﻿Gama on Calendar Stone. 



19 



manner they divided the circle, or wheel of the cycle, into four 

 tri-decades of years, whose figures and symbols they represented 

 in an inverse order to that which we practice in our writings — com- 

 mencing theirs on the right hand, and proceeding toward the left, 

 a fashion which they practice in all their picturegraphs. To each 

 of these indictions, or tri-decades of years, they gave the name 

 Tlalpilli. 



6. Although this method of counting the years by periods of 

 fifty-two was general in all the principalities and provinces of the 

 kingdom of Mexico, and the symbols and order of placing them 

 was also the same, all did not commence to count their cycle by 

 the same year. The Toltecs began it with Tecpatl, the Teotihua- 

 cans with Calli, the Mexicans with Tochtli, and the Tezcocomos 

 with Acatl ; hence, there was a difference among these nations as 

 to the time when they began the correction, and equalized the 

 civil year with the solar tropical, of which we will speak hereafter; 

 consequently, there not being the same date on which all bound 

 up their years, there was a difference of several days in the reckon- 

 ing of some nations when compared with others ; but all knew well 

 what was the difference, and they took account of it in their com- 

 mercial treaties. 



7. The Mexican cycle (or half century) is reckoned in this 

 manner: 



Mexican Cycle of Fifty-two Years. 



I TLALPILLI. YEAR. 

 OR INDICTION. 



2 TLALPILLI. YEAR. 

 OR INDICTION. 



3 TLALPILLI. YEAR. 

 OR INDICTION. 



4 TLALPILLI. YEAR. 

 OR INDICTION. 



(?) 



Tochtli, 







Acatl, 



14 





Tecpatl, 



27 



I 



Calli, 



40 



2 



Acatl, 



2 



2 



Tecpatl, 



15 



2 



Calli, 



28 



(2) 



Tochtli, 



41 



3 



Tecpatl, 



3 



3 



Calli, 



10 



(3) 



Tochtli, 



29 



3 



Acatl, 



42 



4 



Calli, 



4 



(4) 



Tochtli, 



17 



4 



Acatl, 



3o 



4 



Tecpatl, 



43 



5 



Tochtli, 



5 



5 



Acatl, 



18 



5 



Tecpatl, 



31 



5 



Calli, 



44 



6 



Acatl, 



6 



6 



Tecpatl, 



19 



6 



Calli, 



32 



6 



Tochtli, 



45 



7 



Tecpatl, 



7 



7 



Calli, 



20 . 



7 



Tochtli, 



33 



7 



Acatl, 



4 b 



8 



Calli, 



8 



8 



Tochtli, 



21 



8 



Acatl, 



34 



8 



Tecpatl, 



47 



9 



Tochtli, 



9 



9 



Acatl, 



22 



9 



Tecpatl, 



35 



9 



Calli, 



48 



10 



Acatl, 



[O 



10 



Tecpatl, 



23 



10 



Calli, 



36 



10 



Tochtli, 



49 



1 1 



Tecpatl, 





11 



Calli, 



24 



11 



Tochtli, 



37 



1 1 



Acatl, 



50 



12 



Calli, 



12 



12 



Tochtli, 



25 



12 



Acatl, 



38 



12 



Tecpatl, 



51 



13 



Tochtli, 



13 



13 



Acatl, 



26 



13 



Tecpatl, 



39 



13 



Calli, 



52 



So that in the first indiction, the symbol Tochtli is found to 

 be accompanied with the numbers 1, 5, 9 and 13; in the second, 



