Manchester Memoirs, Vol. Ix. (1916), No. 5- 



V. The Aztec Moon-cult and its relation to the 

 Chank-cult of India. 



By J. Wilfrid Jackson, F.G.S., 



Manchester Museum. 



(Communicated by Professor G. Elliot Smith, M.A., M.D.,F.R.S.) 



( Received and read December 14th, IQ15.) 



The interesting evidence brought forward by Dr. 

 Elliot Smith before this Society, and in Nature, November 

 25th, 191 5, p. 340, and December 16th, p. 425, regarding 

 the transmission from India or the Far East to America 

 of the design of an elephant's head does not stand alone 

 as an indication of an element of Asiatic culture trace- 

 able in the old Mexican civilization. 



Though the Mexican mythology is so complex, 

 anyone who carefully compares the Aztec and Hindu 

 pantheons cannot but conclude that the former is derived 

 to a very large extent from the latter. The whole sub- 

 ject, however, is far too vast to be discussed in this short 

 paper. I propose, therefore, very briefly to deal with a 

 most remarkable identity in the use of large conch shells 

 as trumpets and in the adoption of shells as religious 

 symbols. 



Beyond figuring and describing the various shells 

 depicted on Mexican manuscripts, no one, so far as I am 

 aware, has hitherto called attention to their true signifi- 

 cance. 



May 17 th, iqi6, 



