Calendars in Mesoamerica and Peru: Native American computations of time 9780860542230, 9781407332376

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44

Proceedings International Congress of Americanists· Congreso Internacional de Americanistas Manchester 1982

General Editor: Nortnan Hatntnond

Calendars in Mesoamerica and Peru Native American computations of time edited by

Anthony F. Aveni and

Gordon Brotherston BAR International Series 174 1983

B.A.R.

122 Ba�bury Road, Oxford OX2 7BP, England

GENERAL EDITORS A .R. Hands, B.Sc., M.A., D .Phil. D .R • Walker, M.A.

B.A.R.-S174, 1983: 'Calendars in Mesoamerica and Peru: Native American computations of time'

© The

Individual Authors, 1983

The authors’ moral rights under the 1988 UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act are hereby expressly asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, stored, sold, distributed, scanned, saved in any form of digital format or transmitted in any form digitally, without the written permission of the Publisher. ISBN 9780860542230 paperback ISBN 9781407332376 e-book DOI https://doi.org/10.30861/9780860542230 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This book is available at www.barpublishing.com

C ontents

L ist o f

c ontributors

v

I ntroductory n ote

1

v ii

T he b ase o f t he V enus t ables o f t he D resden C odex, a nd i ts s ignificance f or t he c alendar-correlation p roblem F loyd G .

2

1

T he G rolier C odex : a p reliminary r eport o n t he c ontent a nd a uthenticity o f a 1 3th-century M aya V enus a lmanac J ohn B .

3

L ounsbury

2 7

C arlson

Q uichean T ime P hilosophy B arbara T edlock

4

5 9

F echamiento a rqueoastronömico e n e l a ltiplano d e M exico 7 3

A rturo P once d e L eön H . 5

T he s tructure

o f

t he Z apotec c alendar 1 01

G ordon W hittaker 6

O bservaciones

d el

s ol y c alendario a gricola e n M esoamerica 1 35

F ranz T ichy 7

C iclos a gricolas e n e l c ulto: u n p roblema d e l a c orrelaciön d el c alendario m exica J ohanna B roda

8

1 45

T he y ear 3 113 B C a nd t he f ifth S un o f M esoamerica: o rthodox r eading o f t he T epexic A nnals

a n

G ordon B rotherston 9

A rcheoastronomical

1 67

f ieldwork o n t he c oast o f

P eru

G ary U rton a nd A nthony A veni 1 0

T owards

2 21

a G eneral A ndean s tar c alendar i n a ncient P eru R .T.

Z uidema

2 35

A ppendix

2 63

i ii

A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks a re d ue t o D orothy G ibson, D enise J ackson, Alison B ower, J ean P oynter a nd a bove a ll G eoffrey W est f or t heir h elp i n p reparing t he t ypescript o f t his v olume , a nd t o T ony Y oung f or h elp w ith t he f igures. F inancial a nd m aterial a ssistance was p rovided b y t he Publications Fund o f t he 4 4th International Congress o f Americanists, a nd b y t he D epartment o f L iterature, U niversity o f E ssex.

i v

L IST O F C ONTRIBUTORS

Anthony

F .

Aveni,

C harles

A nthropology, D r

J ohanna

A .

Dana

P rofessor

C olgate U niversity,

B roda d e

C asas ,

I nstituto

d e

J ohn

B rotherston,

P rofessor

C olchester,

E ngland.

B .

D irector ,

C arlson ,

o f M aryland, F loyd G .

L ounsbury,

D r

P once

P rofessor Emeritus , N ew H aven,

d e L e6n,

A rquitecto,

E rlangen-Nürnberg, Gary

U rton,

U niversity, D r

Gordon

R .T .

Z uidema, U rbana,

D epartment o f

E ssex,

U niversity

C ol . C ountry

A nthropology,

U SA . C lub,

M exico

2 1

D .F .

A ssociate Medford,

American S tudies, Tufts U niversity,

I nstitut für G eographie,

K ochstr.

A ssistant H amilton,

Whittaker,

T übingen,

o f

U SA .

P rofessor D r. F ranz T ichy,

D r

U niversity

U SA .

C onnecticut,

Barbara Tedlock, D irector o f P rofessor o f Anthropology, M assachusetts,

M exico 2 0 D .F.

L iterature ,

M aryland,

a nd

U SA.

H istöricas,

C enter f or A rcheoastronomy,

C ollege P ark,

Y ale U niversity, A rturo

o f

A stronomy N ew Y ork,

I nvestigaciones

U niversidad N acional A utönoma d e M exico, G ordon

o f

H amilton,

4 ,

U niversität

D 8 520 E rlangen.

P rofessor N ew Y ork,

o f

Anthropology,

C olgate

U SA .

V ölkerkündliches

I nstitut,

U niversität

D 7 4 T übingen. D epartment I llinois,

o f U SA .

A nthropology,

U niversity

o f

I llinois ,

I NTRODUCTORY N OTE

The p apers i n t his v olume have a ll a risen f rom t he S ymposium " Calendars

a nd C hronology" which

I nternational B etween t hem, c urrent

t he e ditors

C ongress o f Americanists, t hese c ontributions r epresent

d evelopments

i n

t he

s tudy

o f

c haired a t t he 4 4th

i n Manchester o r r efer t o t he

native

c hronology

1 982. m ain both

Mesoamerican a nd P eruvian ( or I nca) . T heir a pproaches i nclude t he a rcheological c onsiderations o f s ite a nd s tructure a lignments ( Urton a nd Aveni,

P once d e L eön);

t he e lucidation o f

n ative

t exts b oth i n

t heir o riginal s cript ( Lounsbury and C arlson o n t he h ieroglyphic, a nd

Whittaker

Mesoamerica)

a nd a nd

B rotherston a s

o n

t ranscribed

t he

i conographic

i nto

t he

writing

a lphabet

and

c olonial s ources ( Broda , Z uidema); a nd e nquiry i nto a nd s cience o f A merican I ndians l iving t oday ( Tedlock ,

o f

r elated

t he p ractices T ichy).

The p roblems a ddressed a re c hiefly t hose o f a scertaining t he s ources

o f

p erceived

p henomena,

p eriodicity

i n

a stronomical

a nd

o ther

n atural

a s well a s t he more s trictly c alendrical i ssue o f h ow

s uch phases a nd c ycles were i ntegrated i nto t he numerically c onsistent p atterns o f e conomics, a s i n t ribute c ollection , a nd o f s hamanist

r eligion ,

a s

i n

t he

2 60-unit

a rithmogram

o f

M esoamerica

k nown a s t he t onalamatl ( whose u ltimate o rigins c an b e f ound i n t he n ine moons t hat e lapse b etween t he f irst m issed m enses a nd b irth) . I n

t he

M esoamerican

s tanding

d ebate

o ver

a rea

p articular

whether

t he

a ttention

c alendrical

i s

p aid

y ear

t o

w as

t he

t he

l ong-

s easonal

( tropical) y ear o f a gricultural t ribute o r t he u nvarying 3 65-day y ear i ntercalated i nto t he t un c alendar o f t he Maya l owlands , most p apers f avouring t he f ormer; T hompson E ra d ate o f 3 113 B C i s

a nd v alid

t o t he p ossibility t hat t he f or t he y ear a nd t un c alendars

a like, t he i naugural " 4 M ovement" s ign i nvoked b y t he f ormer b eing t he s pring e quinox o f t hat y ear. A s r egards c omparisons b etween t he o therwise q uite d istinct s ocieties o f M esoamerica a nd t he I nca Tahuantinsuyu, p arallels emerge i n c ustoms a ssociated with t he e quinoxes a nd s olstices a nd i n t he i mportance o f b oth a nd t he s ynodic m oon f or t he a dministration o f t ribute.

i n

t he

s idereal

Two f urther p apers r elated t o t he S ymposium a re n ot r eproduced f ull h ere. The f irst, b y t he l ate R afael G irard, i s v ery

s ubstantially q uoted a nd d rawn u pon i n T ichy 's p aper;

t he o ther,

b y Manuel A lvarado, r eports p ublished b y

i s s ummarized i n t he Abstracts and S ymposia t he C ongress . I n o rder t o t ackle t he t horny

q uestion

i ntercalation

o f

l eap-day

i n

M esoamerica ,

A lvarado

t urns

t o t he p re-Positivist t radition o f S ahagl in and t he c leric F 5brega a nd proposes multiple r eadings o f s uch native s ources a s t he o pening

c hapter

t ranscription p apers

o f

p resented

o f

B orgia

t he

l atter

a t

t he

( pp. i s

1 -8)

and

Madrid

g iven i n t he

S ymposium

v ii

a nd

t he

( pp .

a ppendix . d iscussion

7 7-78);

h is

I n a ll ,

t he

t hat

a ttended

t hem m ay b e h oped t o r eveal a l ittle m ore o f t he r esponsible f or t he n ative A merican c omputation o f

r ich i ntelligence t ime.

AA G B 1 I X

v iii

1 983

F LOYD G .

T he

L OUNSBURY

B ase

o f

t he

S ignificance

T he

f or

V enus

T able

o f

t he

D resden

C odex,

a nd

i ts

t he C alendar - C orrelation P roblem

l ongcount d ate t hat a ppears i n t he p reface

t o t he V enus

t able o f

t he D resden C odex p oses a p roblem t hat u p t o t he p resent h as r esisted s atisfactory s olution . f ourth r elated , V enus

S o a lso d oes o ne o f t he i ntervals t abulated i n t he

t ier o f n umbers o n t hat s ame p age .

T hese p roblems,

w hich a re

b ear o n t he a stronomical c ircumstances a nd t he c hronology o f t he

t able,

a nd

i ndeed

o n

Mayan

c hronology

i n

g eneral;

f or

t he

i nterpretation a ccorded t o t hem a ffects c rucially t he s olution o f t he M aya-to-European c alendar-correlation p rob lem . A r esolution o f t he V enus p roblems

i s n ow a t h and; a nd t his o pportunity i s t aken t o p resent i t.

Ab rief r eview o f t he c ontext p recedes .

B ackground I nformation A p erpetual V enus t he

D resden

c orrected

C odex

o rder) .

c alendar

( pages

i s p resented o n f ive c onsecutive p ages o f

4 6-50

A s ixth p age

p refatory m aterial,

i n

t raditional

t hat

i s

p rior t o

i ncluding t he p roblematic

p agination, t hese

i tems

( page

2 5-29

i n

2 4) c ontains

r eferred

t o

a bove .

T hese t wo p arts o f t he V enus t able w ill b e r eferred t o r espectively a s t he ' main t able'

a nd

I n

m ain

t he

t he

' preface '.

t able

t he

( See T ables

1a nd 2 . )

s uccessive p eriods b etween e xpected f irst a nd

l ast a ppearances o f t he m orning s tar a nd f irst a nd l ast o f t he e vening s tar a re

s chematized

a s

2 36

d ays

( morning

s tar) ,

9 0

d ays

( invisibility b efore

a nd a fter s uperior c onjunction), 2 50 d ays ( evening s tar), a nd 8 d ays ( invisibility a t i nferior c onjunction ) , a ccounting t hus f or t he 5 84 d ays o f t he m ean s ynodic p eriod o f t he p lanet .

