El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-02-26

w IT one were To
the civilization Of the
ancient world by the perfec-
ton of their systems Of time
reckoning. the credit Of having
reached the highest state of enlight-
enment would have to be awardedto the
people Of Mexico. Ancient 5feXico
produced the most perfect calendar
the world has yet known. Although
it was finally revised In the year ~
3. c. only 10 years after the prOmul-
cation OF the Julian calendar, az
stands to this day the most accurate
OF all calendars Yet devised ny men
How much superior IT vas 20 ne
Julian calendar is revealed BY the
fact that. whereas the latter IS now
Is days out Of harmony with the
tropical year, the Aztec calendar
would now be less than half a day
out Of balance with the solar time.
AEtecs Have Best Calendar
In another way one may appreciate
the mathematical accuracy OF the
work Of the Aztecs in the science OF
calendar making. Nearly 10 centuries
passed between the great revision OF
the Aztec calendar and the promulGa-
ton of the GregOrian system OF time
reckoning. and yet after all the lapse
of this time, one finds tEat the GREG
orian calendar is not as accurate as
that created by the Aztecs- In less
than 1000 years an error OF day VIII
have to be recorded under the Greg
orian system: on the other hand, the
Aztec calendar Will correctly record
the passing OF solar time through
more than 5000 years without tHs
variation Of a single day.
One may not be able to discover any
advantage in the Aztec method OF SUD
dividing the year over the GTegoIian
system, yet il is perhaps pOsslble tudt
the Aztec subdivisions are fully as
scientific as our own The Aztec year
was divided into IS months, all OF
al q n
uniform length Of five days. At the
end Of each year there was PROVIDED
an intercalary period OF five days. IN
addition TO this il was arranged lnat
there should be a further intercala-
tion of % days during eacn l0 years
This served to make the most perfect
adjustment OF the civil and the solar
year that the world has ever known
In the Year @One Flint
The great Aztec revision OF the cal
endar took place in the ancient ana
now lost city. Of Hueheutlapallan, "
the year cone Flint" which, as stated
before, corresponds to the year Zs B.
c in our system Of reckoning time
Where this ancient city was located
no one knows with any degree OF Ger
tainty. Some believe that the location
is REPRESENTED by the Casa Granoe
ruins in Arizona, near the junction OF
the Colorado and the ella rivers Oth-
ers are inclined to believe that II was
situated in our own Mississippi NaliS!,
near the great mounds LETT Dy Ihe
abOrfefna1 Americans Color is lent
to the assumption that II was IN the
Arizona-New Mexican region BY the
r fact that the Aztec chron1cleTs re
ferred with great frequency to the re-
peted droughts which prevailed ana
which find a counterpart IN me pi
ent dry periods in that region
The Aztec calendar finds It's cor
I crete expression in the great calendaL
stone. now preserved in the Nauonal
museum Of Mexico IhlS stone eau
E stelv carved TO meet the aStrOn-
omica1 purposes for which II was qe-
I signed is one Of the most remarkable
I OF all the mOnodths left Dy the racSs
OF antiquity. It Is asserted tldt y
originally weighed 80 tons, and that
Z il was covered with a red pigment
It is a large circular stone. ~ Leet
I in diameter and three feet thick re-
a sembling a milestone II was quarIlee
Z many miles outside Of Mexico city and
carved and moved into the CITY ,WleIS
1 IL Graced the great temple when So. $500
7 on the site OF the present eathedraI
/ Of Mexico. The AZteCs had no beasts
Of burden. and the marvel IS now
: they were unable TO transport TINS
huge stone across broken country
, and over many water courses and ca
nails to its final resting place
Great Temple Destroyed
When the Spaniards came TO Mex
; leo they RACED the Aztec temple 70
. the ground and until the seventeenth
century the stone lay buried IN 1ronL
I OF what is now the Mexican While
/ house 1t was then dug up; but Ihe
church fearful that IL would be the
/ means OF leading the Indians OF Mex
leo back to their tdoiatry. ordered lt
. reburied. butt not before much cam
. age had bene done to 1t by devout IN
I dians who stoned 1t on frequent Oc-
: casions. The stone was dug up again
In 1880, and was Cemented on the
{ western tower Of the cathedral Wnere
I 1t remained exposed to the clemens
I and vandals until 1885, when II was
I taken to the national museum Here
I it is kept as one Of the priceless rel-
/ ics OF q great civilization, OF Wnlcu
I we have only traces today.
/ It IS said that this great stone was
! placed in q horizontal position IN the
/ eighth house OF the great temple OF
/ Mexico. Its dedication is said to nave
taken place in 14S1. II years before
I the discovery OF America by Column
I bus. The reigning sovereign. King
/ Axayacatl. invited all the friendly ma
I tons TO take part in its ded.catlon,
/ principal gods OF Mexico tone tor eacn
I year of the quarter cycle, armed
| with their obsidian knives, prepared
for the human sacrifices ny when the
I stone should be dedicated
Seven hundred and rwentN2lght cap
! tives who had been taken prisoners M
Z great battle were 70 be sacrl IlSe1
Z during the celebration. The king
( himself led off these sacrificial cere-
1 monies. At sunrise Q priest with
Z smoking pot of incense marcneo
1 around the stone four times, Sn0 tlSh
I shattered the incense pot upon lhe
] surface OF the great monoIth, ~ mere.
/ upon the king ascendsd the stone ana
I began the sacrificial ceremony. re
! plucked from the breast II each Vic
tim his bleeding and quivering heart,
! held it to the stone, and then threw
/ Ii into the stone vase, which Is sun
I preserved in the museum in Mexico
] city. He continued the sacrifices uh-
/ til So prisoners had died by his hano.
| After this each one Of the - priests
took his turn in the work OF com
l pletlng the sscrificial rites. Iezozo-
I moe, the Aztec historian. says tnat
/ the king drank OF the blood and ate
1 Of the flesh OF his victims Of the sac
( rifice. and that his death soon there
/ after was a direct result OF the eA-
/ cesses Of that occasion
SubdivIded Years and Cycles
The Aztecs not only subdivided tnelr
I wears. but their years were in turn
| subdivisions OF cycles. The cycle con-
| sisted Of 81 years and was sUbdivlaeo
/ into quarter cycles OF Is years eacn,
I These quarter cycles were subdiviueo