Chapter 7

If this people were, as is generally supposed, the leaders in Mexican and Central American civilization, it is possible that the Aztecs, a more savage and barbarous people, borrowed their civilization from the former, and, having less tendency toward development, retained the original symbols and figures of the former, adding only ornamentation and details, but not advancing to any great extent toward a written language.

Some such supposition as this, I believe, is absolutely necessary to explain the facts mentioned. But even this will compel us to admit that the monuments of Yucatan and Copan are of much more recent date than has generally been supposed, and such I am inclined to believe is the fact. At any rate, I think I may fairly claim, without rendering myself chargeable with egotism, that my discovery in regard to the two plates so frequently mentioned will throw some additional light on this vexed question.

NOTE.--Since the foregoing was printed, my attention has been called by Dr. Brinton to the fact that the passage quoted from Sahagun (see pages 41 and 54), as given in Bustamente's edition, from which it was taken, is incorrect in combining _Cetochtli_ and _Acatl_ into one word, when in fact the first is the end of one sentence and the second the commencement of another. I find, by reference to the passage as given in Kingsborough, the evidence of this erroneous reading. The argument on page 54, so far as based upon this incorrect reading, must fall.

FOOTNOTES:

[14] Study Manuscript Troano, pp. 69-74.

[15] Les. Doc. Ecrit. l'Antiq. Ameriq.

[16] Zeits. für Ethn., 1879.

[17] Study Manuscript Troano, pp. 68-70.

[18] Vol. III, p. 471.

[19] P. 234.

[20] P. 209.

[21] P. 82.

[22] P. 209.

[23] See also hisDechiff.[TN-20] Ecrit. Hierat., p. 42.

[24] Relacion, p.208.[TN-21]

[25] _Des couleurs consideres comme Symboles des Points de l'Horizon chez des Peuples du Noveau Monde_, in _Actes de la Societe Philologique_, tome VI. See also his _Recherches sur les Noms des Points de l'Espace_, in. _Mem. Acad. Nat. Sci. et Arts et Belles Lettres de Caen_, 1882.

Since the above was written I have received a copy of his _Ages ou Soleils_, in which he gives the Mexican custom of assigning the colors as follows: blue to the south, red to the east, yellow to the north, and green to the west.--P. 40.

[26] Hist. Gen. de las Cosas de Nueva Espana, tome 2, p. 256.

[27] Hist. Ant. Mex., vol. 1, p. 42.

[28] Churchill's Voyages, vol. IV, pp. 491, 492.

[29] Hist. Mex. Cullen's Transl., I, 292.

[30] _Idea de Una Nueva Historia General de la America Septentrional_, pp. 54-56.

[31] Hist. Amer. Dec. II, B. 10, Chap. 4. Transl. vol. 3, pp. 221-222.

[32] _Historia de las Indias de Nueva Espana, Mexico_, 1880. Tom. II., pp[TN-22] 252-253.

[33] Trat^o. 3º Lam 1ª.

[34] Zeit. für Ethnologie, 1879.

[35] Anales Mus. Mex., I, Entrag. 7, p. 299.

[36] Monarq. Indiana, lib. X, cap. 36.

[37] Tom. 1, Entrag. 7, tom. II, and continued in tom. III.

[38] A fact mentioned by Leon y Gama (Dos Piedras, pt. I, p. 16), and Veytia (Hist. Antiq. Mej., tom. I, p. 58). See, also, Müller, _Reisen_, tom. III, p. 65, and Boturini, Idea, p. 125.

[39] I see from Charencey's "_Ages ou Soleils_," just received, that he concludes the arrangement by the Mexicans was as follows:

1. Tochtli -- Rabbit -- Blue -- Earth -- South. 2. Acatl -- Cane -- Red -- Water -- East. 3. Tecpatl -- Flint -- Yellow -- Air -- North. 4. Calli -- House -- Green -- Fire -- West.

[40] See note 39 on page 47.

[41] By "air" in this connection "wind" is really intended.

[42] Kingsborough, vol. VI, pp. 196, 197.

[43] See also Chavero's statement to the same purpose, Anales Mus. Mes., tom. 11, entrag. 4, p. 244.

[44] l. c. See also the colored wheel in Kingsborough, Mex. Antiq., Vol. IV. Copied from one in Boturini's collection, the same as Gemelli's.

[45] l. c.

[46] Y acabados los cincuenta y dos años tornaba la cuenta á cetochliacatl, que es la caña figura dedicada al oriente que llamaban tlapcopcopa, y tlavilcopa, casihacia[TN-23] la lumbre, ó al sol.

[47] See the various views presented by Chavero, _Anales Mus. Mex._ Tom. II Entrag. 2, and authorities referred to by Bancroft, _Native Races_, II. p. 504, note 3.

[48] Kingsburough,[TN-24] Mex. Antiq., Vol. III.

[49] Dr. Brinton, "The Maya Chronicles," p. 53, informs us that "the division of the katuns was on the principle of the Belran[TN-25] system of numeration, as _xel u ca katun_, 'thirty years;' _xel u yox katun_, 'fifty years.' Literally these expressions are, 'dividing the second katun,' 'dividing the third katun,' _xel_ meaning to cut in pieces, _to divide as with a knife_." This appears to be the idea intended in the figure of the Cortesian plate.

[50] P. 281, pl. 69.

[51] Dos Piedras, pt. 1, p. 16.

[52] Travels in Cent. Amer., vol. I, p. 156. Monument _N_, plate. Mr. Gustav Eisen, in a MS. lately received by and now in possession of the Smithsonian Institution, also mentions another similar head as found at Copan. This, he says, is on the side of an altar similar to that described by Stephens, except that the top wants the hieroglyphics. The sides have human figures similar to the other; on one of these is the head of an "Alligator."

[53] Ibid., 2d plate to p. 158.

[54] Stephens' Trav. Cent. Amer. III Frontispiece.

Transcriber's Note

TN-1 7 Schultz Sellack should read Schultz-Sellack TN-2 9 occcpy should read occupy TN-3 10 Imix should read Ymix TN-4 12 Chuen should read _Chuen_ TN-5 12 _Eb_., should read _Eb_, TN-6 16 tortous should read tortuous TN-7 18 Footnote marker 1 and footnote 1 should be numbered 7 TN-8 20 1. _Kan._ 1. _Lamat._ should read 1 _Kan._ 1 _Lamat._ TN-9 20 2 Kan should read 2 Kan. TN-10 26 number.) should read number). TN-11 32 The underline used to mark the end of the months has been replaced with [ ] TN-12 35 Echecatl should read Ehecatl TN-13 36 Plate 2 should read Plate II TN-14 46 Shultz-Sellack should read Schultz-Sellack TN-15 46 les should read los TN-16 50 Miquitzli should read Miquiztli TN-17 52 Miquitzli should read Miquiztli TN-18 54 Shultz-Sellack should read Schultz-Sellack TN-19 63 Fejervery should read Fejervary TN-20 40, fn. 23 hisDechiff should read his Dechiff TN-21 40, fn. 24 p.208. should read p. 208. TN-22 44, fn. 32 pp should read pp. TN-23 54, fn. 46 casihacia should read casi hacia TN-24 56, fn. 48 Kingsburough should read Kingsborough TN-25 59, fn. 49 Belran should read Beltran

Inconsistent spelling:

Ben / Been Bibliotheque / Bibliothèque Michitzli / Michiztli Societe / Société Vitzlampa / Vitzlampi