A s equence o f f ive s ynodic p eriods,

p resented o n t he f ive p ages o f t he t able , c onstitutes t he c ycle t hat h armon izes t he 5 84-day V enus c alendar w ith t he 3 65-day a nnual c alendar o r h aab [ 5 x 5 84 = 8 x 3 65, = 2 920].

T hirteen r epetitions o f t he s cheme, o n a s

m any l ines o f t hese f ive p ages , t he 2 60-day

s acred a lmanac,

c ycle o f l ength e qual t o 1 46 x 2 60 ,

h armonize

o r t zolkin ,

i t

i n t urn w ith t he r unning o f

u niting a ll o f t hese i nto a g reat

t wo o f t he 5 2-year c alendar r ounds

= 1 04 x 3 65 ,

= 6 5 x 5 84 ,

= 3 7960 ,

= 2C R ].

[ 13 x 2 920 =

T he t hirteen l ines

o f a lmanac d ays a re m atched b y t hree a lternative l ines o f d ays f rom t he a nnual c alendar , t he l atter i n e ffect t urning t he e ntire s cheme i nto t hree s eparate t ables o f c alendar-round d ays .

I t was s hown b y T eeple ( 1926,

1 930) t hat t he t hree t ables w ere d esigned a s r eplacements o ne f or a nother , a nd

t hat y et

s pecified

i n

a dditional u seful

a f ourth t he

( the

p reface

l ines o f d ays

l ife

t ranscription

o f o f

t he t he

t able

t o

f irst t he

f rom i s

i n

t able .

t he

a nnual

e xtendible

c alendrical

t he

s eries

M oreover , c alendar

r eplacements)

t he r ule i s

i ndefinitely

a nd n umerical 1

o f

f or p roviding

c lear , i nto

c ontent

o f

i s

t he

s o

t hat

f uture .

t his

t able

t he A i s

T able

1 .

T he

c alendrical c ontent o f

p ages .

t he Main T able o f

t he D resden C odex V enus

H orizontal b locks c orrespond t o p ages o f t he C odex ( pp . 4 6-50) .

R eading o rder i s p reserved , w ith h orizontal l ines s ubstituting f or v ertical c olumns . N oncalendrical p ortions a re o mitted . t able ( last l ine) a re i n b oldface.

T he

' base '

p ositions o f t he

4 6 : 311

6 1 9 41 2

7 21 0

210

513

6 1 9 412

51 3

8 31

1 3

8 31

8 311

6 1 9 41 2

6 1 9 41 2

51 3

8 C IB

2 36

9Z ac

1 9 K ayab

2 36

1 4 Z ac

3 27

1 9 M uan

4Z otz

9 0

1 9 T zec

5 76

4Y ax

5 K AN

7X ul

5 84

1 2 Y ax

7 C IMI

7 21 0

7 21 0

C IB

4Y axkin

1 4 P ax 2K ayab

2 50 8

4 7 : 210

513

8 3 11

6 1 9 4 12

7 A HAU

3C umhu

8 20

1 9 41 2

7 21 0

51 3

6 O C

8Z otz

9 10

412 1 2

7 210

7 210

513

513

8 31

8 311

8 311

6 1 9 A HAU

6 1 9 4 L AMAT

1 8 P ax 6K ayab

160

3Z otz

1 3 Y ax

2 36

1 3 M ol

3M i lan

9 0

1 8 U o

8C hen

2 50

168

6Z ip

1 404

2M ban

1 6 C hen

8

4 8 : 1 9 41 2 1 3

8 311

31

7 21 0

51 3

8 31

6 K AN

6 1 9 412

7 210

5 I X

7M uan

1 494

7P op

8 K AN

1 2 C hen

1 744

1 7 M äc

0Y ax

1 752

6 1 9 41 2

7 21 0

7 21 0

51 3

51 3

8 3 E B

1 7 Y ax

7Z ip 1 7 Y axkin 2U o

1

6 1 9 41 2

5K ankin 1 0 U o

1 3

8 311

6 1 9 412

7 210

5 L AMAT 1 Z ip

1 988

1 2

7 21 0

51 3

6 1 9 4 E TZNAB 1 M bl

2 078

6C eh

6U o

2 328

1 X ul

1M ac

1 4 U o

2 336

1 9 X ul

9M ac

1 5 C umhu

0Y axkin

2 36 9 0 2 50 8

4 9 :

210

513

8 31

8 311

8 31

6 1 9 412

6 1 9 41 2

7 L AMAT

1 0

51 3

7 2 C IB

1 2

7 210

513

8 311

6 1 9 4 E B

1

6 1 9 412

7 210

513

1 6 Y axkin

6K ankin 1 6 C umhu

2 36 9 0 2 50 8

5 0 :

1 9 412 9 41 2

7 210

7 21 0

513

51 3

0U ayeb

2 662

0T zec

6 E B

5M ac

2 912

1 0 K ayab

1 5 T zec

6 1 A HAU

1 3 M äc

2 920

1 8 K äymb

3A ll

8 3 I K

8 311

8 31

1 0 K ankin 2 572

1 0 Z ac

2 36 9 0 2 50 8

T able

2 .

N umerical

a nd c alendrical

c ontent o f

Table o f t he D resden C odex ( Dr.

[ 1 A hau ]

[ 18 K ayab ]

[ 4 A hau ] 8C umhu

O 1 1 1 1

0 4

!

O 4 .

0

•

•

•

9 9 6

1 6

2 0-

0 0

• •

•

•

•

•

t he P reface

t o

t he V enus

2 4).

1 .1 .1.14 .0

1 5 .16 .6 .0

1 0 .10 .16 .0

5 .5 .8 .0

1A hau

1A hau

1A hau

1A hau

1 .5 .14 .4 .0 1A hau

9 .11 .7 .0 1A hau

4 .12 .8 .0 1A hau

1 .5 .5 .0 1A hau

4 .17 .6 .0

4 .9 .4 .0

4 .1 .2 .0

3 .13 .0 .0

9 9

6A hau

1 A hau

3A hau

8A hau

9

3 .4 .16 .0

2 .16 .14 .0

2 .8 .12 .0

2 .0 .10 .0

1 6 0

1 3 A hau

5A hau

1 0 A hau

2A hau

4A hau

1A hau

1A hau

8C umhu

1 8 K ayab

( 18 U 0 )

1 .12 .[8 ].0

1 .4 .6 .0

1 6 .4 .0

8 .2 .0

7A hau

1 2 A hau

4A hau

9A hau

N OTE : B racketed i tems a re r estorations ( top l eft ) a nd a n e mendation ( the u ina ls d igit i n 1 . 12 .8 .0) . T he p arenthesized i tem ( 18 U o) i s a rithmetically o ut o f p lace , d ue a pparently t o l ack o f a lternative s pace . H yphens f lanking t he z ero o f 6 . 2 .0 ( lower l eft ) a re f or t he r ing o f t he ' ring n umber ', m arking i t a s n egative . T he c olumns o f t hree d ots a re i n l ieu o f n oncalendrical h ieroglyphs .

T able

3 .

Chronology o f

t he b ases

o f

t he D resden C odex V enus

T able.

( a) Mayan c hronology , a s d etermined b y t he i ntervals r ecorded i n t he P reface

t o t he

t able .

( b)

H ypothetic

J ulian-Christian e quivalents

a ccording t o t he T hompson c orrelation , J DN = M DN + 5 84285 .

6 . 2 .0

6 . 2 .0 ,

1A hau 1 8 K ayab ( 0).

3119 A ug 3 0 .

+ 9 . 9 .16 . 0 .0

=

9 . 9 . 9 .16 .0 ,

1A hau 1 8 K ayab (4) .

6 23 F eb

+

5 . 5 . 8 .0

.

9 .14 .15 . 6 .0 ,

1A hau 1 8 K ayab ( B ).

7 27 J an 1.

u uI f

+

1 0 .10 .16 .0

. 1 0 . 0 . 0 .14 .0 ,

1A hau 1 8 K ayab ( C ).

8 30 D ec 1 6 .

u

•

1 5 .16 . 6 .0

= 1 0 . 5 . 6 . 4 .0 ,

1A hau 1 8 K ayab ( D).

9 34 N ov 2 0 .

• 1 . 1 . 1 .14 .0

= 1 0 .10 .11.12 .0 ,

1A hau 1 8 K ayab ( E ).

1 038 O ct 2 5 .

• 1 . 5 .14 . 4 .0

• 1 0 .15 . 4 . 2 .0 ,

1A hau 1 8 U o

( F ).

129 D ec

u

u

( “ ).

= 1. 0 . 3 . 1 .0 ,

1A hau 1 3 M ac

M.

1 227 J un 1 5 .

= 1. 5 . 2 . 0 .0 ,

1A hau

( 1 ).

1 324 D ec 2 2 .

9 . 9 . 9 .16 .0

u uu

1 0 .10 .11.12 .0 I

+

4 .12 . 8 .0

I

•

9 .11. 7 .0

u

•

[ 14 .10 . 6 .0 ]

uf l u i tu

3

3X ul

6 .

6 .

g iven h ere i n T able

1 .

T he d ay f rom w hich a ny o ne s uch v ersion o f t he t able p roceeds i s c onventionally k nown a s i ts

' base'.

T his i s i ts

' Day Z ero'

( not

' Day

O ne') . T he t able i s s o c onstructed t hat i ts b ase i s t he d ay o f a n e xpected h eliacal r ising o f V enus a s m orning s tar , f our d ays a fter i nferior c on junct ion ,

c oinciding w ith a n a lmanac d ay 1 A hau .

i s a llowed

t o b e

r un t hrough

t o

t he e nd,

I ts c oncluding d ay , i s n ecessarily o n

w hen i t

t he

s ame

c alendar-round d ay a s i s i ts b ase; b ut i t i s t wo c alendar r ounds l ater i n t he l ongcount . I t t oo s hould s chedule a h eliacal r ising o f t he m orning s tar o n a d ay

1A hau;

b ut b ecause o f a s mall d iscrepancy b etween t he t rue

m ean s ynodic p eriod o f V enus ( 583 .92 d ays) a nd t he w hole-number a pproximat ion e mployed b y t he M aya ( 584 d ays), t he p lanet m ust n ecessarily t end t o a ppear a f ew d ays a head o f t ime ( about f ive d ays o n t he a verage) t oward t he e nd o f t he g reat c ycle o f t he t able . A fter i nitial e xperiments, a nd a pparently o nly a fter t his f act h ad b ecome f ully a ppreciated , t he i ndicated p ractice w as

t o

s top

s hort o f a c omplete r un o f t he t able,

a t a n e arlier

d ate w here a 1 A hau c ould b e f ound t hat w as c loser t o ah eliacal r ising o f t he m orning s tar t han would h ave b een t he o ne a t t he e nd o f t he t able. T his b etter a lternative w ould n ext r un

o f

t he

t able .

t hen s erve a s a b ase ( a n ew

r ule ( once t he r ule w as d iscovered) : c omplete

r un

c orrection ,

i n o rder

o r

c orrection .

e poch)

f or

t he

L ocating t he b etter a lternative c ould b e d one b y t o

t hirteen

s top s ix a nd a h alf

l ocate a 1 A hau

t uns s hort

f or

o ne

t uns s hort o f a

t hat w ill o ffer a f our-day t hat

w ill

o ffer

a n

e ight-day

T he a lmanac d ay 1 A hau a ppears t o h ave b een i nviolate f or

e pochs o f t he m orning s tar ( it h ad a m ythological c onstraint ,

t he

c orrections

c harter) ;

a nd w ith t his

c an c ome o nly i n f our-day m odules a nd a t s ix-

a nd-a-half-tun i ntervals . S uccessive b ases a re t hus f ixed i n t he a lmanac b ut a re m ovable i n t he y ear . T he p rimary b ase o f t he t able i s ad ay 1 A hau 1 8

K ayab .

