﻿THE 
  FOREMOST 
  ACHIEVEMENT 
  OF 
  ANCIENT 
  AMERICA 
  

  

  119 
  

  

  that 
  his 
  empire 
  was 
  speedily 
  destroyed 
  

   and 
  his 
  people 
  enslaved 
  forever. 
  

  

  AN 
  EARTHQUAKE 
  ACCOMPANIED 
  BY 
  A 
  

   VOLCANIC 
  ERUPTION 
  

  

  The 
  third 
  figure, 
  c, 
  on 
  this 
  page, 
  shows 
  

   an 
  earthquake 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  volcanic 
  

   eruption, 
  which 
  occurred 
  in 
  the 
  Valley 
  

   of 
  Mexico 
  in 
  1533. 
  Above 
  we 
  see 
  the 
  

   year 
  2 
  Calli, 
  or 
  2 
  House, 
  corresponding 
  

   to 
  1533 
  A. 
  D. 
  Below 
  is 
  a 
  star, 
  above 
  

   which 
  smoke 
  scrolls 
  are 
  rising. 
  The 
  Az- 
  

   tec 
  word 
  for 
  a 
  volcanic 
  eruption 
  is 
  smoke 
  

   ascending 
  to 
  the 
  stars, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  sign 
  

   for 
  it. 
  At 
  the 
  bottom 
  is 
  a 
  sign 
  which 
  

   means 
  "movement" 
  (ollin), 
  applied 
  to 
  a 
  

   speckled 
  band 
  which 
  represents 
  the 
  earth, 
  

   and 
  a 
  "movement 
  of 
  the 
  earth" 
  is 
  very 
  

   emphatically 
  an 
  earthquake. 
  

  

  Figure 
  d 
  on 
  this 
  page 
  represents 
  a 
  

   heavy 
  fall 
  of 
  snow 
  which 
  occurred 
  in 
  the 
  

   town 
  of 
  Tlachquiahco 
  in 
  1503. 
  

  

  Above 
  is 
  the 
  year 
  1 
  1 
  Acatl, 
  or 
  1 
  1 
  Reed 
  

   (1503), 
  to 
  which 
  is 
  attached 
  a 
  great 
  bank 
  

   of 
  clouds, 
  the 
  snow. 
  Below 
  is 
  an 
  H- 
  

   shaped 
  object, 
  the 
  Aztec 
  ball 
  - 
  court, 
  

   tlacJitli, 
  covered 
  with 
  water 
  symbols, 
  

   quiahuitl, 
  the 
  rain; 
  the 
  combination 
  of 
  

   the 
  two 
  giving 
  tlacJi 
  (tli) 
  quiah 
  (uitl), 
  

   the 
  parts 
  in 
  parentheses 
  being 
  omitted 
  in 
  

   combination 
  and 
  the 
  co 
  being 
  added 
  as 
  

   indicating 
  a 
  place 
  : 
  Tlachquiahco. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  such 
  simple 
  sym- 
  

   bols 
  as 
  these, 
  and 
  all 
  told 
  there 
  were 
  not 
  

   so 
  many 
  of 
  them, 
  that 
  the 
  Aztec 
  were 
  

   able 
  to 
  set 
  forth 
  the 
  principal 
  events 
  of 
  

   their 
  history, 
  to 
  record 
  and 
  date 
  the 
  ac- 
  

   cessions 
  and 
  deaths 
  of 
  their 
  rulers, 
  their 
  

   wars 
  and 
  conquests, 
  and 
  the 
  tributes 
  ex- 
  

   acted 
  from 
  the 
  conquered 
  cities 
  and 
  

   towns 
  of 
  Anahuac 
  (the 
  ancient 
  name 
  for 
  

   central 
  Mexico"). 
  

  

  They 
  noted 
  important 
  religious 
  cere- 
  

   monials 
  and 
  extraordinary 
  natural 
  phe- 
  

   nomena 
  — 
  earthquakes, 
  volcanic 
  eruptions, 
  

   comets, 
  and 
  the 
  like 
  — 
  and, 
  finally, 
  fam- 
  

   ines, 
  pestilences, 
  and 
  migrations. 
  

