1

descended from the Hebrews. The Indians of Chiapa reckon the number of the planets to be seven, corresponding with the signs of the days of the year, the number following that of thirteen, so celebrated in the Holy Scriptures on account of the Blessed Creator having rested on the seventh day of the creation of the world. The names of the Chiapanese Chiefs, whose heads are found in the Calendar, bear a considerable resemblance to Hebrew proper names, and even the signs of the Mexican Calendar, seem to have some reference to the emblems 1 under which Jacob when dying, predicted the destinies of his posterity." With respect to burning incense to the Ceiba tree, which superstition of the Chiapanese Nunez de la Vega, treating of their Calendar, mentions, from the Root of which he says they believed they originally sprung :-it might as well have been considered by him as the Root of David which was to produce that Branch which is so much the theme of prophetic hope, as to assume that it was an act of adulation to Ninus-which name the bishop supposed to have been corrupted into Yoana, and lastly into Mox.

"Boturini," writes the commentator, "observes that he could find no resemblance between the names of the other ancient chiefs of the Chiapanese calendar and those of the descendants of Ninus." He adds, "proceeding now to the argument by which Acosta attempts to prove, the Indians could not have been the Hebrews, and which Spezelius has employed in a triumphant manner, to throw discredit on the relation of Montecino,-what shall we say when we find in the writings of Acosta himself, as well as from the works of Sahagun and Torquemeda, and the commentary of the anonymous interpreter of the Vatican Ms. that the Indians

1 The Muyscas had Bochica: of this tribe Gumilla says, "the Calendar corresponds to the Abib or Nisan of the Calendar of the Hebrews.

did expect a Messiah, whom they even called Meçi or Mexi, whose advent they expected in the year of one cane; which was probably on that account named Xuihteuchtli (the year of the Lord.) Nunez de la Vega, bishop of Chiapa, in that part of his Diocesan Constitution, where he speaks of Votan and of the treasure discovered by himself in the Casa lobrego, confirms the account of the interpreter of the Vatican Ms. of the great respect, amounting to idolatry, which the Mexicans, and the other nations of New Spain, paid to their ancestors, since he not only mentions the stone images of those ancient Indian pagans preserved in the Casa lobrego, but adds, that their names are in the calendar, and that Votan who was looked upon (by the Chiapanese) as the HEART of the people was the third in the order. Mox being the first."

"The calendar to which the Bishop of Chiapa refers, was not the Mexican, but the Chiapanese, which Boturini says in the following passage of his Idea de una Nuova Hist. &c. corresponded with that of the Toltics or Tulians. The authority of Boturini, being a man of great learning, is so often refered to, that some surprise must be felt at Gama's assertion, that Don Mariano Veytia, who was appointed Boturini's executor (and became possessed after his death of whatsoever papers had not been confiscated,) declared that that celebrated scholar confessed to him when on his deathbed-" That he should expire without being able to comprehend the Mexican calendar."1

1 A letter from the astronomer Abbe Don Lorenza Hervas, to Clavegero, will more clearly demonstrate the attainment of the Mexicans in that science. "From the work of your reverence, I learn with infinite pain how much the loss of those documents which assisted the learned Dr. Siguenza, to form his Cyclography; and the Cavalier Boturini, to publish his idea of the general History of New Spain, is to be regretted. The year and century have been from time immemorial, regulated by the Mexicans with a degree of intelligence which does not at all correspond with the arts and sciences. In them they were inferior to the Greeks; but the discernment which appears in their Calendar, equals them

Names of the twenty ancient lords which were preserved in the Chiapanese calendar:-Mox, Ygh, VOTAN, Ghanan, Abagh, Tox, Moxic, LAMBAT, Molo, (en otros Mulo) Elab, Batz, Enob, BEEN, Hix, Tziquin, Chabin, Chic, CHINAX, Cahogh, Aghual.

Names of the symbolic signs of the Mexican calendar in

to the most cultivated nations. Hence we ought to infer that this calendar is not the discovery of the Mexicans, but a communication from a more remote and enlightened people, and as the last are not in America, we must look for them in Asia or Egypt. This supposition is confirmed by your affirmation; that the Mexicans had their calendar from the Toltics (originating from Asia), whose year, according to Boturini was exactly adjusted by the course of the sun; and also from observing that other tribes, namely, the Chiapanese made use of the same calendar with the Mexicans without other difference than that of their symbols.

"The Mexican year began upon the 26th of February, a day celebrated in the era of Nabonassar, which was fixed by the Egyptians 747 years before the Christian era; for the beginning of their month Toth corresponded with the meridian of the same day. If those priests fixed also upon this day as an epoch, we have here the Mexican calendar agreeing with the Egyptian, but independently of this, greatly conforming thereto.

"The Mexicans like the Egyptians, added to every year five days which they called Nemontemi, or useless.

"It is true, that unlike the Egyptians, the Mexicans divided their year into eighteen months, but as they called the month mitzli, or 'moon,' it seems undeniable that their ancient month had been lunar, verifying that which the scriptures tell; that the month 'owes its name to the moon.' The Mexicans, it is probable, received the lunar month from their ancestors, but for certain purposes also instituted another. You have affirmed in your history that the Miztecas formed their year into thirteen months, which number was sacred in the calendar of the Mexicans.

