SELEli] 



TEMPLE PYRAMID OF TEPOXTI.AN 



347 



cardinal points are represented by their symbols. I must forego 

 attempting to explain these more exactly until casts or good photo- 

 graphs are submitted for study. The reliefs on the rear wall are, 

 perhaps, of a still more interesting nature, but unfortunately here a 

 portion of the bench is destroyed. It is to be hoped that Mr Saville, 

 who has now started again for Tepoxtlan and Xochicalco, will bring 

 Jiome satisfactory casts and make known these representations. 



Finally, in addition to the above, two stone tablets, which were 

 found built into the south wall of the lower terrace of the pyramid, 

 are of special importance. One (c, figure 86) contains the hieroglyph 

 of King Ahuitzotl, who derived his name from a small ghostlike water 

 animal, which, according to Mexican tales, played the role of a sort 

 of nixy and was represented in this form. On the other slab a rab- 

 bit is depicted, and beside it are 10 circles, which would indicate the 

 year 10 Tochtli, corresponding to the year 1502 of the Christian chro- 

 nology', the last year of Ahuitzotl's reign, or the year of his death. 

 Saville has interpreted these two tablets quite correctly, and he cou- 



rt & c 



Fig. 86. Glyphs of the king Auitzotl. 



eludes that the year of the erection of the temple and its builder were 

 ihus immortalized. This is probably correct, in which case, in truth, 

 l^Hhe ancient temple of Tepoxtlan would be the only aboriginal struc- 

 ilite still standing in Mexico to which we can with j^robability assign 

 ti certain date ". 



tt would next be desirable to know to which god sacrifices were 

 bfffered in this place. Neither Rodriguez nor Saville have attempted 

 ib answer this question. I am fortunately in a position to be able 

 lb decide this matter beyond dispute. There was a class of deities 

 Uiiiong the Mexicans which excited the special wonderment and 

 ivbhorrence of the monks and the Spaniards generally. These were 

 the pulque gods, or the gods of drunkenness. As we say (in German) 

 hi a drunken man that " he has got an ape '\ so tlie Mexicans, of 

 course, with a doubtless wholly different train of thought, spoke of a 

 I'ibbit (tochtli), under whose influence the intoxicated person acted. 

 They said he had "rabbited himself" (omotochtili), when anyone 

 drank to insensibility and in this condition came to any harm. Hence 



