It will be seen by adding the several periods together that the Aztecs counted 1469 years from the creation of the world to the flood; yet there is an incongruity in this imaginary antediluvian history. If the fourth age had lasted only 52 years, it would have terminated in the year 1 Tecpatl instead of 1 Calli. Bustamante, the publisher and annotator of Gama, states that some authorities contend for only three antecedent periods, and that the present age is expected to end by fire. But Mr. Gallatin alleges that the four ages and five suns have been generally adopted, and are sustained by the ancient Aztec paintings contained in the Codex Vaticanus, plates 7 to 10. Like most of the Mexican antiquities, this branch of the Chronology is admitted to be exceedingly obscure, for it is asserted in the Appendix to Mr. Gallatin's essay that the hieroglyphics annexed to these paintings, may be interpreted as giving to the four ages respectively the duration of either 682, 530, 576, and 582, or of 5206, 2010, 4404, and 4008 years.

"This would appear to be purely mythological, but the fact that all these imaginary antediluvian periods consist of a certain number of cycles, shows that this fable was invented subsequent to the time when the Mexicans had attained a knowledge of cycles, years and of the approximate length of the solar year. It seems, therefore, probable that the mythological representation is in some way connected with celestial phenomena, and it is accordingly, found that the days designated in the parallelograms A and C, as 4 Ocelotl, and 4 Quiahuitl, correspond respectively, (on the assumption that the first year of the cycle corresponds with the 31st of December,) with the 13th of May and 17th of July, old style, or 22d of May and 26th of July, new style. And these two days 22d of May and 26th of July, are those, according to Gama, of the transit of the sun by the zenith of the city of Mexico, which, by the observations of Humboldt, lies in 19° 25' and 57" north latitude and in 101° 25' 20" west longitude from Paris. The two other days 4 Ehecatl, and 4 Atl, do not correspond either in the first year of the cycle or in the year 13 Acatl, with any station of the sun or any other celestial phenomena.

"There are three other hieroglyphics contained within the interior circumference or representation of the sun, which indicate the dates of some celebrated feasts of the Aztecs. The three following indications or hieroglyphics are found immediately below the figure of the sun. The first of these, designated by the letter H, is placed between the parallelograms C and D, and consists of two squares of five oblongs each, indicating the Aztec numeral 10. The symbol of the day is not annexed, but the whole of the central figure is itself the sign Olin Tonatiah, and the hieroglyphic of the day Olin, as delineated on the stone among the other emblems of the days, is on a small scale and abbreviated form of that central and principal figure of the stone. The day designated here, is consequently, 10 Olin. Below this, and on each side respectively of the great vertical ray of the sun, are found the hieroglyphics of the days 1 Quiahuitl, and 2 Ozomatli. Of the last mentioned days,—10 Olin corresponds in the first year of the cycle, with the 22d day of September, new style;—1 Quiahuitl with the 28th of March, and 2 Ozomatli with the 28th of June, as will be seen by the table at the end of this description of the calendar.

"We find, therefore, delineated on this stone all the dates of the principal positions of the sun, and it thus appears that the Aztecs had ascertained with considerable precision the respective days of the two passages of the sun by the zenith of Mexico, of the two equinoxes, and of the summer and winter solstices. They had therefore six different means of ascertaining and verifying the length of the solar year by counting the number of days elapsed till the sun returned to each of these six points,—the two solstices, the two equinoxes, and the two passages by the zenith." [18]

MEXICAN ALMANAC,

ACCORDING TO GAMA.

Column Headings:
A: Names of the months.
B: Tititl.
C: Itzcalli.
D: Xilomanaliztli.
E: Tlacaxipehnaliztli.
F: Tozoztontli.
G: Hueytozoztli.
H: Toxcall.
I: Etzalqualiztli.
J: Tecuilhuitontli.
K: Heuytecuilhuitl.
L: Miccailhuitonili.
M: Heuymiccailhuitl.
N: Ochpaniztli.
O: Pachtli.
P: Heuypachtli.
Q: Quecholli.
R: Panquetzaliztli.
S: Atenioztli.
T: The five Nemontemi.
ABCDEFGHIJK
Months.1st2d3d4th5th6th7th8th9th10th
Day of the Julian year, N. S., on which each month begins.Jan. 9Jan. 29Feb. 18Mar. 10Mar. 30Apr. 19May 9May 29June 18July 8
1 Sea Animal Cipactli1 a8 c2 e9 g3 i10 b4 d11 f5 h12 a
2 Wind Ehecatl2 b9 d3 f10 h4 a11 c5 e12 g6 i13 b
3 House Calli3 c10 e4 g11 i5 b12 d6 f13 h7 a1 c
4 Small Lizard Cuetzpalin4 d11 f5 h12 a6 c13 e7 g1 i8 b2 d
5 Serpent Cohuatl5 e12 g6 i13 b7 d1 f8 h2 a9 c3 e
6 Death Miquiztli6 f13 h7 a1 c8 e2 g9 i3 b10 d4 f
7 Deer Mazatl7 g1 i8 b2 d9 f3 h10 a4 c11 e5 g
8 Rabbit Tochtli8 h2 a9 c3 e10 g4 i11 b5 d12 f6 h
9 Water Atl9 i3 b10 d4 f11 h5 a12 c6 e13 g7 i
10 Dog Itzcuintli10 a4 c11 e5 g12 i6 b13 d7 f1 h8 a
11 Ape Ozomatli11 b5 d2 f6 h13 a7 c1 e8 g2 i9 b
12 Twisted Grass Malinalli12 c6 e13 g7 i1 b8 d2 f9 h3 a10 c
13 Reed Acatl13 d7 f1 h8 a2 c9 e3 g10 i4 b11 d
14 Tiger Ocelotl1 e8 g2 i9 b3 d10 f4 h11 a5 c12 e
15 Eagle Quauhtli2 f9 h3 a10 c4 e11 g5 i12 b6 d13 f
16 Bird (Aura) Cozcaquauhtli3 g10 i4 b11 d5 f12 h6 a13 c7 e1 g
17 Motion of Sun Ollin4 h11 a5 c12 e6 g13 i7 b1 d8 f2 h
18 Pedestal Silex Tecpatl5 i12 b6 d13 f7 h1 a8 c2 e9 g3 i
19 Rain Quiahuitl6 a13 c7 e1 g8 i2 b9 d3 f10 h4 a
20 Flower Xochitl7 b1 d8 f2 h9 a3 c10 e4 g11 i5 b
Day of the year corresponding with last day of each month.20406080100120140160180200
Day of the Julian year, N. S., on which each month ends.Jan. 28Feb. 17Mar. 9Mar. 29Apr. 18May 8May 28June 17July 7July 27

MEXICAN ALMANAC,

ACCORDING TO GAMA. (Cont'd)