﻿THE 
  FOREMOST 
  ACHIEVEMENT 
  OF 
  ANCIENT 
  AMERICA 
  

  

  117 
  

  

  HISTORICAL 
  EVENTS 
  REPRESENTED 
  IN 
  THE 
  AZTEC 
  ' 
  HIEROGLYPHIC 
  MANUSCRIPTS 
  

  

  The 
  drawing 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  shows 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  Aztec 
  ruler, 
  Ahuitzotl, 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  10 
  

   Rabbit 
  (1502 
  A. 
  D.) 
  and 
  the 
  accession 
  of 
  his 
  nephew, 
  Montezuma 
  II. 
  The 
  mummy 
  of 
  a 
  

   human 
  figure 
  bound 
  with 
  ropes, 
  with 
  a 
  crown 
  on 
  its 
  head, 
  indicates 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  a 
  ruler, 
  a 
  

   mummy 
  being 
  the 
  Aztec 
  hieroglyph 
  for 
  death. 
  The 
  little 
  water-animal 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  

   crown 
  by 
  a 
  cord 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  dead 
  ruler's 
  name 
  was 
  Ahuitzotl, 
  that 
  being 
  the 
  Aztec 
  word 
  

   for 
  "water-animal." 
  The 
  right 
  half 
  of 
  this 
  drawing 
  shows 
  a 
  man 
  seated 
  upon 
  a 
  dais, 
  with 
  

   a 
  crown 
  upon 
  his 
  head 
  and 
  a 
  speech-scroll 
  issuing 
  from 
  his 
  mouth. 
  The 
  Aztec 
  word 
  for 
  

   ruler 
  was 
  "tlahtouani," 
  "he 
  who 
  speaks," 
  shown 
  graphically 
  by 
  the 
  speech-scroll. 
  Finally 
  

   both 
  figures 
  are 
  attached 
  by 
  cords 
  to 
  the 
  circle 
  above, 
  which 
  represents 
  the 
  year 
  10 
  Rabbit 
  

   (1502 
  A. 
  D.), 
  indicating 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  this 
  event. 
  

  

  The 
  drawings 
  at 
  the 
  center 
  and 
  right 
  represent 
  the 
  conquest 
  of 
  Tehuantepec 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   year 
  by 
  Ahuitzotl 
  shortly 
  before 
  his 
  death. 
  The 
  year 
  10 
  Rabbit 
  appears 
  at 
  the 
  left, 
  next 
  the 
  

   ruler 
  Ahuitzotl, 
  with 
  the 
  three 
  emblems 
  of 
  Aztec 
  royalty: 
  the 
  crown, 
  the 
  speech-scroll, 
  and 
  

   the 
  dais 
  with 
  his 
  name-hieroglyph, 
  "Water-animal," 
  above 
  him. 
  To 
  the 
  right 
  and 
  above 
  is 
  

   a 
  shield 
  with 
  javelins 
  crossed 
  behind 
  it, 
  the 
  hieroglyph 
  for 
  war; 
  below 
  the 
  shield 
  is 
  a 
  temple 
  

   in 
  flames, 
  the 
  hieroglyph 
  for 
  conquest. 
  _ 
  To 
  the 
  left 
  of 
  the 
  temple 
  is 
  the 
  hieroglyph 
  for 
  

   Tehuantepec, 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  a 
  cat 
  (tecuani) 
  and 
  a 
  hill 
  (tepee). 
  The 
  whole 
  record 
  might 
  be 
  

   paraphrased 
  thus 
  : 
  In 
  the 
  year 
  10 
  Rabbit 
  the 
  ruler 
  Ahuitzotl 
  fought 
  and 
  conquered 
  the 
  town 
  

   of 
  Tehuantepec. 
  

