﻿The Aztec Calendar Stone. 



183 



indicated by the numbers, ranging from 1 to 20. The next circles exter- 

 ior to those containing the days of the month, you find fifty-two small 

 squares, but only forty are sculptured, as three are considered to be con- 

 cealed beneath each of the four chief cardinal points, which would make 

 fifty-two squares in all ;* and each of these fifty-two squares contains five 

 figures for days, which, Grama states, as representing the period of 260 

 days, twenty of the first, or moon reckoning "trecenas," or thirteen days. 

 13 X 20 = 260. 



The whole circle is divided into eight angular points R, which designate 

 the eight principal times of the day. The intervals between these are 

 again divided by small circular symbols, designated by the letters L, which 

 designate the hours of the night. At the top of the stone is the symbol 

 of a bunch of reeds and thirteen roundlets, to designate "13 Acatl," 

 which shows that this stone applies to that year. 



Mr. Grallatin conjectures that this symbol must have been solely for as- 

 tronomical purposes, while Grama presumes that it was on account of its 

 being the twenty-sixth year of the circle, equally removed from the begin- 

 ning and the end. It certainly was not intended to designate the year that 

 the stone was brought to Mexico, for no year of" 13 Acatl" occurred dur- 

 ing the reign of Montezuma. 



The smaller interior image, as we have already stated, is the image of 

 the sun and the four parallelogrammes, A, B, C, D, containing respectively 

 the hieroglyphics of the days 4 Ocelotl, 4 Ehecatl, 4 Quiahuitl and 4 Atl. 

 The lateral figures, E and F, according to Grama } represent two great as- 

 trologers, "Cipactonal" and " Oxomoco," husband and wife, who were 

 represented in the shape of eagles and owls, and who are said to have in- 

 vented this stone and caused it to be sculptured. 



This representation of the sun, with the accompanying parallelogrammes, 

 is named "Ollin" (according to Grama). The Mexicans believed that the 

 sun died four times, and that the one that now shines is the fifth, also 

 doomed to destruction. From the first creation, the first age and the first 

 sun endured for 676 years, or thirteen cycles, when the crops failed, and 

 men were devoured by tigers. This took place in the year 1 Acatl, and on 

 the day 4 Ocelotl, when the sun died. This destruction lasted thirteen 

 years. The second age and sun lasted 364 years, or seven cycles, 

 and ended in the year 1 Tecpatl, on the day 4 Ehecatl, when 

 the destruction was caused by high winds and hurricanes, and some 

 men were changed into monkeys. The third age lasted 312 years ? 



*They had 52 years in their cycle. 