T his

s ystem b egan .

i s

t he

c alendar-round

R eplacement b ases

M ac , a nd 1 A hau 3 X ul,

d ay

w ith

w hich

a re i ndicated a t

t he

1A hau

D resden

1 8 U o ,

C odex

1A hau 1 3

i n t hat o rder o f s uccession , r espectively e ffecting

a n e ight-day a nd t wo f our-day c orrections .

T he P roblem T he t able

c hronological

r eplacement b ase, a nd

p osition o f

i s n ot d irectly b ases,

a lthough

a nd t o e ach o ther,

4 .18 .17 .0

T he p reface , 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 .

( a

d oubly

h owever ,

T he

t he

1A hau

i ndicated i n t hat t hey

1 8

t able .

c an b e

K ayab

N either

l ocated

b ase a re

r elative

o f

t o

t he

a t s uccessive i ntervals o f 4 .12 .8 .0,

a nd

t wo

s ingly

f oreshortened

r uns

o f

t hat,

o f

t he

p rimary

4 .18 .17 .0, t he

t able) .

h ighlights a d ay 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab w hich i t p laces a t

m ost

n atural

a ssumption w ould

b e--and h as

u sually b een--

t hat t his m ust d esignate t he p rimary b ase o f t he m ain t able . w ith

t he m ain

t hose

a s E ric T hompson e xpressed

i t

( 1950:

2 26),

T he

i s

t rouble

t hat " in n o

c orrelation s o f ar s uggested , w hich i s n ot d erived s olely f rom a stronomical d ata,

d oes

9 .9 .9 .16 .0

c oincide

i nferior c onjunction ." a ccomplish t hat h ave i t .

t his

e nd

w ith

w hen o ther

p ertinent

t aken h istorical e vidence

T hompson n oted

t hat

a h eliacal

r ising

o f

V enus

a fter

C orrelations c an o f c ourse b e c oined a d h oc t o

b y h is

e vidence

i nto a ccount

c orrelation

i s

a re

( which

i s

i gnored ; n ot

a ble

d erived

b ut t o

t hose

a chieve

f rom

p ost-

C onquest h istorical d ata) t he p rediction i s a bout s ixteen d ays t oo e arly f or t he e vent . H e t herefore o pted f or a n a lternative s uggested b y T eeple ( 1930 :

9 7-98), which was t o i dentify t he b ase o f t he main t able w ith a

1A hau

1 8 K ayab t hat was e ight

c alendar r ounds l ater, a t 1 0 .10 .11.12 .0 . 4

J ustification f or e ntertaining t his a s ap ossibility w as f ound i n t he p resence o f

t he n umber

1 . 5 .14 .4 .0 w hich

t he p reface ( see T able 2 ) .

i s

e ight c alendar r ounds p lus 4 .12 .8 .0, t able"

( i .e . ,

I t

c an

f oreshortened

b e

4 .12 .8 .0,

d oubly

i n

t he

f ourth

t ier

b y

s een

i .e .,

a s

o f

c onsisting

t uns) .

o f

e ight

f our c omplete r uns

f oreshortened o ne;

o f

t he l ength o f t he 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab

t hirteen

i s t his n umber t hat p oses t he o ther p art o f t he p roblem .

i nterval p lus

a s

r ecorded

T eeple n oted t hat " this n umber c onsists o f

o r

i t

c alendar

o f

t he

r ounds

I ts

( 1 .1 .1 .14 .0)

m ain t able

p lus

o ne

c an b e s een a s c onsisting o f s ix c alendar

r ounds ( 15 .16 .6 .0) p lus t wice 4 .18 .17 .0, i .e ., o f t hree c omplete r uns o f t he m ain t able p lus t wo s ingly f oreshortened o nes . I n e ither c ase i t i s a n i nterval t hat c ombines p eriods a nother ,

o r o thers,

p roportion a s

t o

o f

u ncorrected e rror

p roviding p artial b ut l eave

[ 1.5 .14 .4 .0 = 1 85120,

a n et

r esidual

a ccumulation w ith

i nsufficient e rror

o f

c orrection i n s uch

a bout

s eventeen d ays

=3 17(583 .92) + 1 7 .361.

T his n umber , m oreover , w hen a pplied t o ad ay 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab , l eads t o a d ay 1 A hau 1 8 U o ( the f irst o f t he r eplacement b ases) . B ut i t i s n ot t he o nly n umber s pecified t here t hat d oes s o ; i s

r ecorded

i n t he

s ame

t ier .

E ither

f or s o a lso d oes 4 .12 .8 .0 ,

t hese

w hich

t wo n umbers w ere i ntended t o

a pply t o t wo d ifferent d ates 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab t hat a re e ight c alendar r ounds a part ( as a re 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 a nd 1 0 .10 .11 .12 .0) a nd t o l ead t o t he s ame 1 A hau 1 8 U o; o r e lse t hey w ere t o a pply t o t he s ame 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab ( which o ne?) a nd t o a part .

l ead t o t wo d ifferent T here

e ntertaining

i s t he

n othing s econd

i n o f

1A hau 1 8 U o d ates e ight c alendar r ounds

t he t hese

m ore t han o ne 1 A hau 1 8 U o d ate . i ndicated o r m inus 6 .2 .0 , o ne

o f

i mplied .

c ontext

t o w arrant ,

n otions;

f or

t here

o r

e ven

i s

n o

t o

s uggest,

i ndication o f

O ther 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab d ates , h owever ,

a re

T he r ing-number b ase i n t he p reface r ecords o ne a t

am ythical c harter d ate s eventy-two c alendar r ounds b efore t he

9 .9 .9 .16 .0 ,

a nd

t hus

p rior

t o

t he

e poch o f

t he

l ongcount .

A nd

t he

t op t ier o f n umbers i n t he p reface r ecords t he f irst f our m ultiples o f t he g rand-cycle

l ength

o f

t he

m ain

t able ,

t ogether

w ith

s pecifications

t hat

t hey l ead t o d ays 1 A hau , w hich i n ac ontext i mplying a pplication t o 1A hau 1 8 K ayab, would r efer t o f our d ifferent r esultant d ates o n t his d ay a t s uccessive t wo-calendar-round i ntervals . T here a re t hus f ive 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab d ates i n h istorical t ime i ndicated i n t he p reface , i n a ddition t o o ne i n m ythic t ime . T heir c hronology , t ogether w ith t hat o f t he i ndicated r eplacement b ases, c an b e o utlined a s i n T able 3 , e mploying t he i ntervals r ecorded i n t he

p reface .

B ut t he p roblem r emains. What c an h ave b een t he r ationale f or a n umber l ike 1 . 5 .14 .4 .0 , w ith s uch a s eemingly i nappropriate p roperty? A nd w hy w as

t he d ate 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 g iven s uch p rominence a nd m ade t he f ocus o f t he

p reface

i f

i t was n ot

t he

i ntended b ase o f t he main t able o r

e ven a

h istorical h eliacal-rising d ate? I ts d iscrepancy b y t he T hompson c orrel ation h as p osed f or m any a s erious o bstacle i n t he w ay o f t heir a cceptance o f t hat c orrelation .

Ih ope n ow t o r emove t hat o bstacle .

A n A stronomical T est I n

t he

f ollowing p ages

T uckerman p lanetary

t ables,

i nferrible f rom t he d ata . o riginal v alue :

t here a re p resented s ome d ata d rawn f rom t he t ogether

w ith

c onclusions

t hat

a ppear

t o

b e

T he T hompson c orrelation w ill b e a ssumed ( in i ts

J ulian d ay n umber = M aya d ay n umber + 5 84285) , 5

s ince I a m

c onvinced t hat

i t r epresents

t he

m erely a s aw orking h ypothesis , T he V enus

t able o f

t ruth ;

b ut i t c an a s w ell b e u nderstood

a bout t o b e p ut t o a t est .

t he C odex a ssigns a m ean v alue o f e ight d ays f or

t he d uration o f t he p lanet 's i nvisibility a t i nferior c onjunction , w ithout r epresenting t he d eviations f rom t hat m ean f or p articular p eriods ( which w ould h ave b een i nfeasible b ecause o f t he i nconstancy o f t heir d istribution o ver t he s pan o f t ime c overed b y t he t able) . T he m oment o f c onjunction m ust t herefore b e a scribed t o t he m iddle o f t his e ight-day p eriod , t hough i t t oo r epresents a m ean w ith d eviations b ecause o f v ariability i n t he p lanet 's s ynodic p eriod . T hus , c orresponding t o a ny o ne o f t he p rescribed d ays f or a n a nticipated h eliacal r ising o f t he M orning S tar, t here i s a ssumed a m ean p osition f or i nferior c onjunction f our d ays e arlier . I t i s o f i nterest t o s ee h ow g ood m ay b e t he m atch b etween p redictions f rom t he D resden C odex t able a nd t he a stronomical c omputations f or t he s ame p henomena a s o btainable f rom p lanetary t ables . F or e xample , c onsider t he d ate t o w hich T hompson a scribed t he 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab b ase o f t he V enus t able . I n h is i nterpretation t his was e ight c alendar r ounds a fter 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 , O ctober 2 5

w hich i s 1 0 .10 .11 .12 .0 , o r b y h is c orrelation , A .D . 1 038, ( Julian ) . A ccording t o t he c odex t able , t his s hould b e a m ean

p osition f or a h eliacal r ising o f V enus . T he p redicted p osition f or t he i nferior c onjunction i s t herefore f our d ays e arlier, o n 1 0 .10 .11 .11.16, 1 0 C ib 1 4 K ayab , A .D . 1 038 , O ctober 2 1 . C onsulting t he T uckerman t ables , h owever , w e s ee t hat t he i nferior c onjunction a ctually o ccurred s even d ays e arlier t han t his , o n O ctober 1 4 . T hus , a p ositive e rror o f s even d ays m ust b e a scribed t o t he p rediction f or t his e vent , r equiring a m inus s evend ay

c orrection . T he e rror i n a s ingle d atum s uch a s

t his i s n ot b y i tself , h owever ,

a ny r eliable i ndication o f t he v alidity o f t he e spoused i nterpretation o f t he t able , f or t he r eason t hat t he d urations o f i ndividual s ynodic p eriods o f t he p lanet d eviate f rom t he a pproximately 5 84-day m ean b y v arying a mounts, u p t o t hree o r f our d ays e ither s ide o f t hat m ean . T hese d eviations f luctuate b ack a nd f orth w ithin a f ive-period c ycle f or s hort t erms ( the 2 920 d ays o f t he f ive-page s pan o f a ny o ne l ine o f t he D resden C odex t able ) , w ith a f urther s low c irculation o f t heir d istribution o ver l onger p eriods o f t ime .

