314 
The numbers thirteen and twenty having no 
common factors in the almanack of half luna- 
tions, the two periodical series cannot twice 
correspond to the same terms, till after thirteen ^ 
multiplied by twenty, or two hundred and sixty 
days. In a year, the first day of which has the 
sign cipactlly there is no half-lunation, that be- 
gins with the sign cipactli, in the first thirteen 
months ; but after the month pachtli, the same 
signs return with the same ciphers. To avoid 
this cause of error, the Mexicans, faithful to their 
principles of not naming the number of small 
periods of thirteen days, had again recourse to 
the contrivance of periodical series. They 
formed a third series of nine signs, called the 
lords or masters of the nighty namely. 
Xiuhteucli tletl . 
Tecpatl . . . 
Xochitl . . . 
Cinteotl . . 
Miquiztli . . 
jdttl . • < ® 
Tlazolteotl . . 
Tepeyollotli . 
Qaiahuitl 
fire, or master of the year, 
flint. 
\ 
a flower. 
the goddess of maize. 
death. 
water. 
the goddess of love, 
a spirit that inhabits the in- 
terior of mountains, 
rain. 
We may be astonished at finding a series of 
nine terms in a calendar, that makes use only of 
