393 



their division of time so different from those, 

 which have been used in that part of the world ?" 

 In our present state of knowledge, we must not 

 flatter ourselves, that we can solve these ques- 

 tions ; but even not admitting the intercalation 

 of twelve days and a half in a cycle, and not 

 granting to the Mexicans the knowledge of the 

 ancient Persian year of 365 25 days, we shall 

 find in the hieroglyphics of the days, and in the 

 employment of the periodical series, irrefragable 

 testimony of an ancient communication with 

 eastern Asia. 



Though the Mexican cycle began by the year 

 of the rabbit, tochtli, as the Tartar cycle begins 

 by the year of the rat, singueri, the intercalation 

 took place only in the year ome acatl. This very 

 circumstance induced the Mexicans, to denote in 

 their paintings a xiuhmolpilli, or cycle of fifty- 

 two years, by a bundle of canes. The Mexicans 

 had migrated from Aztlan in the year 1064, or 

 1 tecpatl ; their migrations lasted twenty-three 

 years, till 1087, or 2 acatl, when they arrived at 

 Tlalixco. Now, though the reform of the ca- 

 lendar took place in 1090, or the year 1 tochtli, 

 the festival of the new fire was nevertheless ce- 

 lebrated only in the following year 2 acatl ; be- 

 cause, says the Indian historian, Tezozomoc, 

 " the tutelary god of the nation, Huitzilopochtli, 

 had made his first appearance the day 1 tecpatl 

 of the year 2 acatl" 



