UNITY OF MEXICAN AND CENTRAL AMERICAN CIVILI- 

 ZATION 



The Zapotecs and their kindred were a nation unrelated to the 

 Mexicans. If they can be classed with any of the great language 

 groups belonging to the region of the ancient Mexican-Central Amer- 

 ican civilization, it can only be the Maya group. Indeed, a number 

 of roots and many structural peculiarities of the language seem to 

 indicate such a connection. The whole region of ancient Mexican- 

 Central American civilization is, however, a conspicuous example of 

 what Adolph Bastian calls a " geographical province ". For, inde- 

 pendent of a linguistic difference, we find the special elements of 

 Mexican civilization developed in an exactly similar way among all 

 the peoples of this territory. This is true of the general conduct of 

 life, the technical and military customs, the organization of state and 

 of society, but more especially of religion and learning. 



The unity of this entire region of ancient civilization is most 

 clearly expressed by the calendar, which these people considered 

 the basis and the alpha and omega of all high and occult knowledge. 

 This calendar is a special product of Central American culture. Its 

 essential peculiarities are the adoption of the fundamental number 

 20 as the leading unit, and the combination of this leading unit with 

 the number 18. These are features which appear in no other calen- 

 dric system hitherto known." Within the region of Central Ameri- 

 can civilization not only are these two essential peculiarities to be met 

 with in the calendars of all the civilized nations, but also a close 

 correspondence in the names of the individual days of a lead- 

 ing unit. This I have demonstrated in regard to the Maya territory 

 in my work entitled " Uber den Charakter der aztekischen und der 

 Maya-Handschriften 'V and regarding the Zapotec territory in a 

 work on Mexican chronology which appeared in 1891. '" The Zapotec 

 calendar is distinguished from those used by the other nations by cer- 

 tain peculiarities which one is tempted to consider evidences of special 

 antiquity, but which are, perhaps, only the result of a particular 

 development and an especial use for augural purposes. 



" Cyras Thomas attempted to show rehition of the Central American calendar to that 

 used in Hawaii. This attempt, however, must he pronounced an utter failure. The 

 ancient inhabitants of Hawaii had a kind of actual month of 30 days ; and the only 

 agreement with the Mexican calendar could be the fact that 12X30, like 18X20, gives the 

 number 360, thus leaving a surplus of 5 days in the year. 



" Zeitschrift fiir Ethnologie, v. 20, 1888, p. 1 and following. 



<• Zeitschrift fiir Ethnologie, v. 23, 1891, p. SO and following. 



266 