W hat i s n eeded t hen i s n ot a s ingle d atum s uch a s

t hat j ust i llustrated , b ut r ather a s et o f f ive c onsecutive o nes w hose s eparate e rrors c an b e a veraged . W hen t he p receding o nes i n t his c ase a re d etermined , t o m ake t he r equired s et o f f ive , i t i s s een t hat t heir e rrors w ere r espectively + 5, + 4 , + 7, + 3, a nd + 7, i n t hat o rder, t o t he n earest w hole d ay i n e ach c ase . T hat i s t o s ay , t he p redictions o vershoot t heir r espective t argets b y t hose 5 , 4 , 7 , 3, a nd 7 d ays p henomena . T he m ean o f t his af amiliar r ing ! [ It i s e qual

a mounts, a nd t hey r equire c orrections o f t o b ring t hem i nto a ccord w ith t he r eal s et o f e rrors i s 5 .2 d ays--a n umber t hat h as t o 6 5 x0 .08 , t he a ccumulation o f m ean e rror

i n o ne c omplete r un o f t he t able o f t he c odex .] W hen t he s ame t est i s m ade f or t he s et o f f ive i nferior c on junctions j ust p rior t o t he 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab o f 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 , w hich i s A .D . 6 23 F ebruary 6 ( Julian ) b y t he T hompson c orrelation , i t i s f ound t hat t he i ndividual e rrors a t t his t ime w ere 14 , 16 , 16 , 14 , a nd 17 d ays r espectively , a gain t o t he n earest w hole d ay i n e ach c ase . T hese p redictions--if t hat i s w hat t hey w ere--fall s hort o f t heir t argets b y t hese a mounts , a nd w ould r equire c orrections o f t hose m agnitudes , w ith o pposite s ign , t o b ring t hem 6

i nto l ine w ith t he p henomena . d ays. T he

s ame

t est

c an b e

T he m ean o f t his s et o f e rrors i s 15 .4

c arried o ut f or t he i nferior c onjunctions p rior

t o e ach o f t he i ntermediate 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab d ates t hat a re i ndicated i n t he t op

t ier o f

t he

p refatory

t able

i n t he

c odex .

T he

T hompson's b ase d ate i s o f p articular i nterest . r ounds

a fter

i s A .D .

9 34 ,

9 .9 .9 .16 .0 , N ovember

a re + 1, 2 , + 2 , i s 0 .0 d ays .

1,

v iz" 2 0

1 0 .5 .6 .4 .0 ,

( Julian ) .

a nd 0 ,

T he

o ne n ext p rior

T his

w hich

b y

t he

e rrors

i n

t his

a ssumed

t o t he n earest w hole d ay .

t o

i s s ix c alendar

s et

c orrelation

o f

p redictions

T he m ean o f t he s et

A t t he t wo r emaining i ndicated 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab p ositions--two a nd f our c alendar r ounds a fter 9 .9 .9 .16 .0--the s ets

o f

f ive a re 5 .0 d ays

10 .2 d ays T he

( for

e rrors

t hat a nd

( for

p rior

t o

c orresponding m ean e rrors

t he

s et

j ust

p rior

t o

a nd

1 A hau

m ean e rrors

3 X ul b ases,

t hat

w ere

a s

m ay b e

d etermined

a lso

f or

f or

T hese

t he

w ere

p urpose

o f

t ermination e rror

d ates

r eduction ,

f oreshortening ( 13 .0 .0) a ccomplishing a n e ight-day c orrection o f

t hese,

a nd

t wo

2 340-day

f our-day c orrections t wo v alues

o f

i n t he V enus

i n t he o ther

t able ,

T he

d ata

4 .

T he

t wo .

a nd o ne f or

f or a ll t able

c onjunction d ates

o f

f or

c ycles

i n

t he

t wo

A t e ach o f t hese d ates

f irst

s eparate t here

a re

i ts r elocation i n t he b ase p osition . o f 8 d ays,

4 d ays,

T he

a nd 4 d ays r espec-

f or t he r easons j ust n oted . t hese e rror d eterminations

c ontains

i n e ach ,

( 6 .9 .0)

o f

a 4 680-day

o ne f or t he p rior l ocation o f t he d ate

d iffer b y a mounts

t ively i n t he t hree c ases,

T able

f oreshortenings

t he e rror f unction :

t wo e rror v alues

t he p redicted 1A hau 1 3 M ac,

t hese a re d istributied c hronologically i n t he

i nterpretation .

f oreshortened

t he

9 . 14 .15 .6 .0) .

i nferior-conjunction d ates a ssociated w ith t he 1 A hau 1 8 U o , T eeple-Thompson

f or

1 0 .0 .0 .14 .0) a nd

e ight

s ets,

w ith

f ive

a re p resented i n

h ypothetic

i nferior-

t hese b eing i n e very c ase f our d ays p rior t o a

p resumptive h eliacal-rising d ate s cheduled b y t he D resden C odex t able .

T he

f irst f ive s ets a re t hose w hich a re j ust p rior t o t he f ive 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab b ases ( A-E) i ndicated i n t he p reface t o t he c odex t able; t he f inal t hree s ets a re t hose j ust p rior t o t he 1 A hau 1 8 U o , 1A hau 1 3 M ac , a nd 1 A hau 3 X ul r eplacement b ases ( FHA .

T he l ast i nferior-conjunction d ate o f e ach

s et i s d esignated b y t he s ame l etter ( from A t o H ) a s i s u sed i n T able 3 t o l abel t he b ase t hat f ollows i t f our d ays l ater . F or e xample , t he l ast d ate o f t he f irst s et o f T able 4 i s d esignated a s i nferior c onjunction A ( at

9 .9 .9 .15 .16) ;

i t

i s

b ase A ( 9 .9 .9 .16 .0)

f our

d ays

i n T able

p rior

3 .

T he

t o

t he

o thers

b ase o f

i ntervals ( 1 .11.4) s uccessively p rior t o t hat . c apital

l etters

A -H

t o

d esignate

s uccessive

t hat

t he

i s

s et

[ NOTE:

b ases

d esignated

a re a t

a s

5 84-day

T he u se o f t he

f ollows

t he

p ractice

i ntroduced b y T hompson ( 1950 : 2 26) , e xcept t hat h is B , w hich w as s purious, i s h ere o mitted ; h is C t herefore h ere b ecomes B , a nd s o o n t o t he e nd o f t he

s eries .] T he c olumns o f T able 4 g ive t he f ollowing i nformation :

( 1) Maya d ay n umbers i n l ongcount n otation f or p redicted d ates o f i nferior c onjunction , a ccording t o t he c hronological i nterpretation o f t he D resden C odex V enus t able a nd i ts p reface t hat w as o utlined i n T able 3 . ( 2) T he c orrelation :

c orresponding J ulian d ay n umbers, a ccording t o J ulian d ay n umber = M aya d ay n umber + 5 84285 . 7

t he T hompson

T able 4 . P redicted d ates o f i nferior c onjunction o f V enus , i n s ets o f f ive , p receding e ach o f t he e ight s uccessive b ases i ndicated i n t he D resden C odex t ables; t ogether w ith c orresponding a ctual d ates, e rrors o f p rediction , a nd m ean e rrors p er s et . ( Maya-to-Julian b y t he 5 84285 c orrelation .) P redicted d ates o f i nferior c onjunction M aya l ongcount d ay n umber

J ulian d ay n umber

C hr. y ear & J ul. c al. d ay

A ctual d ates o f i nferior c onjunction

E rrors o f p redict ion

M ean e rrors p er s et

( A)

9 . 9 . 9 . 9 . 9 .

9 . 3 . 7 . 0 9 . 5 . 0 . 4 9 . 6 .11. 8 9 . 8 . 4 .12 9 . 9 .15.16

1 946305 6 889 7 473 8 057 8 641

6 16 6 18 6 19 6 21 6 23

S ep A pr N ov J un F eb

1 0 1 7 2 2 2 8 2

6 16 6 18 6 19 6 21 6 23

4 S ep 2 3 M ay D ec 8 J ul 1 2 F eb 1 9

14 16 16 14 17

15.4

( B)

9 .14 . 8 .15. 0 9 .14 .10. 8 . 4 9 .14 .12 . 1 . 8 9 .14.13.12.12 9 .14 .15 . 5 .16