"The symbols and periods of years, months, and days, in the Mexican Calendar are truly admirable. In their century it is probable that the period of four years was civil, and that of thirteen, religious. From the multiplication of these two periods they had their century, or age of one hundred and four years. In those periods an art is discovered not less admirable than our indictions, cycles," &c. "The period of their civil weeks was contained exactly in their civil and astronomical month; the latter had six and the former four, and the year contained seventy three complete weeks, in which particular our method is excelled by the Mexicans, for our weeks are not contained exactly in the month nor in the year. Their period of religious weeks was contained twice in their religious month, and twenty-eight times in their year but in the latter remained a day over as there is in our weeks. From the periods of thirteen days, multiplied by the twenty characters of the month, the cycle of two hundred and sixty days was produced of which you make mention; but as there remained a day over the twenty religious weeks of the solar year, there arose another cycle of two hundred and sixty days, in such a manner that the Mexicans could from the first day of every year distinguish what the year was, "The period of civil months, multiplied by the number of days, (that is eighteen by twenty,) and the period of lunar months multiplied by the number of days, (that is twelve by thirty,) give the same product, or the number 360; a number certainly not less

the same order :-Cipatli, Ehecatl, Calli, Cuetzpallin, Cohuatl, Miquiztli, Mazatl, Tochtli, Atl, Ytzeimtli, Ozomatli, Malinalli, Acatl, Ocelotl, Quachtli, Temetlatl, Ollin, Tecpatl, Quailhiutl, Xochitl.

memorable and in use among the Mexicans than amongst the most ancient nations; and a number which from time immemorial, has ruled in geometry and astronomy, and is of the utmost particularity on account of its relation to the circle which is divided into three hundred and sixty parts or degrees. In no nation of the world do we meet with any thing similar to this clear and distinct method of Calendar."

"From the small period of four years, multiplied by the above-mentioned cycle of 360 years, arose another admirable cycle of 1040 years. The Mexicans combined the small period of four years with the period above-named week of thirteen years; thence resulted their noted cycle, or century of 52 years, and thus with the four figures, indicating the period of four years, they had, as we have from the dominical letters, a period, which to say the truth, exceeded ours, which is of twenty-eight years, while the Mexican is of fifty-two; theirs was perpetual, and ours in Georgian years, is not so." "So much variety and simplicity of periods of weeks and months and years and cycles, cannot be unadmired; and the more so, as there is immediately discovered that particular relation which these periods have to many different ends, which Boturini points out by saying, "The Mexican Calendar was of four species; that is, natural for agriculture, chronological for history, ritual for festivals, and astronomical for the course of the stars, and the year was lunisolar.” Boturini determines in the Mexican paintings the year of confusion of tongues, &c. &c. The Mexican lords, therefore, who still preserve some of the ancient paintings might, by the study of them, adduce many lights to chronology. Leaving apart the evident conformity which the symbols and expressions of spring and winter have, with those of Job, who in my opinion lived a short time after the deluge, (as I state in my eleventh volume) it ought to be noted that these symbols which are excellent for preserving the year invariable, demonstrate the use of the intercalary days of the Mexicans," &c.

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"Lastly, the symbol which you put for the Mexican century, convinces me that it is the same which the ancient Chaldeans and Egyptians had. In the Mexican symbol we see the sun as it were eclipsed by the moon, and sur. rounded by a serpent, which makes four twists, and embraces the four points of thirteen years. This very idea of the serpent with the sun has, for time immemorial in the world, signified the periodical or annual course of the sun.

"We know that in astronomy, the points where eclipses happen have from time immemorial been called (as Briga Romagnoli has noted) the head and tail of the dragon. The Chinese from false ideas, though conformable to this immemorial usage and allusion, believe that at eclipses, a dragon is in the act of devouring the sun. The Egyptians more particularly agree with the Mexicans; for, to symbolize the sun, they employed a circle with one or two serpents; but still more the ancient Persians; among whom their Mitras (which was certainly the sun,) was symbolized by a sun and a serpent, and from P. Montfacon we are given (in his Antiquities) a monument of a serpent surrounding the signs of the Zodiac, which cuts them, by rolling himself in various forms about them. In addition to these incontestible proofs and examples, the following reflection is most convincing. There is no doubt that the symbol of the serpent is a thing totally arbitrary to signify the sun, with which it has no natural or physical relation; how then, I ask, have so many nations dispersed over the globe, and of which some have had no reciprocal intercourse, unless in the early ages after the deluge, attained to this uniformity, &c."-See Clavegero.

158

HISTORICAL RECORDS.

"WE are naturally disposed to inquire what was the TEOMOXtli-the name of the Divine Book which contained the history, mythology, calendar, and laws of the Tultecas. This word is compounded of TEO, divine; amitl, paperus, and Moxtli or Mostli; for in the Mexican language y and x frequently supply the place of s; tli is devoid of meaning, but is a general termination. Mostli then appears to be Moses, when the sentence would be-" The Divine Book of Moses." It is necessary to observe that in the Mexican language, the compounding of words terminating in itl, with other words, an elision of those final letters frequently takes place, as in the word acatl, which is compounded of atl, water; and calli, a house."-p. 104.

"A little historical book was found of an Hebrew-Indian nation, which may probably be that of Been, mentioned by Nunez de la Vega, (to which tradition, it should be observed, the Bishop of Chiapa lent his much higher authority.) It is impossible not to remark the resemblance which many of their proper names bear to the Hebrew. In the last edition of Garcia's Origin los Indios, we find the

1 'The Mexican history,' observes Humboldt, presents the greatest order, and an astonishing minuteness in the recital of events.' 229. 'The Aztec priests as we have already observed, followed the different terms of a series from right to left, and not from left to right as the Hindoos, and almost all the nations that now inhabit Europe. We shall see at Mexico the copy of a painting formerly in the Museum of the Cavalier Boturini, in which the sign of the month quecholli is followed by thirteen points placed near a Spanish spearman, whose horse has under his feet the hieroglyphic of the city of Zenochtilan; this painting represents the first entry of the Spaniards into Mexico,' &c.-p. 300.