“The only other collection of Mexican paintings, as far as I can learn, is in the Imperial Library at Vienna. By order of their imperial majesties, I have obtained such a specimen of these as I desired, in eight paintings made with so much fidelity that I am informed the copies could hardly be distinguished from the originals. According to a note in this Codex Mexicanus, it appears to have been a present from Emanuel, King of Portugal, to Pope Clement VII., who died A.D. 1533. After passing through the hands of several illustrious proprietors, it fell into those of Cardinal of Saxe-Eisenach, who presented it to the Emperor Leopold. These paintings are manifestly Mexican, but they are in a style very different from any of the former. An engraving has been made of one of them. Were it an object of sufficient importance, it might, perhaps, be possible, by recourse to the plates of Purchas, and the Archbishop of Toledo, as a key, to form plausible conjectures concerning the meaning of this picture. Many of the figures are evidently similar. The targets and darts, are almost in the same form with those published by Purchas. The figures of temples, nearly resemble those in Purchas and in Lorenzana. A bale of mantles, or cotton cloths, is also shown, the figure of which occurs almost in every plate of Purchas and Lorenzana; and there appear to be Mexican captains in their war-dress, the fantastic ornaments of which resemble the figures in Purchas. I should suppose this picture to be a tribute-roll, as the mode of noting numbers occurs frequently.
“According to Boturini the mode of computation by the number of knots was known to the Mexicans as well as to the Peruvians, and the manner in which the number of units is represented in the Mexican paintings in my possession seems to confirm this opinion. They plainly resemble a string of knots on a cord or slender rope.
“Since I published the former edition, Mr. Waddilove, who is still pleased to continue his friendly attention to procure me information, has discovered, in the library of the Escurial, a volume in folio, consisting of forty sheets of a kind of paste-board, each the size of a common sheet of writing-paper, with great variety of uncouth and whimsical figures of Mexican painting, in very fresh colours, and with an explanation in Spanish to most of them. The first twenty-two sheets are the signs of the months, days, &c. About the middle of each sheet are two or more large figures for the month, surrounded by the signs of the days. The last eighteen sheets are not so filled with figures. They seem to be signs of deities, and images of various objects.
“According to this Calendar in the Escurial, the Mexican year contained 286 days, divided into 22 months of 13 days. Each day is represented by a different sign, taken from some natural object, a serpent, a dog, a lizard, a reed, a house, &c. The signs of days in the Calendar of the Escurial are precisely the same with those mentioned by Boturini, Idea, &c., p. 45.
“But, if we may give credit to that author, the Mexican year contained 360 days, divided into 18 months of 20 days. The order of days in every month was computed, according to him, first by what he calls a tridecenary progression of days from one to thirteen, in the same manner as in the Calendar of the Escurial, and then by a septenary progression of days from one to seven, making in all twenty. In this Calendar not only the signs which distinguish each day, but the qualities supposed to be peculiar to each month, are marked.
“The paste-board, or whatever substance it may be on which the Calendar in the Escurial is painted, seems, by Mr. Waddilove’s description of it, to resemble nearly that in the Imperial Library in Vienna. In several particulars the figures bear some likeness to those in the plate which I have published. The figures ... which induced me to conjecture that this painting might be a tribute-roll similar to those published by Purchas and the Archbishop of Toledo, Mr. Waddilove supposed to be signs of days; and I have such confidence in the accuracy of his observations as to conclude his opinion to be well founded.
“It appears, from the characters in which the explanations of the figures are written, that this curious monument of Mexican art had been obtained soon after the conquest of the Empire. It is singular that it should never have been mentioned by any Spanish author.”
The following are the various modes in which the Mexicans contributed towards the support of government, modes resembling the revenue system of Egypt in ancient times. Some persons of the first order were exempted from payment of tribute, but at the same time were bound to personal service in war, and to follow the banner of their sovereign with their vassals. The immediate vassals of the crown not only contributed by personal military service, but also paid a certain proportion of the produce of their lands in kind. Those who held offices of honour or trust paid a certain share of the emoluments derived therefrom.
Each “association” cultivated some part of the common field allotted to it, for the behoof of the crown, and deposited the produce in the royal granaries. Some part of whatever was brought to the public markets, whether fruits of the earth or the various productions of artists and manufacturers, was demanded for the public use, and the merchants who paid this tax were exempted from every other. The peasants were bound to cultivate certain districts in every province, which may be considered as crown lands, and brought the increase into public storehouses.
Thus the sovereign received some part of whatever was useful or valuable in the country, whether it was the natural production of the soil, or the result of the industry of the people. Yet what each contributed towards the support of government was inconsiderable, the value of it in money being not more than about eighteen-pence or two shillings per head.