154 On the Great Calendar Stone of the Ancient Mexicans. 



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transits on the 22d of May and the 26th of July, and the equi- 

 noxes on the 22d of March and the 22d of September. This 



arrangement, it will be seen, gives 18 1 days from the vernal to 



* " Notes on the semi-civilized Nations of America/' Trans. Am. Ethnological 

 Society, vol. i, p. 101 ; Humboldt's Researches, vol. i, p. 293. 



the autumnal, and 181 from the autumnal to the vernal equinox, 

 which, as observed by Mr. Gallatin, " although not strictly cor- 

 rect, shows that the Aztecs had ascertained by observation that 

 the Sun remained longer North than South of the Equator, which 

 is true, since its apparent motion is not uniform, but is accelera- 

 ted during the time it appears south of the equator/** The 

 transits of the sun, by the zenith of Mexico, were calculated by 

 Gama and found to coincide with the dates engraved on the 

 stone, — demonstrating that the observations which led to the 

 original discovery of the true date were made in Mexico, and in- 

 dicating that the astronomical knowledge of the Mexicans was 

 of American origin. 



These authorities also, from analogy and a consideration of a 

 variety of circumstances which it is unnecessary to recapitulate, 

 arrived at the conclusion that " the winter solstice corresponded 

 with our 22d of December or very near it." None of them 

 were however, able to detect the date of this solstice upon the 

 stone. The supposed deficiency was accounted for, hypotheti- 

 cally, upon the assumption that the dates on the Calendar were 

 calculated only for half of the year, viz : from the vernal to the 

 autumnal equinox. There is nothing however, on which to 

 ground this assumption, but the very deficiency, for which it was 

 intended to account. 



The difficulty, in the way of the satisfactory elucidation of 

 the matter, has been the imperfect character of the engraved 

 copy of the stone upon which the investigations of these schol- 

 ars were founded. Until recently there has been but one draw- 

 ing in existence, viz : the one which accompanies Gama's work 

 upon the Mexican Calendar. This was reproduced by Hum- 

 boldt in his " Researches," and is the same which was consulted 

 by himself and Mr. Gallatin in their enquiries. Within a few 

 years, a larger and very beautiful drawing has been made from 

 the original, by M. Nebel, which is inserted in his splendid work 

 on Mexico. This drawing, while it attests the general accuracy 

 of that published by Gama, has enabled me to detect a most im- 

 portant error in the latter, and to clear up the doubt which has ^ 

 heretofore existed as to the date assigned by the Aztecs to the \ 

 winter solstice. 



The central figure upon the Calendar Stone is a symbolical 

 representation of the sun, with protruding tongue, indicating 

 life, — to talk among the Aztecs conveying the same idea ol 







