The other festival was that which occurred every fifty-two years, when the year-date 2. acatl recurred. The occasion was considered as especially dangerous to mortal men, since it was feared that the sun might fail to rise, and the Tzitzimimé demons would descend from the first heaven to destroy mankind and so bring about the end of the world. The principal feature of the ceremonies was the production of new fire by means of the ceremonial fire-sticks (Fig. [9]), and it was upon the successful performance of this operation that the rising of the sun was supposed to depend. On the eve of the new year all fires were extinguished, and the priests started in procession to the top of the mountain Uixachtlan, outside Mexico, timing their arrival just before midnight. At midnight, which was calculated by observation of the Pleiades, the high-priest of the Calpulco quarter of Mexico, kindled the new fire on the breast of a prisoner, who was sacrificed immediately after in the usual manner. Representatives of the surrounding cities were present, and torches lit at the new fire were rapidly carried to the chief temples in each city, where the populace awaited their arrival in the greatest anxiety. From the temples the fire was distributed all over the city, and universal rejoicings hailed the commencement of a new era and the deliverance of the world from universal destruction. Old garments were discarded, and all household utensils were broken or freshly painted in token of the new lease of life given to mankind. A peculiar custom in connection with these ceremonies is seen in the fact that women expecting to become mothers, and young children, were made to assume masks of maguey leaves, and the former were shut up in the granaries. It was feared that women in this condition might become monsters and devour their relations, and that the children might be turned into mice, especially if they were allowed to fall asleep. New fire was also made at the dedication of a new temple, or the completion of a new house.
The employment by the Mexicans of a solar year of 365 days brings us to the question whether they at any time intercalated any day or days to make their year square with real solar time. It is quite obvious that a people, most of whose feasts were connected with agriculture, were bound to notice that their festivals gradually failed to correspond with the seasons, and many conjectures have been made regarding the methods which they might have used to rectify their calendar. It must be confessed however that there is no direct evidence that days were ever intercalated in the latter, and Seler has shown that at any rate between the year of the conquest, and the date of Sahagun’s writing, some forty years, no intercalation had been made. Moreover the confusion into which the calendar had fallen at the beginning of the sixteenth century seems to be evidence against the practice. It is quite possible that when the discrepancy became too great a new start was made, and it may be that the five “suns” typifying the five ages of the world really represent five attempts to establish a calendar. The sun was not the only body the observation of which served as a check upon the calendar. The planet Venus was also of the greatest importance, and its synodical revolution was closely connected with the 104-year period which constituted the longer cycle of the Mexicans. This revolution occupies practically 584 days, and consequently five such revolutions are equal to eight years of 365 days. Since 20 when divided into 584 leaves a remainder of 4, it is obvious that the commencement of a Venus-period will fall always on one of five of the twenty day-signs. Further, since 13 when divided into 584 leaves a remainder of 12, it is equally obvious that each successive Venus-period will open with a day of which the numerical sign is one less than that of the preceding period. In several of the MSS. we have the Venus-periods set out in the order in which they occur, viz. on the days cipactli, coatl, atl, acatl and olin; 1. cipactli being followed by 13. coatl, the latter by 12. atl, and so forth. It can be seen that 65 Venus-periods must elapse before the same sign occurs in conjunction with the same number at the commencement of a period, and this amounts to 104 years of 365 days, viz. the longer cycle of the Mexicans. It seems most probable that the Venus-period was utilized as a means of correcting the 365-day year, and I am even inclined to believe that observation of this planet was practised before the institution of the solar calendar. But I shall recur to this point when the subject of the Maya calendar is discussed; meanwhile it is worthy of note that the signs of the two last “suns” are atl and olin, signs which occur as the commencing-days of Venus-periods; that the historical sun was supposed to have been born on 13. acatl; and that the new fire ceremony always took place in the year 2. acatl. Though the morning star played such an important part in the regulation of the calendar, it was not regarded altogether as a beneficent deity, possibly because of its association with war and sacrifice among the hunting peoples. However that may be, its light when it first rose was considered to exercise a baneful effect upon mankind, and chimneys were carefully stopped up to prevent the rays from entering the houses. The cult of Venus was especially practised at Teotitlan and Tehuacan, where the priests had the reputation of being great calendrical experts. A human sacrifice was performed at the first rising of the star, and offerings of blood and incense were made daily until it commenced to decline. A tradition existed also that the planet was supposed to “shoot” certain classes of individuals in certain signs, and it is interesting to note that in manuscripts the deity in whom it is personified, Tlauizcalpantecutli, is constantly shown hurling darts at other gods and certain animals.
Connected with the calendar was the peculiar regard which the Mexicans paid to the “world-directions.” The points of the compass were known by the following names: east, Tlapcopa; north, Mictlampa; west, Ciuatlampa; and south, Uitzlampa. To these a fifth, the central point, was generally added, and, in some cases, the directions up and down. With the east were associated all years with the acatl sign, the paradise Tlalocan, the colour yellow, and the gods Tonatiuh and Itztli. With the north, tecpatl-years, the underworld Mictlan, the colour red, the god Mictlantecutli. In the west was the home of the female deities, especially the earth- and fertility-goddesses, and with it were associated the calli-years and the colour blue. To the south belonged the tochtli-years, the colour white and the god Tlaloc. With the centre the figure of Xiuhtecutli, the god of the hearth-fire, is constantly associated. Other gods are associated also with the four quarters, but the MSS. are often contradictory. The day-signs were divided as follows:
East: cipactli, acatl, coatl, olin, atl.
North: ocelotl, miquiztli, tecpatl, itzcuintli, eecatl.
West: mazatl, quiauitl, ozomatli, calli, quauhtli.
South: xochitl, malinalli, quetzpalin, cozcaquauhtli, tochtli.
In the MSS. the quarters are often typified by four trees, each springing from the body of the earth-goddess, with a bird perched amidst its branches, and accompanied by the five day-signs belonging to the quarter which it represents (Fig. [10]). In Oaxaca, where the 52-year cycle was also observed, the years were assigned in groups of thirteen to the quarters. Those belonging to the east were supposed to be fertile and healthy; those to the north, variable; those to the west, good for mankind but bad for crops; while those to the south were thought to be characterized by excessive heat and drought.
Fig. 10.—The Tree of the West.