388 



April. In the sixteenth century, the culmina- 

 tion of the Pleiades took place on the day of the 

 vernal equinox 3 b 8' before the setting of the 

 Sun. It is true, that, according to an ancient 

 tradition % the disappearance of this constella- 

 tion at sunrise denoted formerly the day of the 

 autumnal equinox, which supposes an observa- 

 tion made three thousand years before our era ; 

 but we cannot admit, that the Mexicans had re- 

 ceived their chronology from a people, who be- 

 gan their year at the entrance of autumn. The 

 concordance of dates, several astronomical phe- 

 nomena, the evidence of the Spanish authors 

 who accumulated materials without knowing the 

 true system of the calendar, all are in favour of 

 the system of Gama. I shall content myself with 

 citing a single proof. The Indian historiogra- 

 pher Christoval del Castillo, in a manuscript 

 workf, written in the Mexican language, and 

 preserved at Mexico, asserts, that the five com- 

 plementary days were added to the end of the 

 month Atemoztli ; which corresponds, according 

 to the unanimous testimony of the Indian and 

 Spanish authors, to our month of December. 

 Torquemada says besides, that the third festival - 

 of the god of water was celebrated at the winter 



* Plin. Hist. Nat., Lib. 18, c. 25> (ed, Harduin, 1741,) 

 Tom. 2, p. 12$. 



•Jr MSS., cap. 71, 



