Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-04-19
Some Mexican Relics.
Seen in Visit to the National Museum
to the City Of Mexico.
Things that Bring Up an Ancient
CivihZation-Tne CaIandar and
Sacrlticial Stones.

iHg 1870. One enters through large gates
| into beautiful garden, in which We See
! palm trees for the first time
In the hrst room at the left of the en-
trance Maxlmilian's coach is to be seem
This Is most gorgeous, all red and gold
With cupid on each corner; lined with
brocaded white satin, with crests and
coat-of-arms embroidered in red and
gold forming borders for the cushions
This carriage cost $4,000 and is said to
| be the finest in the world, though similar
III construction and finish to tnst used on
sta'e occasions by the Gar of R4ssis. II
was drawn by twenty besultuI white
horses. However, the Emperor and his
poor wife were not permitted to appear
many times in public IN their gorgeous
carriage.
In the main room of the musenm ar
two of the greatest curiosities of Mexico
the renowned Aztec calandar stone and
the sacri6cial stone.
THE CALENDAR STONE
was carved by the Aztecs at Teuantitlan
in the year 1912, and brought to the an
cient Teuochtitlan, site of the present
City OF Mexico. On reaching Zoloc it
broke down the floating bridge on which
1t was loaded, and was cipitated into
the lake. 1t was raised with great labor
and borne to the temple of the gul of
war, where his Inauguration was celebrat
ed with awful sacrifices. A few years
latsr Cortes pulled down all tho temples,
and this stone together with many
large idols and other objects of
worship, were buried in the surrounding
marshes by order of the Christian monks.
On the 18th of December, 1890, while
lowering the grade of the plaza In front
of the cathedral, in order to make it level
with the street, this stone was rediscover-
ed. The Commissioners building the
cathedral begged it of the Viceroy, who
gave an order that it should be delivered
TO them on condition that it would be
preserved and exposed in a public place.
1t was accordingly built iuto the base of
one of the cathedral towers, from which
1t WAS recently removed to the National
Museum. This stone is twelve feet in
diameter, and its weight is estimated at
1890 pounds svoirdupois. The face
within the inner circle of the zodiac is the
sun. In his forehead are two circular
bodies having within them the sign of the
reed. Frem each ear drops an oval, con
tanning nine dots, with one beneath, mean
ing eighteen months of twenty days each.
resentations, it is necessary to know
that the Mexican year was divided into
eighteen months Of twenty days each, and
these IN pnths into four weeks or five days
each. The remaining five days of the
year were considered very unlucky, and
were consumed i'll sacrifice. Fifty-two
years constituted cycle. The second
large circle on the stone contains four
parallelograms, indicating that the sun
had died four times. Tpo lateral figures
are claws representing two ancient astrol-
ogers, man and wife. The sides of 3 tri
angle above the head indicate the first
and last days of the month. The third
circle contains the respective signs of the
twenty days of the month. In the center
of each period of five days sand The
symbols Indicating the four weeks as we'll
as the four cardinal points. In the
fourth great circle are fit5y-two squares,
or the Mexican cycle. In each square
are five marks, 260 in all, representing
the number of days in priests year,
which contained but thirteen months
The large outer CIRCLE represents the
AzGec heaven, TO reach which it was neces-
sary to cross the waving lines indicating
that it was beyond the waters or clouds.
Ap eye witness TO the manner IN which
the Aztecs transported huge masses of
stone says that this calendar stone must
have been moved by means of long tile
of men who dragged 1T with ropes over
large wooden rollers-the same manner
in which the ancient Egyptians moved
enormous blocks of granite for their
pyramids.
THE sACRJFICIAL eTONB
Is two and one-half meters in diameter
four-afths OF a meter in height, and was
discovered in the main plaza of the City
of Mexico, on the 18th of Dece mber, 1871
just one year after the discovery of the
caIendar stone, while e1csvating
channel for a sewer. On its upper face
1t sculptured an imase of the sun, to
whom it is dedicated. On the sides are
fifteen groups of two persons each,
bowling the same conqueripg warrior
graspIug by the hair fifteen prisoners,
who represent as many colored people.
The cOnqueror is Tizoc, seventh King CT
Mexico, who occupied the throne from
1881 to 1856.
There existed in Mexico an order of
mobiles whose patron was the suu, and
they sacrificed upon this rock human vic
Tins, to whom they gave the name of
"Messengers of the Sun" The manner
of sacrifice is thus related by primitive
historian, Father Duran: "At the sound
of musical instruments they brought
forth an Indian from among the prisoners
taken in war. He Was accom- panied and
surrounded by Ilustrious noblemen. His
limbs were painted red with white stripes;
one-half of his f-ce was painted red: q
white plume WAS glued to his hair; he
carried in one hand a walking stick
very gay with knots and ties of leather,
and some feathers inserted into it; in
the other hand he bore a shield with
five small bundles of cotton on it;
on his back was a little bundel which
held few eagle feathers, lum ps of ochre,
pieces of gy psum, oandlewood and papers
bound with rubber. They placed him at
the foot of the staircase ascending to the
temple, and there in loud voice, so that
all the people which were present could
hear, they said to him: Sir, that which
We entreat thee is, that thou dost go be-
fore our God, the sun, and that on our
benslf thou dost salute him, and that thou
dost tell him that his sons and principal
mobiles " no here remain supplicate him 10
remember them, and that from his throne
he doth favor them and receive this small
| present, which they send him; and do
! thou give MIN this cane for Walking and
| this shield for defense and the other
! things that thou dearest in that little
bundle The Indian, hearing this IN
bsssy, answered what he pleased. They
then united him and he presently began
to ascend toward the tsmple, rising little
by little, making at each step much de-
| lay, receiving at each step fresh instruc-
| tions, and thus 1t req quired long time to
ascend all those steps. Finally, arriving
at the summit he was conducted to this
sacrlhcial stone, sni placed upon il.
There, II hign voice, turning to the
image of the sun which stood near on g
, pedestal, and looking occasionally from
| 1t TO the true sun, he delivered his mes
sage. At Its conclusion, four ministers of
the sacrifice ascended the four steps to
the rock aud removed the cane, the shield
and the little bundle which the victim
bore Then they seized him by the
hands and feet and held him fast while
the high priest ascended to the rock
With his knife In his baud and cut the
victims throat, at the same time com
nanding him to go with his message TO
the true sun in smother life The blood
drained into the bowl in the center of the
rocF, poured through the little canal
lesdipg from il, and ran down the side IN
front of the chamber of the sub. the sun
scul lptUrei on the fsce of the rock being
drencaed With blood. When the blood
ceased to flow the high priest opened the
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