393 
their division of time so diflerent from 
which have been used in that part of the world ?” 
In our present state of knowledge^ we must not 
flatter ourselves, that we can solve these ques- 
tions ; but even not admitting the intercalation 
of twelve days and a half in a cycle, and not 
granting to the Mexicans the knowledge of the 
ancient Persian year of S65’25 days, we shall 
find in the hieroglyphics of the days, and in the 
employment of the periodical series, irrefragable 
testimony of an ancient communication with 
eastern Asia. 
Though the Mexican cycle began by the year 
of the rabbit, tochtli^ as the Tartar cycle begins 
by the year of the rat, singueri^ the intercalation 
took place only in the year ome acatL This very 
circumstance induced the Mexicans, to denote in 
their paintings a xiuhmolpilliy or cycle of fifty- 
two years, by a bundle of canes. The Mexicans 
had migrated from Aztlan in the year 1064, or 
1 tecpatl ; their migrations lasted twenty-three 
years, till 1087, or 2 acatl^ when they arrived at 
Tlalixco. Now, though the reform of the ca- 
lendar took place in 1090, or the year 1 tochtli^ 
the festival of the new fire was nevertheless ce- 
lebrated only in the following year 2 acatl ; be- 
cause, says the Indian historian, Tezozomoc, 
the tutelary god of the nation, Huitzilopochtli, 
had made his first appearance the day I tecpatl 
of the year 2 acatV 