1 984265 4 849 5 433 6 017 6 601

7 20 7 22 7 23 7 25 7 27

A ug 1 5 2 M ar 2 O ct 2 7 2 J un J an 7

7 20 7 22 7 23 7 25 7 27

A ug 2 3 A pr 3 N ov 6 J un 1 J an 1 9

8 12 10 9 12

10 .2

9 .19.14 . 5 . 0 9 .19.15.16. 4 9 .19.17. 9 . 8 9 .19.19. 2 .12 ( C) 1 0. O . 0 .13.16

2 022225 2 809 3 393 3 977 4 561

8 24 8 26 8 27 8 29 8 30

J ul 2 0 F eb 2 4 1 O ct M ay 7 D ec 1 2

8 24 8 26 8 27 8 29 8 30

3 J ul 2 M ar 3 O ct 5 M ay 1 2 8 D ec 1

3 7 4 5 6

1 0 . 4 .19 .13 . 0 1 0. 5 . 1 . 6 . 4 1 0 . 5 . 2 .17. 8 1 0. 5 . 4 .10.12 ( D) 1 0 . 5 . 6 . 3 .16

2 060185 0 769 1 353 1 937 2 521

9 28 9 30 9 31 9 33 9 34

J un J an S ep A pr N ov

2 4 2 9 5 1 1 6

9 28 9 30 9 31 9 33 9 34

J un J an S ep A pr N ov

2 3 3 1 3 1 2 1 6

+ 1 2 + 2 1 0

1 0.10. 5 . 3 . 0 1 0 .10 . 6 .14 . 4 1 0.10. 8 . 7 . 8 1 0 .10 .10 . 0 .12 ( E) 1 0.10.11.11.16

2 098145 8 729 9 313 9 897 2 100481

1 032 1 034 1 035 1 037 1 038

M ay J an A ug M ar O ct

2 9 3 1 0 1 6 2 1

1 032 1 033 1 035 1 037 1 038

M ay D ec A ug M ar O ct

2 4 3 0 3 1 3 1 4

+ 5 + 4 + 7 + 3 + 7

1 0 .14 .17.11. 0 1 0.14.19. 4 . 4 1 0 .15 . 0 .15 . 8 1 0.15. 2 . 8 .12 ( F) 1 0 .15. 4 . 1 .16

2 131425 2 009 2 593 3 177 3 761

1 123 125 1 126 1 128 1 129

J ul F eb S ep A pr D ec

1 1 4 2 1 2 7 2

1 123 125 1 126 128 1 129

J ul 8 F eb 1 5 S ep 1 8 A pr 2 6 D ec 1

1 0.19.16.10. 0 1 0 .19.18 . 3 . 4 1 0.19.19.14. 8 1 1. 0 . 1 . 7 .12 ( G) 1 1. 0 . 3 . 0 .16

2 167045 7 629 8 213 8 797 9 381

1 221 1 222 1 224 1 225 1 227

J an A ug M ar N ov J un

1 7 2 4 3 0 4 1

1 221 1 222 1 224 1 225 1 227

1 1. 4 .15 . 9 . 0 1. 4 .17. 2 . 4 1 1. 4 .18 .13 . 8 1. 5 . 0 . 6 .12 ( H) 1 1. 5 . 1 .17.16

2 202665 3 249 3 833 4 417 5 001

1 318 1 320 1 321 1 323 1 324

J ul 2 7 2 M ar O ct 7 M ay 1 4 D ec 1 8

1 318 1 320 1 321 1 323 1 324

8

5.0

0 .0

+ 5.2

+ 3

1 + 3 + 1 + 2

+ 1.4

J an 1 7 A ug 2 0 M ar 2 9 N ov 1 J un 8

+ 4 + 1 + 3 + 3

+ 2.2

J ul 2 2 M ar 1 O ct 2 M ay 1 D ec 1 6

+ 5 + 1 + 5 + 3 + 2

+ 3.2

( 3) T he c orresponding C hristian y ear a nd J ulian c alendar d ates . ( 4) T he a ctual d ates o f T uckerman p lanetary t ables . ( 5) T he

e rrors

o f

i nferior c onjunction ,

p rediction :

n egative

w hen

a s d etermined t he

t able

f rom

t he

p redicts

t oo

e arly , p ositive w hen t oo l ate . ( 6) T he m ean e rrors, c ycle.

p er s et o f f ive ,

c orresponding t o t he f ive-period

T he e rror m agnitudes f rom t he l ast t wo c olumns a re t he o bject o f o ur i nterest .

T hey a re a s

S et A .

14, 16,

S et B . S et C .

T hose o f

f ollows : 16, 14, 17;

8 , 12 , 10 , 3, 7, 4 ,

9 , 12; 5, 6;

15.4 d ays. 10 .2 d ays. 5.0 d ays.

S et D .

+ 1,

2 ,

+ 2 ,

1,

0 ;

m ean e rror:

0 .0 d ays.

S et E .

+ 5,

+ 4,

+ 7,

+ 3,

+ 7;

m ean e rror:

+ 5.2 d ays.

S et F .

+ 3 ,

1,

+ 3,

+ 1,

+ 1;

m ean r educed e rror:

+ 1.4 d ays.

S et G .

0 ,

+ 4,

+ 1,

+ 3,

+ 3;

m ean r educed e rror:

+ 2.2 d ays.

S et H .

+ 5,

+ 1,

+ 5,

+ 3,

+ 2;

m ean r educed e rror:

+ 3 .2 d ays.

l isted

f or S ets F , G , a nd H a re t he r educed e rrors, a fter r elocation

t heir r espective d ates

I n t heir o riginal

t o p ositions

j ust

p rior

t o b ases

o f

t he

l ocations t hey a re e ight d ays g reater i n S et F ,

d ays g reater i n s ets G a nd H , 7 .2

m ean e rror: m ean e rror: m ean e rror:

t heir m eans b eing r espectively 9 .4 ,

t able .

a nd f our 6 .2 ,

a nd

d ays. T he

s equence

o f m ean e rrors

f rom t his

t abulation ,

r uns o f t he V enus t able f rom 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 ( the 1 1.5 .2 .0 .0 ( 1 A hau 3 X ul),

f irst

i s g raphed i n F igure 1 .

p oints r epresent t he c hronology o f t he b ases ;

f or

1A hau

t he

i ndicated

1 8 K ayab)

t o

T he a bscissas o f t he

t he o rdinates a re t he magni-

t udes o f t he a ccumulated m ean e rrors . T hat t he p rogression o f m ean-error m agnitudes f or t he f irst f ive s ets s hould b e l inear , a nd t hat t he s lope o f t heir g raph s hould b e a pproximately 5 .2 d ays p er t wo c alendar r ounds,

c ould o f c ourse b e k nown i n a dvance .

I t

w as n ot n ecessary t o e xtract d ata f rom t he p lanetary t ables i n o rder t o d emonstrate t hat . ( The s light d eviations f rom t he 5 .2-day m odule i n t he c ited v alues a re m erely a n a rtifact o f t he u se o f w hole-day a pproximations i n c omputing d ates a nd i ndividual e rrors .) i n a dvance w as

t heir a ctual v alues,

o r

W hat c ould n ot h ave b een k nown

t hat

t heir

g raph w ould

c ross

t he

z ero l ine o n e xactly o ne o f t he 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab d ates . I t w as t o o btain t he a ctual v alues, n ot t heir d ifferences, t hat t he d ata i n T able 4 w ere a ssembled .

T he r esults

t urn o ut

t o b e m ore

i nteresting t han a nticipated .

T he f ollowing p oints d eserve n ote : ( 1) A t i nferior c onjunction D , f our d ays p rior t o b ase D , t he e rror i n t he p rediction f rom t he D resden C odex t able i s z ero . A lso e qual t o z ero a t t his t ime i s t he m ean e rror f or t he s et o f f ive i nferior c onjunctions p rior t o t he b ase .

B ase D ,

K ayab

b ases

b ase ,

a nd h ence

t he

f or

m oreover ,

w hich

t his

i s

i s t he o nly o ne i n t he s eries o f 1A hau 1 8 t rue .

I t

t he m ost p robable o ne ,

i s

t herefore

t he

f or t he h istorical

b est

q ualified

i nstitution o f

1 8 K ayab l ine o f t he D resden C odex t able . ( 2) T his w as a u nique e vent i n h istorical t ime .

F or a g iven c alendar-

r ound d ay ( say 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab) t o r ecur a t ag iven p oint i n t he a stronomic al V enus c ycle ( say f our d ays a fter a r l K,a n i nferior-conjunction p osition ) , 9

F ig .

1

M ean-error g raph f or p redicted o f V enus:

t imes

( a) S OLID L INES, a ccording D resden C odex t ables;

t o

( b) B ROKEN s equence.

L INES,

o f

t he

T hompsons's

i nferior c onjunction

p rescriptions

h ypothetic

o f

e arly

t he b ase

A bscissas r epresent t ime, m arked a t t wo - c alendar-round i ntervals ( 104 y ears). ( Abscissas o f t he b ases a re t abulated i nside t he f rame o f t he g raph.) ( Julian-Christian e quivalents a re b y t he 5 84285 c orrelation) O rdinates r epresent m ean e rrors , i n d ays , a veraged f or t he f ive s uccessive i nferior c onjunctions i mmediately p rior t o e ach o f t he s pecified b ases.

1 0 9

/ /

8

1. /

7

/

6 5

A / / // / / / / / // / / // / / / / / / / / / / #

/ /

/

4 3

/

/

2

( A : 2(Th)

H (Th)

/ / /

1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -11 -12 -13 -14 -15 -16

D resden C odex b ases: A 9 . 9 . 9 . 16 .0 ( 1 A hau B 9 .14 .15. 6 .0 ( 1 A hau C 1 0. O . 0 .14.0 ( 1 A hau D 1 0. 5 . 6 . 4 .0 ( 1 A hau E 1 0.10.11.12.0 ( 1 A hau F 1 0 .15. 4 . 2 .0 ( 1 A hau G 1. O . 3 . 1 .0 ( 1 A hau H 1. 5 . 2 . 0 .0 ( 1 A hau T hompson 's h ypothetic e arly A 2 9 .10 .15.16 .0 ( 1 A hau B C D

1 8 1 8 1 8 1 8 1 8 1 8 1 3

K ayab) K ayab) K ayab) K ayab) K ayab) U o) M ac)

3x ul )

b ases: 8 Z ac)

9 .15.14.15.0 ( 1 A hau 1 8 Z ip) 1 0. 0 .13.14 .0 ( 1 A hau 1 3 K ankin) 1 0. 5 .12.13.0 ( 1 A hau 3Y axkin) .

.

1 0

1

6 23 7 27 8 30 9 34 1 038 129 1 227 1 324

F eb J an D ec N ov O ct D ec J un D ec

6 1 1 6 2 0 2 5 6 1 5 2 2

6 48 S ep 2 2 7 46 A pr 1 8 43 O ct 9 9 4 1 A pr 1 7 .

o r f or s uch a p osition i n t he V enus c ycle t o r eturn a gain t o ag iven d ay i n t he

c alendar

t ime .

r ound ,

i s

n ot

p ossible

w ithin

t he

d imensions

o f

h istorical

I t c an b e a pproximated t o w ithin a bout f ive d ays ( give o r t ake a d ay

o r t wo) a fter j ust t wo c alendar r ounds ; b ut t his i s h ardly c lose e nough t o c ount a s ' same p oint' o r ' same d ay'. T he n ext s uch a pproximation i s n ot a ttainable u ntil a fter 1 11 o r 1 13 c alendar r ounds ( ca . a t which m inus

t imes

f ive-day

t he d eviation

i s

r ange .

t hat ,

A fter

i t

c annot h appen

t otal o f 2 24 c alendar r ounds h ave p assed ( ca . t here

w as

e ver a h eliacal

m otivated

t he

a scription

i s

T hompson c orrelation i s c orrect e quation ) ,

( 3) T he

f irst

t he

i t .

1 0 .5 .6 .4 .0 b y

h istorical r un o n

h ave p roceeded f rom t hat d ate . t he t able ,

i n

a nd

a i f

t hat

i f

t he

I ts d ate w as A .D .

t he

t he

T hompson

1 8 K ayab

I t c ontinued

l ine o f

t hrough

9 34 N ovember

c orrelation .

t he

T here

t able m ust

t he e ntire

l ength o f

t wo f ull c alender r ounds , r eaching t he n ext 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab b ase

1 0 .10 .11 .12 .0 ,

A .D .

