32 COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 



objects are what the Aztecs call u the tying together of the years,&quot; 

 a function which took place with solemn ceremonies at the close of 

 each period of fifty-two solar years, the exact time being noted, by the 

 position of the constellation of the Pleiades in the nocturnal sky. 

 To maintain in memory these several cycles of years, such stone images 

 of the &quot; tying together&quot; were carved and placed in the temples, each 

 bearing a mark upon it indicating the cycle to which it belonged. 



THE DEPARTMENT OF GUATEMALA. 



The section devoted to Guatemala contained a number of manuscripts 

 and several collections, one offered by the Government of the state, a 

 second, the collection belonging to Joaquin de Minondo, and a third, 

 which was the property of Julio de Arellano. From these various 

 sources a very good idea could be obtained of the general character of 

 the antiquities of that country. 



The historical manuscripts included one which has been long known 

 under the title of &quot; Isagoge Apologetico General de las Indias. 7 



This work has been quoted by various writers on the history of 

 Guatemala, but has never been published. The catalogue gives a 

 brief statement of its contents. They relate to the conquest of the 

 country by the Spaniards in the sixteenth century, the foundation of 

 the first city of Guatemala, the journey undertaken by Hernaii 

 Cortez, as described in his fifth letter, and the efforts of the mission 

 aries of the religious order of St. Dominic to convert the natives of 

 Guatemala. 



The second manuscript described was in three large folio volumes 

 bearing the title of &quot; Historia de la Provincia de San Yincente Ferier 

 de Guatemala y Chiapa.&quot; 



This work has been familiar by name to historical students, having 

 generally been considered to be the production of Father Ximenes. 

 This fact is questioned, however, by the authors of the catalogue. They 

 consider it rather to have been the result of the labors of various 

 monks of the order of St. Dominic. It would appear to be an error 

 to state, as we find in the catalogue, page 18, that it was unknown to 

 the writers on the history of the country, inasmuch as it is distinctly 

 referred to by the distinguished historian, Garcia Pelaez. 1 The extracts 

 taken from it in the introduction of the catalogue are chiefly from the 

 Spanish translation of the Popol Vuh, the whole of which translation 

 was published by Dr. Scherzer at Vienna, in 1857. 2 



Other manuscripts of interest contain the municipal acts of the first 

 city of Guatemala and autograph letters of Columbus. 



Turning to the objects, utensils, weapons, and similar relics dis 

 played in the collection of the Government of Guatemala, some of the 



1 Garcia Pelaez. Memorias para la Historia de Guatemala, p. 18, et al. 



2 Las Historias del Origeii de los Indies, etc. 



