I 
NOTES. 
nians, and the Turks. However the circumstance of 
^eighteen months of twenty days, instead of twelve 
months of thirty days, makes a very great difference. 
The Mexicans are the only people, who have divided 
the year in this manner. 
A second analogy, which I have remarked between 
Mexico and Egypt, is, that the number of weeks, or 
half lunations of thirteen days, comprehended in a 
Mexican cycle, is the same as that of the years of the 
sothic period; this number is 146l. You consider 
such a relation as accidental and fortuitous ; but per- 
haps it might have the same origin as the notion of 
the length of the year. If in reality the year was not 
of the length of 36o days 6 hours, that is days, 
4 
the cycle of fifty-two years would not contain 
t>2 X1461 , thirteen times 145l days ; which makes 
146 1 periods of thirteen days. We must however ad- 
mit, that these weeks of thirteen days, these tlalpilli of 
thirteen years, this intercalation of thirteen days at the 
end of the cycle, finally these cycles of four times 
thirteen years, repose on a first number, which is abso- 
lutely foreign to the Egyptian system. 
You have pointed out a fact of more importance, 
inasmuch as it appertains to the manners of nations, 
which is the festival of the winter solstice, celebrated 
equally by the Egyptians and the Aztecks. The for- 
mer, if we may believe Achilles Tatius, put on mourn- 
ing, on seeing the Sun descending toward Capricorn, 
and the decrease of the day ; but when the Sun re- 
turned toward the Crab, they clothed themselves in 
white, and decorated themselves with crowns. The 
custom of the Mexicans, as you have described it, is 
no doubt analogous with the Egyptian festival. This 
