There hath not bin found letters at any time in the Weast India, onely in the newe Spain were vsed certain figures which serued for letters, with the which they kept in memorie, and preserued their antiquities. The figures yt the Mexicans vsed for letters are great, by reason whereof they occupy gret volumes: they ingraue them in stone or timber, and paint them vpon walles, and also vpon a paper made of cotten wool, and leaues of the tree Metl. Their bookes are great and folden vp like vnto our broade clothes, and written vpon both sides. There are some bokes rolled vp like a piece of flannel. They pronoūce not .b.g.e.f. Therfore they vse much .p.e.l.x. This is the Mexical spéech, and Nahual, which is the best, playnest, and moste eloquent, in al newe Spayne. There are some in Mexico that do vnderstand ech other, by whistling, whiche is ordinarily vsed among louers, & théeues, a spéeche truely to wonder at, & none of our men could come to the knowledge therof.
The order hovv to recken.
| Ce | One |
| Ome | Two |
| Ei | Thrée |
| Naui | Foure |
| Macuil | Fiue |
| Chicoace | Sixe |
| Chicome | Seauen |
| Chicuei | Eight |
| Chiconaui | Nine |
| Matlac | Tenne |
| Matlactlioce | Eleuen |
| Matlactliome | Twelue |
| Matlactlomei | Thirtéene |
| Matlactlinaui | Fourtéene |
| Matlactlinacui | Fiftéene |
| Matlactlichicoace | Sixtéene |
| Matlactlichicome | Seuentéene |
| Matlactlichicuei | Eightéene |
| Matlactlichiconaui | Ninetéene |
| Cempoalli | Twentie |
Euery number is simple, vntil you come to sixe, and then they count, six and one, sixe and two, sixe and thrée. Ten is a number by himselfe, then you must counte ten and one, tenne and two, tenne and thrée, tenne and foure, tenne and fiue.
Then you count ten fiue and one, tenne fiue and two, ten fiue and thrée. Twenty goeth by himselfe, and al the greater numbers.
The Mexican yeare.
The Mexicans yeare is thrée hundered sixtie dayes, for they haue in their yere eightéene monethes, and euery moneth contayneth twentie dayes. They haue other fiue odde dayes, whiche goeth by themselues, in the which they vsed to celebrate greate feastes of cruell and bloudy sacrifice, with much deuotion. And reconing after this sort, they could not choose but erre, for they could not make equal the punctuall course of the Sunne. Yea the Christian yere is not perfit, although we haue learned Astronomers. But yet these simple Indians wente neare the marke.
The names of the moneths.
- Tlacaxipeualiztli.
- Tozcuztli.
- Huei Tozeuztli.
- Toxcalt.
- Ecalcoaliztli.
- Tocuilhuicintli.
- Hueitecuilhuitl.
- Miccailhuicintli.
- Veymiccailhuitl.
- Vchpaniztli.
- Pachtli.
- Huei Pachtli.
- Quecholli.
- Panquecaliztli.
- Hatemuztli.
- Tititlh.
- Izcalli.
- Coavitleuac.