566 



APPENDIXV 



montemi, ot ufelefs ; becaufe during thefe they did 

 nothing. Pkitarch fays (<:), that on fuch days the Egyp- 

 tians celebrated the feftival of the birth of their gods. 



It is certainly true, that the Mexicans divided their 

 year into eighteen months, not into twelve like the Egyp- 

 tians ; but as they called the month miztii, or moon, as 

 you have obferved, it feems undeniable, that their anci- 

 ent month had been lunar, as well as that of the Egyp* 

 tians and Chinefe, the Mexican month verifying that 

 which the fcriptures tell, that the month is obliged for 

 its name to the moon. The Mexicans, it is probable, 

 received the lunar month from their anceftors, but for 

 certain purpofes afterwards inflituted another. You 

 have affirmed in your hiftory, upon the faith of Boturini, 

 that the Miztecas formed their year into thirteen months, 

 which number was facred in the Calendar of the Mexi- 

 cans, on account of their thirteen principal gods, in the 

 fame manner as the Egyptians confecrated the number 

 twelve, on account of their twelve greater gods. 



The fymbols and periods of years, months, and days 

 in the Mexican Calendar, are truly admirable. With 

 refpe^l to the periods it appears to me, that the period of 

 five days might not improperly be termed their civil 

 week, and that of thirteen their religious week. In the 

 fame manner, the period of twenty days might be called 

 their civil month ; that of twenty-fix their religious 

 month ; and that of thirty, their lunar and aftronomi- 

 cal month. In their century, it is probable, that the 

 period of four years was civil, and that of thirteen reli- 

 gious. From the multiplication of thefe two periods 

 they had their century, and from the duplication of 

 their century, their age of one hundred and four years. 



In 



(#) Plut. de Ifide & Ofiridc. 