1 038 O ctober 2 5;

w hereupon a s econd r un ,

e rror h ad b een a ccumulating a nd

t hat

a c orrection

p robable r eason f or t he f ailure t o c orrect a t t his m ethod

f or

a ccomplishing

i t

h ad

n ot

o n t he

s ame

I t i s a pparent t hat t he

b efore t his s econd r un b egan; b ut n one was m ade . i ngenious

1 8 K ayab

D resden C odex ,

1 8 K ayab l ine, w ent f orward f rom t his l atter b ase . m ean

1 A hau

a fter T hus,

( or a ny c orrelation t hat r espects L anda 's

t hen t he o ne o f b ase D w as

2 0 ( Julian ), e qual t o M aya c an h ave b een n o o ther .

a t

m ade

a gain u ntil

1,640 y ears) .

r ising o f V enus o n a d ay t hat

5 768 o r 5 872 y ears),

o nce m ore r educed t o w ithin t he p lus-or-

w as

a lready

d ue

T he m ost o bvious a nd t ime i s s imply t hat t he

y et

b een

d iscovered .

I t

m ight a lso h ave b een t hat t he M aya a stronomers w ere n ot y et f ully c onvinced t hat t his w as t o b e a n i rreversible a ccumulating e rror , r ather t han a n o scillating o ne . a scribed

t o

T he i nvention o f t he c orrection d evice i s t hus b est

t he p eriod b etween b ases E a nd F ,

i . e . ,

a fter t he l ast o f t he

1A hau 1 8 K ayab b ases ( 10 .10 .11 .12 .0), b efore w hich i t s hould h ave b een a pplied

b ut w asn 't ,

a nd b efore

d ouble c orrection w as a pplied . 1 038 a nd

129 .

t he

1A hau

1 8 U o b ase

( 10 .15 .4 .2 .0) ,

w hen a

T his p laces i t i n t he i nterval b etween A .D .

I ts i nstitution i s o ne o f t he m atters c ommemorated i n t he

p refatory p age o f t he D resden C odex t able . ( 4)

T he

f amiliar ,

c hronology

o f

t he

s ucceeding

s egments

o f

t he

g raph

i s

a s i t f ollows t he T eeple-Thompson a rrangement o f b ases E t hrough

H ( Thompson 's F t hrough 1 ) . A n 1 8 U o l ine , t hough a bsent f rom t he m ain t able , i s i mplied b y r ecorded i ntervals a nd i s e xplicitly n oted i n t he p reface . I ts a bsence f rom t he m ain t able i s e xplainable i f i t i s a ssumed t hat i t w as a lready o bsolete w hen t he c odex w as c omposed , t he c urrent l ine t hen b eing t hen,

p aper ( 1978 : T hat ,

t he

o ne

o f

1 3

M ac .

T his

f or a p eriod b eginning i n A .D .

1 227

t he

a ppropriate

( 11 .0 .3 .1.0) .

r ecension ,

[ In a n e arlier

7 88) I c onjectured t hat t he c urrent b ase w as t he o ne o f 1 8 U o .

I a m n ow s ure,

t hought

w ould b e

w as a m istake .]

i t a lso b elonged

t o

T he r etention o f t he

t he p ast,

1 8 K ayab

i s e xplainable a s b eing d ue

l ine ,

t o

i ts

s pecial s tatus a s t he o riginal o f t his f ormulation , a nd t o i ts a doption a s t he u ltimate r eference t o which t o r elate s ucceeding r eplacements. ( Another p ossible f unction w ill b e n oted l ater . ) L ooking t o t he f uture , t he

n ext

A .D .

1 324)--was a lready r eckoned a nd i ncluded i n t he t able .

r eplacement--the

b een

t he

m ost

3 X ul

l ine

( to

t ake

r ecent c ontribution t o t he t able a s

e ffect

1 1.5 .2 .0 .0 ,

I t w ould h ave

i t s tands i n t he c odex ,

o ccupying a l ine t hat may h ave b een h eld b y 1 8 U o i n a p revious v ersion . ( 5) T he e rror g raph o ver t he p eriods p rior t o b ase D c learly r eflects a n u ncorrected b ackward e xtrapolation o f t he V enus c alendar , 1 1

e mploying t he

w hole-number a pproximation f or i ts r eckoning ( 584 d ays p er s ynodic p eriod , o r

t wo c alendar r ounds p er g rand

s eries

o f p ast o bservations;

c ycle) .

e lse

i ts

I t

c annot

p ossibly

s lope w ould b e z ero .

r eflect I t

i s

a ny

t hus a

c omputational f igment , a s i s a lso t he 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 h ypothetic b ase w hich i t h as a s i ts i nitial t erminus . N either c an t his s tretch b e d ispensed w ith i n i nterpretation o f t he t able; f or n ot o nly i s i t i mplied b y t he s tated i ncrements o f t wo ,

f our ,

t he p refatory t able ,

s ix ,

b ut

i t

a nd e ight c alendar r ounds i n t he t op t ier o f

i s m ade

i nescapable b y

t wo o f

t he i ncrements

s pecified i n t he f ourth t ier, v iz ., 4 .12 .8 .0 a nd 1 .5 .14 .4 .0, w hich d erive t he

1A hau

1 8 U o b ase f rom t wo d ifferent

1A hau

1 8 K ayab b ases

e ight

c alendar r ounds a part . A q uestion i s t hereby p osed : W hy s hould t here b e a n e xtrapolation o f t his p articular l ength--six c alendar r ounds--rather t han

o f

s ome o ther

l ength?

O r w hy o ne

t o s ome o ther e qually a rtificial

p rior

l eading t o 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 , b ase?

I f

r ather

a p lausible

t han

m otive

f or

t his p articular e xtrapolation w ere t o b e i dentified , t he s olution t o t he m ost v exing p roblem i n t he i nterpretation o f t he D resden C odex V enus t able w ould b e a t h and .

1A hau 1 8 K ayab I t i s p ossible n ow t o o ffer a r eason f or t he e xtrapolation a nd f or i ts p articular l ength , a n e poch l atter ,

a s w ell a s f or t he c hoice o f t he d ay 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab a s

f or V enus t hat

f requency ;

r eckonings .

c hoice

T he

t wo m atters

c an h ardly h ave

b een

a re

m otivated

r elated . b y

A s f or

t he

c onsiderations

o f

f or t he d ate o f b ase D w as t he o nly t ime i n a ll o f M aya h istory

w hen t here c ould h ave b een a h eliacal r ising o f V enus o n t he m orning o f a d ay

1A hau

1 8 K ayab ,

o r a n i nferior c onjunction o f V enus o n a d ay t hat

f our d ays p rior t o t hat p osition i n t he c alendar r ound . i t was

f ortuitous ( i .e .,

A s a lready n oted, 2 0

( Julian )

t he

o f

i s

e ither

f or a n onastronomical r eason) t hat t hey c hose

1A hau 1 8 K ayab a s t he p rimary b ase o f t he V enus e lse t here w as s omething s pecial a bout t his o ne .

N ovember

T herefore ,

d ate

t he

o f

y ear

b ase D b y

9 34 .

O n

t able

t he

t hat

o f

5 84285

t he c odex ,

c orrelation

d ate V enus

o r

w as

a nd M ars

c ame

i nto c onjunction w ith e ach o ther; a nd t hat m ust a lso h ave b een t he d ate o f t heir h eliacal r ising, i .e., o f f irst s ighting a s m orning s tar a t t he h orizon ,

j ust a head o f t he

b ility ( short f or V enus, o f

t heir

s un ,

c onjunction was

9 0th-meridian t ime),

a fter t heir r espective p eriods o f i nvisi-

c onsiderably l onger f or M ars) . t oward

t he

e nd

o f

t he

T hough t he m oment

d ay

( ca .

t hey w ere c lose t o e ach o ther a s

1:20

p .m .,

t hey r ose

t hat

m orning , w ith a bout n ine-tenths o f a d egree b etween t hem , Mars a head o f V enus; a nd b y t he n ext m orning t hey h ad c hanged p laces, w ith a bout a t hird o f a d egree b etween t hem , w estern

e longations

a bout

7 . 5

d egrees

w ere

a bout

8 .2

a t

V enus a head o f Mars .

r ising

f or M ars ; d egrees

t ime

w ere

b y t he n ext f or

V enus

a bout

m orning ,

a nd

l atitudes ( from t he e cliptic) w ere c lose

7 .8

O n N ovember 2 0

6 .6

d egrees

a t t he

d egrees

t o z ero :

f or

s ame

f or

0 .16

t ime ,

Mars .

o f

t heir

V enus

a nd t hey

T heir

a d egree

f or

V enus, a nd 0 .14 f or M ars . T heir s ituation w ith r espect t o e ach o ther c an b e s een i n t he g raphs o f F igure 2 , i n w hich t he c elestial l ongitudes o f V enus,

Mars,

a nd S un a re p lotted f or t his d ate a nd f or s ome i ntervals

b efore a nd a fter .

[ The p lotted p oints a nd

t he a bscissas o n t he g raph a re

f or 1 0 :00 a .m . a t 9 0 d egrees w est , b ecause t hese a re t he v alues t hat c an b e t aken m ost e asily f rom t he T uckerman t ables ( which a re f or 7 :00 p .m . a t 4 5 d egrees e ast).] b efore

d awn o n

A s f or t he q uestion o f t heir p ossible v isibility j ust t hese

d ates ,

t he

f ollowing 1 2

c onsiderations

a re

p ertinent :

( 1) T he m inimum n ecessary e longation o f V enus f rom t he s un i n o rder t o b e v isible

a t

d epending t he

t he h orizon r anges o n

t hird

t he

t ime

w eek

o f

t he

i n N ovember

f rom

t wo

y ear

( and o ther

i t

i s

o r

t hree

a bout

d egrees

l ess

f ive

t o n ine

r egular

a nd

o r

t en ,

f actors) .

a q uarter

F or

d egrees.

O n N ovember 2 0 o f t he y ear w ith w hich w e a re c oncerned t he a ctual e longat ion was a bout 6 .6 d egrees; o n N ovember 1 9, t he morning b efore, a bout 5 .0 d egrees.

T hus,

s o f ar a s

u nlikely t hat i t c ould h ave b een s ighted o n t he p ossible a nd p robable

i t w as

t his c ondition i s c oncerned, i t 1 9th,

t hat i t w as s een o n t he 2 0th .

b ut

i t

i s

i s b oth

( 2 ) T he c orresponding

r equirement f or Mars i s g reater t han t hat f or V enus,

b ecause o f Mars'

l esser

h ave

b rilliance .

I t

i s

t hus

n ot

p ossible

f or

i t

t o

b een

s een

a s

a s eparate b ody o n t he m orning o f t he 2 0th ; b ut i n t he d ays t hat f ollowed , a s t he t wo p lanets s eparated f rom e ach o ther , i t w ould s ooner o r l ater h ave b ecome b ody

a pparent

w as

i n

t hat

f act

w hat

t wo ,

h ad

a nd

i nitially b een p erceived

t hat

M ars

h ad

b een

a s

o ne

c elestial

i n c onjunction w ith V enus

-a f act which t he Maya a stronomers m ight h ave a nticipated a nd w hose c onfirmation a nd

t hey m ay h ave b een a waiting .

