397 



this ancient method would have been preserved * 

 and it is possible, that the Mexican priest, who 

 composed the ritual in the Borgian Museum, 

 meant to indicate in his book a contrivance of 

 calculation adapted to rectify the ancient calen- 

 dar, by retrenching seven days from a great 

 period of twenty cycles. We shall be able to 

 judge of the propriety of this opinion, only when 

 a greater number of Mexican paintings shall 

 have been consulted in Europe and in America ; 

 for I cannot too often repeat, that all that we 

 have hitherto learnt respecting the ancient state 

 of the natives of the New Continent is nothing, 

 in comparison with the light which will be one 

 day thrown on this subject, if we succeed in 

 bringing together the materials now scattered 

 over both worlds, that have survived the ages of 

 ignorance and barbarism. 



The valuable monument represented in plate 

 23d, which had been already engraved at Mexi- 

 co twenty years ago, confirms a part of the ideas 

 we have just unfolded respecting the Mexican 

 calendar. This immense stone was found in the 

 month of December, 1790, in the foundations of 

 the great temple of Mexitli, in the great square 

 of Mexico, nearly seventy metres to the west of 

 the second gate of the Viceroy s palace, and 

 thirty metres north of the flower market, called 

 Portal de las Jlores, at the small depth of five 

 decimetres, It wa? so placed, that the sculp- 



