MEXICAN CALENDARS—SPINDEN 
The second formula, 369260 days 
equal 1011 tropical years, cannot be 
reduced by common divisors, but the 
manner in which it was constructed 
is not far to seek. Formula Two is 
simply the fifth multiple of Formula 
One from which is subtracted one 
Metonic cycle. This celebrated luni- 
solar period of the Greeks was much 
used by the Maya, being 1 katun 
minus 1 tzolkin. 
Five times Formula 
=376199. 5690 days 
One Metonic cycle of 
19 tropical years.. = 
Formula Two, 369260 
GAYS eeevela ee ielacts 
6939. 6037 days 
= 369259. 9653 days 
For comparison Serpent Number G 
in the Dresden Codex records 12,454,- 
761 days; this is 34100 tropical years 
at the value 365.24225833 days, meet- 
ing the situation between A. D. 800 
and 900 or about the time the Dresden 
Codex was compiled. All the Serpent 
numbers run into the future from 
March 7, A. D. 481. Since Serpent 
Number G is approximately a com- 
mon multiple of the synodical revolu- 
tions of all five visible planets, it is 
used here with the tropical or synod- 
ical year. Serpent Number E, 
12438810 days, is very close on the 
sidereal year exemplifying, as well, 
40] 
the conformity of sidereal and synodic 
revolutions of the same five planets 
with surprisingly minute errors. 
Once Again the Year Dial 
Old conclusions on Maya chron- 
ology eclipsed by the controversy of 
the ’30’s over Correlations A and B 
are rejuvenated in dramatic fashion 
by the discovery that the axis of the 
splendid Temple of the Magician at 
Uxmal recovers the base line at Copan 
within 3 minutes of arc and with 
conformity of dates. Places in the 
tropical year and Venus places as well 
are recorded in a careful recapitula- 
tion of First Empire Maya astronomy 
in Second Empire times. 
The House of the Magician at 
Uxmal, the eastern facade of the 
Nunnery and the Snail at Chichen 
Itza are traditionally linked to Nacxitl 
Quetzalcoatl, famous Toltec conquer- 
or, reformer, and astronomer, who 
flourished in the twelfth century. In- 
scriptions in these cities of northern 
Yucatan, Mexico, parallel others at 
Copan, Honduras, and Uaxactun, 
Guatemala, of a much earlier epoch, 
in that all belong to the same year- 
dial complex. 
The axis of the Temple of the 
Ficure 3.—Venus mask on the House of the Magician at Uxmal. Note the sign for 8 days 
on the upper part of each eye. These are the 8 days between April 4 (evening) and April 
13 (morning) when Quetzalcoatl was in the underworld. ‘For eight days he was bone,” 
says the legend. The underside of the eyes have a design constructed of bones. 