  

  Several 
  examples 
  of 
  the 
  Aztec 
  hiero- 
  

   glyphic 
  writing 
  are 
  given 
  on 
  pages 
  117, 
  

   118, 
  and 
  119. 
  The 
  picture 
  at 
  the 
  left 
  on 
  

   this 
  page 
  represents 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  Aztec 
  

   ruler 
  Ahuitzotl 
  in 
  1502 
  A. 
  D. 
  and 
  the 
  ac- 
  

   cession 
  of 
  his 
  nephew, 
  Montezuma 
  II, 
  to 
  

   the 
  rulership 
  of 
  the 
  tribe. 
  At 
  the 
  top 
  we 
  

   see 
  a 
  circle, 
  within 
  which 
  are 
  a 
  rabbit's 
  

   head 
  and 
  10 
  dots. 
  This 
  stands 
  for 
  the 
  

   year 
  10 
  Tochtli 
  or 
  10 
  Rabbit, 
  correspond- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  the 
  year 
  1502 
  of 
  the 
  Christian 
  era. 
  

  

  The 
  Aztec 
  had 
  four 
  different 
  kinds 
  of 
  

   years 
  : 
  Reed, 
  Flint, 
  House, 
  and 
  Rabbit, 
  

   named 
  after 
  the 
  days 
  (Reed, 
  Flint, 
  

   House, 
  and 
  Rabbit) 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  suc- 
  

   cessively 
  began. 
  The 
  numbers 
  attached 
  

   to 
  these 
  names, 
  1 
  to 
  13 
  inclusive, 
  do 
  not 
  

   follow 
  the 
  sequence 
  of 
  our 
  own 
  numbers, 
  

   so 
  that 
  the 
  year 
  1 
  Flint 
  follows 
  the 
  year 
  

   13 
  Reed. 
  

  

  Attached 
  to 
  the 
  year 
  10 
  Rabbit, 
  on 
  the 
  

   left, 
  by 
  a 
  cord, 
  there 
  is 
  the 
  figure 
  of 
  a 
  

   mummy 
  bound 
  with 
  ropes 
  and 
  sur- 
  

   mounted 
  by 
  a 
  crown. 
  This 
  indicates 
  the 
  

   death 
  of 
  some 
  ruler. 
  

  

  Another 
  cord 
  runs 
  from 
  the 
  crown 
  of 
  

   this 
  mummy 
  to 
  a 
  small 
  animal, 
  from 
  

   whose 
  feet 
  hang 
  water 
  symbols. 
  This 
  is 
  

  

  the 
  hieroglyph 
  for 
  Ahuitzotl, 
  the 
  Aztec 
  

   word 
  for 
  water-animal. 
  This 
  much 
  of 
  

   our 
  picture, 
  then, 
  records 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  

   the 
  ruler 
  Ahuitzotl 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  10 
  Rab- 
  

   bit 
  — 
  i. 
  e., 
  1502 
  A. 
  D. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  right 
  of 
  this 
  mummy 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   living 
  figure, 
  also 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  circle 
  

   above 
  by 
  a 
  cord 
  and 
  also 
  wearing 
  the 
  

   same 
  crown. 
  This 
  right-hand 
  figure 
  is 
  

   seated 
  upon 
  a 
  dais, 
  another 
  emblem 
  of 
  

   Aztec 
  royalty, 
  and 
  from 
  its 
  mouth 
  there 
  

   issues 
  a 
  scroll, 
  the 
  Aztec 
  sign 
  for 
  supreme 
  

   authority. 
  The 
  Aztec 
  word 
  for 
  ruler 
  was 
  

   "tlahtouani," 
  which 
  means 
  "he 
  who 
  

   speaks," 
  shown 
  graphically 
  by 
  a 
  speech- 
  

   scroll 
  issuing 
  from 
  the 
  mouth. 
  

  

  Finally, 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  crown 
  of 
  the 
  

   second 
  figure 
  is 
  another 
  crown, 
  which 
  is 
  

   the 
  hieroglyph 
  for 
  the 
  name 
  Monte- 
  

   zuma, 
  and 
  the 
  right-hand 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  pic- 
  

   ture 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  read 
  : 
  Montezuma 
  became 
  

   ruler 
  in 
  1502. 
  

  

  THE 
  RECORD 
  OF 
  A 
  CONQUEST 
  

  

  Elliptical 
  and 
  abbreviated 
  as 
  this 
  rec- 
  

   ord 
  is, 
  it 
  sets 
  forth 
  clearly 
  that 
  the 
  ruler 
  

   Ahuitzotl 
  died 
  in 
  1502 
  and 
  was 
  succeeded 
  

   bv 
  Montezuma. 
  

  

  