  

  MAYA 
  WRITING 
  FAR 
  MORE 
  COMPLEX 
  

  

  In 
  short, 
  the 
  Aztec 
  hieroglyphic 
  writ- 
  

   ing, 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  now 
  read 
  about 
  90 
  per 
  

   cent 
  of 
  the 
  characters, 
  gives 
  only 
  a 
  skele- 
  

   ton 
  of 
  history, 
  the 
  barest 
  outline 
  of 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  events 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  for 
  detailed 
  descrip- 
  

   tions, 
  extended 
  narratives, 
  there 
  are 
  

   none 
  — 
  in 
  fact, 
  such 
  were 
  quite 
  beyond 
  

  

  NATURAL 
  PHENOMENA 
  RECORDED 
  IN 
  THE 
  

   AZTEC 
  HIEROGLYPHIC 
  MANUSCRIPTS 
  

  

  (a) 
  An 
  eclipse 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  which 
  took 
  place 
  

   in 
  the 
  year 
  5 
  Rabbit 
  (1510 
  A. 
  D.). 
  The 
  year 
  

   is 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  rabbit's 
  head 
  and 
  the 
  five 
  

   dots 
  in 
  the 
  square 
  above, 
  and 
  the 
  eclipse 
  of 
  the 
  

   sun 
  by 
  the 
  picture 
  of 
  the 
  sun's 
  disk 
  with 
  a 
  

   sector 
  bitten 
  out 
  of 
  it. 
  

  

  (b) 
  A 
  comet 
  which 
  swept 
  over 
  the 
  Valley 
  of 
  

   Mexico 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  10 
  House 
  (1489 
  A. 
  D.). 
  

   The 
  year 
  is 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  square 
  above 
  

   and 
  the 
  comet 
  by 
  the 
  serpent 
  below. 
  

  

  (c) 
  A 
  volcanic 
  eruption 
  and 
  earthquake 
  in 
  

   the 
  year 
  2 
  House 
  (1533 
  A. 
  D.). 
  The 
  year 
  ap- 
  

   pears 
  in 
  the 
  square 
  above. 
  Below 
  is 
  a 
  star 
  

   with 
  smoke 
  curls 
  rising 
  above 
  it, 
  the 
  sign 
  for 
  a 
  

   volcanic 
  eruption, 
  the 
  Aztec 
  word 
  for 
  which 
  is 
  

   "smoke 
  ascending 
  to 
  the 
  stars." 
  Below 
  is 
  the 
  

   sign 
  for 
  an 
  earthquake, 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  winged 
  eye, 
  

   meaning 
  ''movement" 
  (Aztec 
  ollin), 
  applied 
  

   to 
  the 
  earth, 
  the 
  speckled 
  rectangle. 
  

  

  (d) 
  A 
  heavy 
  fall 
  of 
  snow 
  which 
  occurred 
  in 
  

   the 
  province 
  of 
  Tlachquiahco 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  11 
  

   Reed 
  (1503 
  A. 
  D.). 
  The 
  year 
  appears 
  above. 
  

   The 
  bank 
  of 
  clouds 
  indicates 
  the 
  snow, 
  and 
  the 
  

   H-shaped 
  object 
  below, 
  covered 
  with 
  water 
  

   symbols, 
  is 
  the 
  hieroglyph 
  for 
  the 
  province 
  of 
  

   Tlachquiahco. 
  

  

  the 
  compass 
  of 
  its 
  limited 
  and 
  simple 
  

   symbols 
  to 
  express. 
  

  

  The 
  Maya 
  hieroglyphic 
  writing 
  pre- 
  

   sents 
  greater 
  problems 
  in 
  decipherment. 
  

   To 
  begin 
  with, 
  its 
  characters 
  are 
  much 
  

   more 
  numerous, 
  probably 
  twice 
  as 
  many 
  

   as 
  in 
  the 
  Aztec 
  writing, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   time 
  they 
  are" 
  much 
  more 
  complex. 
  

  

  Again, 
  the 
  Spanish 
  priests 
  and 
  chron- 
  

   iclers 
  of 
  the 
  1 
  6th 
  century 
  have 
  described 
  

  

  