raoius.) ASSIGNMENT OF COLORS TO THE CARDINAL POINTS. 43 



call'd Aeatl. The hieroglyphick of the north, or Micolainpa, was a sword 

 pointed with flint, call'd Tecpatl, in a yellow field. That of the west or 

 Sihuatlampa, was a house in a green field, and called Cagli. * * * 



•• These lour divisions were the beginning of the four terms that made 

 up the age. Between every two on the inside of the snake were twelve 

 small divisions, among which the four first names or figures were success- 

 ively distributed, giving every one its number to thirteen, which was the 

 number of years that composed an indication ; the like was done in the 

 second indication with the same names from one to thirteen, and so in 

 the third and fourth, till they finished the circle of fifty-two years. 

 * * * From what has been said above, there arise several doubts ; 

 the first is, why they begin to reckon their years from the south; the 

 second, why they made use of the four figures, of a rabbit, a cane, a flint, 

 and a house." 



He then goes on to state that the Mexicans believed the sun or light 

 first appeared in the south, and that hell or inferno was in the north; 

 then adds the following: 



•• Having found this analogy between the age and the year, they would 

 carry the similitude or proportions on further, and, as in the year there 

 are four seasons, so they would adapt the like to the age, and accord- 

 ingly they appointed Tochtli for its beginning in the south, as it were, 

 the spring and youth of the sun's age ; Acatl for the summer, Tecpatl 

 for the autumn, and Gagli for his old age or winter. 



" These figures so disposed were also the hieroglyphicks of the ele- 

 ments, which is the second doubt ; for Tochtli was dedicated to Teva- 

 cayohua, god of earth; Acatl to TlalocatetuhtU, god of water; Tecpatl to 

 Ghetzahcoatl, god of air ; and Cagli to Xiuhtecuhil, god of fire. * * * 



•' The days Cipactli, Michitzli, Ozomatli, and Gozcaquauhtli are com- 

 panions to — that is, in all respects follow — the order of the four figures 

 that denote the years of an age, viz, Tochtli, Acatl, Tecpatl, and Gagli, 

 to signify that every year whose symbol is Tochtli will have Cipactli 

 for the first day of the month ; that whose symbol or distinctive mark 

 is Acatl will have Michitzli for the first of the month; Tecpatl will have 

 Ozomatli, and Gagli will have Gozcaquauhtli." 



Clavigero 29 agrees with Gemelli in reference to the correspondence of 

 the year symbols with the first days of the years, and inserts the follow- 

 ing remark in a note : 



■• Cav. Boturini says that the year of the rabbet began uniformly 

 with the day of the rabbet, the year of the cane with the day of the 

 cane, &c., and never with the days which we have mentioned ; but we 

 ought to give more faith to Siguenza, who was certainly better informed 

 in Mexican antiquity. The system of this gentleman is fantastical and 

 full of contradictions." 



From this statement we infer that Siguenza held the same opinion on 

 this point as Clavigero and Gemelli. 



*>Hi8t. Mex. Cullen's Transl., I, 892. 



