Worcester daily spy., 1871-08-15


warded to Gov. Baker of Indiana valuable
and curious contribution to the state library, in
the shape of model of the calendar stone OF
the Aztecs, the discovery of which shows how
accurately those ancient people of Mexico
measured the lapse of time.
Mr.. Nelson accompanies the gift with an in
teresting letter, which is published in the In
dianapolis Journal. We quote the material por-
tionS of it,
By the steamer which will leave Vera Cruz on
the oath inst, | will send to your address an ad-
mirable model of the celebrated calendar stone,
one of the few relics now remaining OF the Aztec
civilization.
This calendar, which is one of the most fa-
mliar objects to the eyes of travellers in the city
of Mexico, from its conspicuous position in the
exterior wall Of the cathedral, underneath the
right or southwest tower, remained buried from
the time of the conquest until its accidental dis
c0very toward the end of the last century.
In the year 1890 the Viceroy Reyille Gigedo
ordered the principal square of Mexico to be
newly paved, and in the process of performing
this work two of the most interesting monu.
ments of Aztec antiquity were discovered. The
first is a colossal statue of the war god, Huitzi-
lopochli, said to be the same that was wor-
shipped on the summit of the principal temple
or Teoccalli, of Mexico, at the time of its de-
struction by Cortez. By singular coincidence
it was found on the 18th of October, 1790-the
twenty-ninth anniversary of the taking of the
city of Mexico. 1t was taken to the court yard
of the university, adjoining the national palace
to the south, where it has ever since remained,
being placed side by side with the immense
Sacrificial stone.
The calendar stone was discovered on the 18th
of December OF the same year Q790), not far
from the centre of the principal square, and
directly in front OF the entrance to the palace.
1t was lying fiaS, with its sculptured face down.
ward, and the upper part only eighteen inches
from the level of the ground. BY order of the
viceroy, and at the request of the authorities of
the cathedral, it was delivered to them, on con-
diton of being placed in some position easily
and constantly accessible to the public. This
was complied with as above mentioned, by its
being built into sort of buttress projecting
from one of the angles of the cathedral.
The Interpretation of the hieroglyphcs upon
this stone, representing the Aztec division of
time, is work which has engaged the attention
of several learned writers, both MeXicans and
foreigners. Don Antonio Leon de Cana, soon
after the discovery of the two stones above
mentioned, published volume upon the sub
ject, which, though severely criticised by Father
Alzarte, another well known antiquarian of that
time, has been generally accepted as the best
source of information. The eminent American
ethnologist, Albert Galatin, also gave a salts
factory description and Interpretation, which is
to be found in volume one of the Transactions
of the American Ethnological Society.
The material of the calendar stone is an eX-
ceedingly hard stone of basalt, found only at a
great distance from the city of Mexico. 1t is
eleven feet and eight inches in diameter, and
about two feet six inches in thickness.
The Aztec civil year consisted of eighteen
months of twenty days each, to which were
added five Complementary days, that were not
considered as belonging to any month, and
were regarded as unlucky by the Aztecs. At
nf n
twelve days and half were interpolated to
compensate for the six hours annually lost.
The conclusion of each cycle was a memora-
BILE event in Aztec annals. The perpetual fires
in the temples and all the fires in private dwell
ings were extinguished; they destroyed much
property, and literally clothed themselves in
sackcloth and ashes" At midnight of the first
day of the new cycle, imposing religious cere-
monies were celebrated by the people in mass,
including the sacrifice of new victims, and the
lighting of a new file by friction from wooden
shield placed on the breast of victim. This
fire was then communicated to torches borne by
thousands of runners, who conveyed it to the
remotest settlements OF the Aztec empire. MIR.
Beauty Mayer furnishes, in his work on Mexico,
a description OF the hieroglyphical figures en-
graved upon the Calendar stone"
Mr.. Gallatin draws from the detailed examin-
alton of all these hieroglyphics the following
conclusion: "We find, therefore, delineated on
this stone all the dates ofthe principle 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 equino&es,
and of the summer and winter solstces They
had, therefore, six different means of ascertain
ing 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"
The plaster cast of the calendar stone, which
this slight memoir is intended to accompany,
was made in the present year, 1871, by young
self-taught Mexican artist, Don Dionisia Aradi-
ano. Only eight or ten copies have been made
from his model, which is,the only correct one
ever made. During the late empire cast on
large scale was made for the Emperor Maximil-
ian, and one or two copies were sent abroad,
but the hieroglyphics were not represented with
the same accuracy as in the present model.
You will please cause it to be placed in the
state library, Or in such public institution as
you may think proper.