Brinton.] ^^ [Jan. 5, 



The other number sacred to the nagualists was seven. I have, 

 in a former essay, given various reasons for believing that this 

 was not derived from the seven days of the Christian week, but 

 directly from the native calendar. * Nufiez de la Vega tells us 

 that the patron of the seventh day was Cuculcan, " the Feathered 

 Serpent," and that many nagualists chose him as their special 

 protector. As already seen, in Guatemala the child finally ac- 

 cepted its naual when seven years old ; and among some of the 

 Nahuatl tribes of Mexico the tonal and the calendar name was 

 formally assigned on the seventh day after birth. f From similar 

 impressions the Cakchiquels of Guatemala maintained that when 

 the lightning strikes the earth the " thunder stone " sinks into 

 the soil, but rises to the surface after seven years. J 



The three and the seven were the ruling numbers in the genea- 

 logical trees of the Pipiles of San Salvador. The " tree " was 

 painted with seven branches representing degrees of relationship 

 within which marriage was forbidden unless a man had performed 

 some distinguished exploit in war, when he could marry beyond 

 the nearest three degrees of relationship. § Another combination 

 of 3 and T, by multiplication, explains the customs among the 

 Mixes of deserting for 21 days a house in which a death has 

 occurred. || 



The indications are that the nagualists derived these numbers 

 from the third and seventh days of the calendar " month " of 

 twentj^ days. Tepeololtec, the Cave God, was patron of the 

 third day and also " Lord of Animals," the transformation into 

 which was the test of nagualistic power.^ Tlaloc, god of the 

 mountains and the rains, to whom the seventh day was hallowed, 

 was represented by the nagualistic symbol of a snake doubled 

 and twisted on itself, and was generally portrayed in connection 

 with the " Feathered Serpent" (Qnetzalcoatl, Cuculchan, Gnku- 

 matz, all names meaning this), represented as carrying his 

 medicine bag, xiqiiipilH, and incensorj^, the apparatus of the 



* The Native Calendar of Central America and Mexico, p. 12. 



t Motolinia, Ritos Anliguos, Sacrificios e Idolatrias de los Indios de la Niteva Eopana, p. 

 310 (in Cokccion de Documentos ineditos para la Historia de Espaiia). 



I Thomas Goto, Vocabidario de la lengua Cakchiquei, MS., sub voce, Rayo. 

 'i Herrera, Historia de las Indias, Dec. iv, Lib. viii, cap. 10. 



II Diccionario Universal, Appendice, ubi supra. 



H ' Scnor de los Aniraales." Codex Tclleriano-Remcnsis, Parte ii, Lam. iv. 



