APPENDIX. 



371 



to be noted, that thefe fymbols, which are excellent for 

 preferving the year invariable, demonftrate the ufe of 

 the intercalary days of the Mexicans ; otherwife it would 

 happen that in two centuries, the fymbol of the month 

 of cold would fall in the month of heat. Thus it is 

 found, from the Mexican paintings, that in them the 

 conquefl; of Mexico was marked in the ninth month called 

 Tlaxochimaeo ; from thence it ought to be concluded, 

 that the intercalary days were in ufc. The fame deduc- 

 tion might be made from feeing that the Mexicans, at the 

 entry of the Spaniards, preferved that order of months, 

 which, according to the fignification of their names, 

 agreed with the feafons of the year, and the produc- 

 tions of the earth. Farther, to afcertain how the MexU 

 cans regulated their leap years, and if their year was 

 juft, an cxa6l examination and comparifon ought to be 

 made of fome event known to us, which has been mark- 

 ed by them. You have, for example, fixed the death 

 of Montezuma on the 29th of June, 1520 : if in the 

 Mexican paintings this is found in the feventh day, 

 Cuetzpalin^ of the feventh month, we muft infer their 

 year to be jufl:, and that the leap years were interpof- 

 ed every four years ; if it correfponds to the fourth 

 day Cipadli^ it would be a fign that their year was jufl:, 

 and that the leap years were added after the centur 

 ry ; if it fhould correfpond with the feventh, Ozo- 

 matUy then it mufl: be concluded that their leap years 

 were put after the century, and their year was as erro- 

 neous as ours was at that time. The propofed example 

 is grounded upon the Calendar, at the end of your fe- 

 cond volume ; this I did for the fake of perfpicuity : but 

 to make an exadl calculation, it would be necelTary to fee 

 that your Calendar correfponds with the firft year of the 



Mexi. 



