a124Small LizardCuetzpalin11 e5 g12 i6 b135SerpentCohuatl12 f6 h13 a7 c6DeathMiquiztli13 g7 i1 b8 d7DeerMazatl1 h8 a2 c9 e8RabbitTochtli2 i9 b3 d10 f9WaterAtl3 a10 c4 e11 g10DogItzcuintli4 b11 d5 f12 h11ApeOzomatli5 c12 e6 g13 i12Twisted Gra.s.sMalinalli6 d13 f7 h1 a13ReedAcatl7 e1 g8 i2 b14TigerOcelotl8 f2 h9 a3 c15EagleQuauhtli9 g3 i10 b4 d16Bird (Aura)Cozcaquauhtli10 h4 a11 c5 e17Motion of SunOllin11 i5 b12 d6 f18Pedestal}Tecpatl12 a6 c13 e7 gSilex }19RainQuiahuitl13 b7 d1 f8 h20FlowerXochitl1 c8 e2 g9 i-------------------------------+----+----+----+----+----Day of the year corresponding }300320340360365with last day of each month. }Day of the Julian year, N. S.,}Nov.Nov.Dec.Jan.Jan.on which each month ends. }4241438============================================================
In this perpetual almanac, each day in the year is designated by three characteristics derived from the combination of three series, viz.: That of the 20 days of the month, each of which has a distinct name and hieroglyphic, from c.i.p.actli to Xochitl; and as these names are the same and in the same order in every month, the column in which they are set down answers for every month. The series of 13 days, designed by its proper numeral from 1 to 13.
And the series of the 9 night companions, designated in this Table by the letters a, b, ... h, i, viz.:
a. {Xiuhteuctli.
{Tletl.
b. Tecpatl.
c. Xochitl.
d. Cinteotl.
e. Miquiztli.
f. Atl.
g. Tlazolteotl.
h. Tepeyolotli.
i. Quiahuitl.