[ NOTE :

t o q uantify e mpirically t he c onditions

A ttempts

f or f irst a nd

t o c alculate

l ast m orning o r

e vening v isibility o f a p lanet o r a s tar a t t he h orizon h ave b een i n t erms o f w hat i s k nown a s i ts a rcus v isionis ,

t he n ecessary d epression ( negative

a ltitude) o f t he s un b elow t he h orizon a t t hat m oment . p rocedure

g o b ack

a t

l east

t o

P tolemy .

F otheringham, a nd S choch ( 1928: 4 9-52, H uber

( 1982 :

A lmagest

1-14 ,

8 4-87),

( Manitius

1 963 ,

a nd W eir

I I :

S ee

( 1924),

H ere

4 0

f f .) ,

a s w ell a s P tolemy 's

I h ave e xpressed

t erms o f t he p lanet 's e longation f rom t he

s un ,

p resent

a pproximation .

p urposes,

i s

a s ufficiently c lose

w hich

c oincide o n d ates o f t he e cliptic's z enith p assage , t he

m aximum d ifference

s omething

b etween

b etween

t hem

f our-tenths

( at

a nd

L angdon,

9 4 f f .), v an d er Waerden ( 1943),

( 1982 :

3 93-4) .

T he c oncept a nd t he

S choch

i t

i n t he

s imply i n

t ropics ,

T he

f or

t wo v alues

a nd i n M ayan l atitudes

t he w inter

e ight-tenths

s olstice) a mounts o f

a d egree,

t o

w hich

d ifference I h ave a ttempted t o t ake i nto c onsideration .] I f w e a ssume t hat t he a lmanac d ay

1A hau w as a lready m ythologically

c hartered a s ad ay s pecial t o t he M orning S tar V enus ( and t here a re r easons f or s uspecting t hat t his g oes w ell b ack i nto t he C lassic p eriod ) ,

t hen i ts

h eliacal r ising o n t his d ate, a " 1 A hau" , w ould b y v irtue o f t his f act a lone h ave b een a marked e vent; f or t his i s s omething t hat c an b e a pproximated n o o ftener t han o nce e very 9 7 a nd a h alf y ears o r s o .

A nd i ts

c onjunction w ith M ars o n t his o ccasion w ould h ave m ade i t d oubly m arked . T he Maya a stronomers ( their ' god w atchers') c ould n ot h ave f ailed t o t ake n ote

o f

i t .

i mplicates

T he i t

a s

z ero t he

v alue

o f

t he

s tarting d ate

V enus f or

t his

d ate

t he D resden C odex t able.

e rror

g raph

o n

T he

c oincidence o f t hese f acts c an h ardly b e f ortuitous . H aving Mars c onsequence . V enus

i n

t he

p icture

i s 5 93 .92 d ays . a s

a w hole

n umber ,

5 84

t he

l engths o f t he a lmanac . s hows

d ays,

w ithout

W e h ave n ow ,

c orrection .

v iz"

[ 113880 = 6 x 1 8980 ,

t hat

T hat o f a nd f or

a s

S o

7 80 d ays,

i t c an b e o r t hree

= 1 46 x 7 80 ,

= 1 95 x 5 84].

t he p roblematic 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 b ase w as a s ix-

c alendar-round e xtrapolation b ack t able .

i nteresting

T he L owest c ommon m ultiple o f t hese t wo n umbers i s

e xactly s ix c alendar r ounds e rror g raph

a n

7 79 .94 d ays .

l ength o f t he V enus p eriod w as b eing

a ssumed t hat t he p eriod o f Mars was a lso,

T he

V enus h as

T he e rror g raph s hows t hat d uring t his t ime ,

w ell o ver a c entury t hereafter , r eckoned

a long w ith

T he m ean s ynodic p eriod o f Mars i s

f rom t he

i n t he M ars-Venus

t he magnitude o f t hat e xtrapolation . 1 3

i ndicated

r elationship ,

s tarting d ate o f

t he

a l ikely r eason f or

F ig.

2

C elestial

l ongitudes

A . D . 9 34, f ollowing.

and

o f V enus ,

S un ,

d uring p eriods

a nd Mars

immediately

o n N ovember 2 0, p receding

2 50 9 8 7 6 2 45 4 3 2 1 2 40 9 8 7 6 2 35 4 3

1 2 30

N

9

C r )

8

N ovember 2 0

2

7 6 2 25 2 1 2 6 S ept. A .D .

1 6 1 1 6 2 1 O ctober 9 34

2 6 3 1

51 0 1 5 2 0 2 5 3 0 N ovember

51 0 1 5 2 0 2 5 3 0 D ecember

4 9 1 4 J anuary 9 35

and

F ig.

3

C elestial

l ongitudes

6 , A .D . 129, f ollowing.

a nd

o f

V enus ,

d uring

S un ,

p eriods

a nd J upiter

i mmediately

o n D ecember

p receding

7 6 2 65 4 3 2 1 2 60 9 8 7 6 2 55 4 3 2 1 2 50

D ecember 6

9 8 7 6 2 45 4 3 2 1 2 40 2 7 1 2 1 7 2 2 2 7 O ctober A .D .

1 6 1 1 6 2 1 N ovember

2 6

1 6 1 1 6 2 1 D ecember

129

2 6 3 1

51 0 1 5 2 0 2 5 J anuary 130

1r 3

a nd

I f

a s eparate

r eason

b e

r equired

t hat f or i ts p articular m agnitude) , f ocal p iece o f t he p reface , ' Maya '

t hing t o d o ;

f or

t he

e xtrapolation

( apart

f rom

a nd f or m aking t he f ictitious b ase t he

i t c ould p erhaps b e s aid t hat t his w as a g ood

i n f act t hey d idn 't s top w ith j ust t hat ,

i t a nother t welve t imes t hat l ength ,

b ut e xtended

s etting u p y et a nother f ictitious b ase

o n a nother d ay 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab, t his o ne b efore t he b eginning o f t he c urrent l ongcount e ra . T he o ne a t 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 i s a f irst s tep i n t hat l ong p rojection i nto t he p ast ,

e stablishing a V enus-Mars c ompound c ycle o f

s ix

c alendar r ounds, a fter w hich i ts t welfth m ultiple r eaches i nto m ythic t ime p rior t o t he c hronological e poch . T hat i s t he w hole p oint o f ar ing-number b ase; i t i s t o f ind a p re-zero p recedent , v iz" a d ate t hat i s s imilar i n i ts p roperties t o a n i mportant h istorical d ate , a nd t hat c an b e r eached b y a l ong-reckoning n umber p ertinent

c ycles .

( Cf .

t hat

i s

L ounsbury

a n

i ntegral

multiple

o f

a ll o f

t he

1 976 .)

T here c ould a lso h ave b een a p racti

-a l

u se f or t he 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 b ase.

T he M aya a stronomers m ust h ave b een i n p ossession o f a s izable c ollection o f r ecords o f p lanetary o bservations p rior t o t he 1 A hau V enus-Mars e vent o f

1 0 .5 .6 .4 .0 ,

a nd p rior t o t he c odification o f t he V enus c alendar w ith

1 8 K ayab o f t hat d ate a s i ts b ase .

t he

T he h ypothetic b ase s ix c alendar r ounds

e arlier would h ave b een a u seful c onstruct .

I t would h ave p ermitted

f orward r ather t han b ackward r eckonings t o t he o bservational d ata .

D uring

t he p eriod c overed b y p erhaps t he m ajority o f t he r ecords i ts e rror w ould h ave

c ompensated

f airly w ell f or t he o ther e rror t hat i s c ontained i n t he

u se o f a t able p remised o n w hole-number r eckoning . T he e xtrapolations

m ay

t hus b e u nderstood a s

' historical r econstruc-

t ions' o n t he p art o f t he M aya a stronomers,

f or t he p urpose o f f ixing b ench

m arks :

r eckonings

t he

p roximate

o ne

( 9 .9 .9 .16 .0)

f or

i n

r ecent

h istory ,

a nd t he u ltimate o ne ( -6 .2 .0) f or d etermining t he s upposed s tart o f i t a ll i n t he c urrent o rder o f t he u niverse . A nd t hey a re y et a nother m an ifestat ion o f t he M aya i nterest i n c ompound c ycles .

1A hau 1 8 U o I n a n e arlier

s ection ,

r easons w ere s uggested a s t o w hy a c orrective

f oreshortening o f t he g rand c ycle a nd a r esulting b ase s hift w ere n ot i nstituted p rior t o 1 0 .10 .11 .12 .0 , w hen t hey w ere c learly o verdue , a nd w hy as econd h istorical r un o f t he t able--carrying a long a n a lready a ccumulated m ean e rror o f f ive d ays--was a llowed t o p roceed f rom t he 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab o f t hat d ate . T he p roposed r easons w ere ( 1) t hat t he i ngenious m ethod f or a ccomplishing t he c orrection h ad n ot y et b een d iscovered ,

a nd ( 2) t hat t he

M aya a stronomers m ay n ot y et h ave b een f ully c onvinced t hat t his w as t o b e a n i rreversible a nd s teadily a ccumulating e rror r ather t han a n o scillating a nd e ventually s elf-correcting o ne . T here i s n ow a nother r eason t hat a ppears p lausible : ( 3) i t m ight w ell h ave b een , b ecause o f t he e xtraordin ary M ars-Venus c oincidence o f

1 0 .5 .6 .4 .0 ,

t heoretical

t herefrom ,

c onstructs

d erived

a nd b ecause o f t he t hat

t he

i nvestment

c ommitment

1 8 K ayab b ases w as t oo s trong f or t hese e asily t o b e s et a side;

t o

i n

1 A hau

i t m ay h ave

b een n ot o nly 1 A hau t hat w as s acrosanct, b ut 1 8 K ayab a s w ell . I f t his w ere t he c ase , i t w ould h ave t aken s ome o ther e xtraordinary e vent t o b reak t he p recedent a nd s et a n ew o ne . B y o ne o f t hose s trokes o f c osmic l uck w ith w hich t he M aya a stronomers s eem t o h ave b een b lessed ( and c ontrary t o o ur s ense o f r easonable p robabilities) s uch a n e vent d id t ake p lace o n 1A hau

1 8

U o ,

1 0 .15 .4 .2 .0 ,

t hirteen

t uns 1 6

b efore

t he

e nd

o f

t he

s econd

r un

o f

t he

t able

D ecember

o n

t he

1 8

6 ( Julian)

r eenactment o f

K ayab

o f

t he

t he e vent o f

l ine . y ear

B y

t he

1 129;

1A hau

5 84285

a nd

o n

1 8 K ayab ,

c orrelation ,

t hat

d ate

1 0 .5 .6 .4 .0 ( A .D .

2 0), b ut w ith J upiter i n t he e arlier r ole o f Mars . s hown

i n

F igure

3 .

