Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-09-24
THE AZTEC CALENDAR.
STONE TABLET WEIGHING
$500 POUNDS.
Method OF Keeping Time More Accu-
rate Than That Of the SIsaniMrds-
The Astronomical knowl-
edge Of tho Aztec.

cage Ot THO Aztec.
One oS the many curious things 10
be seen in the collection of historical
curiosities at the National Museum at
the City of Mexico is the Aztec Caleu-
dar. While here l formed the &C
quantance of W. W. Blake, who i.
considered one OF the best authorities
i'll Aztec lore in the City of Mexico,
says writer to the Boots and Shoe.
Weekly, and he thus described it to
me:
Its face is carved. the stone being IL
feet in diameter about 3 feet in think
ness and weighs 1913 pounds avoir-
dupols. 1t was carved in the year
li19 A. d. by the Aztecs at Tenantitlan
and brought to the ancient Tenoch-
| titan. the site Of the present City of
Mexico.
At the coming OF Cortes. the Aztec
priests ordered this rock and many OF
the large idols and other objects OF
worship secreted. to hide them from
the destructive Spaniard. On the 27th
OF December, 1890. in lowering the
grade of the ancient pavement of the
Plaza Mayor in front Of the cathedral.
In order to make it level with the
street. this notable stone was uncov-
cred. The commissioners building
the cathedral secured its possession
and built it into the base OF the south
western tower of the cathedral where
it remained exposed to public view
until few years ago, when it was re-
moved to the National Museum. AL
though it is known as the Aztec Cal.
endar, its proper name is the Zodiac.
The face, in the center or within the
first circle. represents the sun. the
protruding tongue signifying speak
ing to the people, Within the second
circle are four parallelograms denot-
ing that the sun had died four times.
In order to understand the remaining
circles it is necessary to know that the
Aztec year was divided into eighteen
months OF twenty days each The
third circle, counting from tho centre.
contains the representative signs of
the twenty days Of the month. begin
ming at the point just above the apex
OF the triangle over the figure repre-
senting the sun. From this point and
reading to the left. the names of the
days of the month are represented as
follows:
First, sea animal; second wind;
third, house; fourth. lizard; fifth, SCRIP.
ent; sixth. death; seventh. deer:
eighth, rabbit; ninth. water: tenth.
dog; eleventh. monkey; twelfth, grass;
thirteenth, reed; fourteenth. Ocelot;
fifteenth. eagle; sixteenth. small bird;
seventeenth. path OF the sun; eigh-
teenth flint; nineteenth. rain; twenti-
eth. flowers.
In the centre of each period of five
days stand the symbols house. rabbit.
reed, flint indicating the four weeks
Of the month. and at the same time
representing the four cardinal points
OF the compass.
The remaining circles are devoted
to the 365 days of the year. the season >
and other matter that would require
too lengthy a description.
There is one very curious thing
about this stone. however, that is
worthy OF mention. and that is eight
holes. Gnomons or dial pins were in.
serted in these holes. and the shadows
Of the pins as they fell on different
points of the Zodiac recorded not only
the hour OF the day. but showed &C
curately the following dates: Vernal
equinox. March %; summer solstice.
June %; transits of the sun by the
zenith. May 22 and July 20; and the
autumnal equinox, 22d of September.
One of the most interesting evil
dences of the astronomical knowledge
OF the Aztecs is their INTERPOLATION of
five days in the calendar at the close
OF each year. As the year is composed
Of nearly six hours more than 365
days. there still remained an excess,
which they adjusted by interposing
twenty-five days in 104 years. This
shows nicer adjustment of civil to
solar time than is presented even by
the Gregorian calendar. since more
than $4,000 years would have to
elapse before the loss of an entire day
Prescott says that when the Europeans
who adopted the Julian calendar
landed in Mexico their reckoning was
nearly eleven days in advance OF the
exact time-or. in other words, of tho
reckoning Of the barbarous Aztecs; a
q suggestive fact