69 



rushes tied with ribands (No. 2), do not repre- 

 sent, as Gemelli asserts, periods of a hundred and 

 four years 3 or Huehuetiliztli, but cycles, or liga- 

 tures, Xiuhmolpilli, of fifty-two years*. The 

 whole picture exhibits only eight of these liga- 

 tures, or four hundred and sixteen years. Re- 

 membering, that the city of Tenochtitlan was 

 founded in the 27th year of a Xiuhmolpilli, we 

 find, that, according to the chronology of the 

 picture (Plate 32), the emigration of the Mexi- 

 can nations from Aztlan took place five cycles 

 before the year 1298, or in the year 1038 of the 

 Christian era. Gama places this emigration, from 

 other indications, in 1064. The circles accom- 

 panying the hieroglyphic of a ligature denote 

 the number of times, that the years have beei 

 connected since the famous sacrifice of Tlalixco 

 Now, in the painting under our examination, we 

 find the hieroglyphic of the cycle followed by 

 four nails, or units, near the hieroglyphic of the 

 city of Colhuacan (No. 30). It was then in the 

 year 208 of their era, that the Aztecks were re- 

 lieved from the yoke of the kings of Colhuacan ; 

 and this date is conformable to the annals of Chi- 

 malpain. The circles placed on the side of the 

 hieroglyphics of the cities (Nos. 14 and 17), de- 

 note the number of the years, that the Azteck 

 nation dwelt in each place, before it continued 



* See vol. %iii, p. 286. 



