0«J»/ 
the solar zodiac w^s primitively a lunar zodiac^ 
each full moon being nearly two nacshatras and 
a quarter^ or 13° 20^ distant from that preced- 
ing. It is thus that the most ancient astronomy 
of nations is connected with the motions of the 
moon only. If it happen, that the twelve signs 
of the zodiac bear names that differ totally 
from those of the nacshatras, we must not hence 
conclude, that the stars themselves were distri- 
buted after a double division. In eastern Asia, 
the zodiac of twelve signs was, for a long time, 
only an abstract division"^, while the zodiac of 
twenty-seven or twenty-eight nacshatras vras 
alone a real stellar zodiac. I have been led to 
insist on the intimate connexion that exists be- 
tween the two divisions of the ecliptic, to show, 
that both may have given birth to the signs of 
the Mexican zodiac. 
Let us examine first the analogy between the 
denominations of the Mexican days, and the 
signs of the Thibetan, Chinese, Tartarian, and 
Mongiil zodiac. This analogy is striking in 
the eight hieroglyphics called atl^ cipactli, 
. ocelotl, tochtli^ cohuatl, qiiauhtliy ozomatli, and 
itzcumtli. 
Atl, water, is often indicated by a hierogly- 
phic, the parallel and undulating lines of which 
remind us of the sign we employ to denote 
V 
Bailly, Ast. Tnd. p. 6; Ast. mod. tom. 3, p. 301. 
VOL. XTII. 
Z 