W estern

e longations

a t

d egrees f or V enus a nd 7 .55 f or J upiter, n orth o f

t he e cliptic

f or V enus

a nd 0 .38

o f c onjunction i n l ongitude was a bout

t hat w as

t here 9 34 ,

was

a

N ovember

T heir s ituation i s

r ising

t ime

w ere

a bout

8 .28

w ith l atitudes o f

2 .48 d egrees

n orth f or J upiter .

T heir m oment

t wo h ours a fter s unrise o f

t he

p revious d ay , a nd i t c annot b e r uled o ut t hat t hey m ight a ctually h ave b een s ighted t hat m orning .

I t w as a t ime o f t he y ear w hen t he m agnitude o f t he

e longation r equired f or a f irst v isibility o f V enus w as d ecreasing a nd w as b etween s ix a nd f ive d egrees . J upiter, h owever, l ike Mars, r equires a s omewhat g reater e longation f or s eparate v isibility ; a nd i t m ay a gain h ave b een

s ome

d ays

b efore

t heir

s eparate

i dentities

w ere

r esolved

( and

t he

a nticipations o f t he a stronomers v erified) . I n a ny c ase , w hen t he n ature o f t he s ituation h ad b ecome c lear , i t w ould h ave b een s een t hat t he 1 A hau r ising

o f

t hat

d ate

w as

a n e xtraordinary

o ne .

I f a s ign w ere n eeded

t o

p ersuade h oldouts t hat t he t ime h ad c ome t o l et g o o f 1 8 K ayab , a nd t hat i t w as p ropitious f or a nother 1 A hau ( which w ould a lso e liminate m ost o f t he b y n ow

a ccumulated n ine-day

i nstituted,

t he

d evice

o f

e rror ) , b ase

t his

c ould

w ell h ave b een

s hifting

c ould

b e

a pplied

i t .

O nce

t hereafter

a s

n eeded , a s i ndeed i t w as . I ntroduction o f

t his p resent d atum i nto t he p icture f or 1 A hau

1 8 U o

m ight s eem t o w eaken t he c ase f or t he M ars-Venus c onjunction t hat w as t aken t o h ave

e ndowed

1A hau

1 8 K ayab w ith

s pecial

s uch c ases a t h and i t m ight b e s upposed

s ignificance;

t hat

i t

f or w ith

t wo

i s n ot t oo h ard t o f ind

c onvenient c onjunctions a nd s imultaneous h eliacal r isings o f t he p lanets o n s uitable

o ccasions .

T hat

i mpression ,

h owever ,

w ould b e

f alse .

T he

l ast

t ime p rior t o A .D . 9 34 w hen V enus w as i n c onjunction w ith M ars a t o r w ithin a d ay o f h eliacal r ising

was

A .D .

c lose

1 129

w hen

a pproximately

V enus

c ame

i n A .D . t o

s imilar c ircumstance w as

w as e ven c lose t o a d ay 1 A hau . o f s uch e vents .

T hey a re ,

6 .

b eing

A nd i n

p rior

t o

c onjunction w ith J upiter

i n

i n A .D .

t he

2 44 .

l ast

t ime

A nd n either o f

t hese

T hese g ive a n i ndication o f t he f requency

f or t he p roblem a t h and ,

' once o nly '.

S ome O ther C hronological I nterpretations 1 . T hompson ( 1950) . F igure

1 )

i ncludes

T he c hronology p osited h ere ( as i n T able 3 a nd i n

o nly

t he

d ates

a nd

i ntervals

f or

which

e xplicit

a uthority i s f ound i n t he c odex . I t a grees o nly i n p art w ith T hompson 's ( 1950 : 2 26); f or h e m ade s ome s peculative b ackward e xtrapolations o f h is o wn .

T he t wo s chemes a gree w ith e ach o ther i n t heir p lacement o f b ase A a t

t he b eginning o f t he s equence, (T hompson 's F , G , H ,

a nd I ) ;

a nd o f E ,

F ,

G ,

a nd H a t t he e nd o f

i t

b ut b etween A a nd E ( f t i lompson 's F ) h e p osited

f our b ases f or w hich t here i s n either c alendrical n or n umerical e vidence i n t he

c odex ,

r econstructing

t hese

o n

t he

b asis

o f

a n

a ssumption

t hat

t he

V enus c alendar w as i n w orking o rder b y 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 a nd t hat t he d evice o f c orrective s ix-and-a -half -tun f oreshortenings w as t hen k nown a nd w as b eing a pplied,

a nd n ot s upposing t hat t he s eries o f t wo-calendar-round m ultiples

i n t he t op t ier o f t he p reface w ere i ntended a s b ase d eterminers. h ypothetic s equence , h is

B t o I

a s

s tarting w ith b ase A ,

A 2 t o H

w as

t he

t o f acilitate c omparison w ith o urs) :

17

H is

f ollowing ( relettering

9 . + 1 .

H is

9 . 9 .16.0

6 . 0 .0 =

9 .10 .15.16 .0

+4 .18.17.0 =

9 .15.14 .15.0

+4 .18 .17.0 = 1 0 .

0 .13.14 .0

+4 .18.17.0 = 1 0.

( B)

5 .12.13.0

( C) ( D)

+4 .18 .17.0 = 1 0 .10 .11.12 .0

( E)

+4 .12.

( F)

8 .0 = 1 0.15. 4 .

2 .0

+4 .18.17.0 = 1.

O .

1 .0

( G)

+4 .18.17.0 = 1.

5 . 2 . 0 .0

( H)

r econstructed

3 .

b ases A 2

t o

1Ahau 1Ahau 1Ahau 1Ahau 1Ahau 1Ahau 1A hau 1Ahau 1Ahau

( A) ( A2)

D a re

1 8 K ayab 8Z ac

[6 23 F eb

6 ]

[6 48 S ep 2 2]

1 8 Z ip [7 46 A pr 1 3 K ankin [ 8 43 O ct

1 ] 9 ]

3Y axkin [ 9 41 A pr 1 7] 1 8 K ayab [ 1038 O ct 2 5] 1 8 U o [ 1129 D ec 6 ] 1 3 M ac [ 1227 J un 1 5] 3X ul

d erived b y

[ 1324 D ec 2 2]

b ackward

r eckonings

f rom

b ase E , e mploying s ingly f oreshortened r uns o f t he t able , u ntil l eft w ith a r emainder o f 1 . 6 .0 .0 b etween h is f ourth r econstruction ( A2) a nd t he 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab o f 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 ( base A ) w hich i s h ighlighted i n t he p reface . T his r emainder h e p lace

s upposed

a ctually

t o h ave b een t he

o ccupied

b y

1 .5 .5 .0

n umber

i n t he

t hat

f ourth

w as

i ntended

t ier o f

f or t he

t he p reface ,

h e v entured i t a s a c orrection o f t hat n umber ( Thompson 1 935 : 6 3-64; 2 25, 2 26) . A m ean-error g raph

f or T hompson 's

a nd 1 950 :

s equence o f h ypothetic b ases p rior

t o Eh as b een s uperimposed ( in d otted l ines) o n t he g raph o f F igure 1 . I t d epicts d ata d rawn f rom t he T uckerman t ables i n t he s ame m anner a s t hat o f T able 3 ( though n ot i ncluded t here) . c hance

T he s equence misses

t he o nly

t hat t here e ver w as f or a h eliacal r ising o f V enus o n a d ay

1 8 K ayab ,

1A hau

a nd i t p rovides n o e xplanation f or t he l arge e rror a t t he i nitial

t erminus o r f or t he p recipitous c orrection ( overcorrection ) s upposed 1 .6 .0 .0 i nterval . s equence m ust

i mplied b y t he

T his e ntire r econstructed p ortion o f T hompson 's

t herefore b e d iscarded .

T hompson n oted t hat t he f inal n umber i n t he t able o f t he p reface ( equal t o e ight c alendar r ounds) i s t he d istance b etween t he t wo p ositions o f " it

1A hau

1 8 K ayab

m ay b e

p ure

s ignificance

i n h is

c hronological

c oincidence"

t o

t his

r ound i nterval .

o r

t o

( 1950 :

t he

s equence;

2 26),

p receding

a nd

h e

b ut h e

c onsidered t hat

a ttached

m ultiples

o f

t he

n o

I n t he i nterpretation p roposed h ere , h owever ,

h ave b een t aken t o d etermine p rior Maya-hypothetic b ases, p rogression f rom t he o bservational b ase ,

p articular

t wo-calendart hese l atter i n r egular

b ackward t o t he o ne c alculated t o

i nitiate a s upposedly p revious V enus-Mars c ycle . 2 . T eeple ( 1930) . T eeple , i n h is f inal t reatise ( 1930 : 9 4-98) , m ade n o a ttempt t o l ink t he t wo 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab d ates o f t his s eries . R ather, h e t ook t hem t o b e m utually e xclusive a lternatives f or t he p rimary b ase o f t he m ain t able .

H e p osited t herefore e ither t he s eries f rom b ase E o nward

a s w e h ave i t h ere , a nd a s T hompson h ad i t , w ith t he b ase o f t he t able a t 1 0 .10 .11.12 .0 , o r a n a lternative a nalogous s eries p laced e ight c alendar r ounds e arlier , t hought

( then ,

w ith

t he b ase

1 930) w as

a t

9 .9 .9 .16 .0 .

p robably c orrect .

O ne o r t he o ther o f

t hese h e

T he e rror g raph c orresponding

t o t he l ater p lacement i s t he s ame a s t hat o f F igure 1 f rom b ase E t o t he r ight, w ith e verything t o t he l eft o f E c ut o ff ; t hat i s, p rovided t hat t he M aya c hronology i s i nterpreted b y t he 5 84285 c orrelation , w hich w as t he o ne f or

w hich T eeple

g ave

t he

b est

a rguments

a nd

a bout

w hich h e

s eemed t he

l east p essimistic a t t hat t ime . L ike T hompson 's a daptation a nd e xtension o f i t, i t m isses c ompletely i ts o nly c hance f or a h eliacal r ising o n ad ay 1A hau 1 8 K ayab a nd i ts o nly c hance f or a z ero e rror . e xplanation 1 . 5 .14 .4 .0 .

f or

t he

9 .9 .9 .16 .0

T he e rror g raph f or

d ate

o r

f or

t he

And i t o ffers n o

p roblematic

t he e arlier h ypothetic p lacement ,

1 8

i nterval a ssuming

a gain t he

s ame

c orrelation,

would b e

t ransposed e ight c alendar r ounds

t o

t he t he

s ame g raph a s l eft

( so

a s

f rom E t o H ,

t o

b egin o n

a bscissa o f A ) a nd 2 0 .8 o rdinates d ownward ( so a s t o b egin a t 15 .6) .

t he T his

w ould p lace t he e ntire g raph b etween t he o rdinates 20 a nd 11, i mplying e rrors i n t hat r ange t hroughout . E rrors o f s uch m agnitude a re h ardly t o b e e xpected

i n a f unctioning t able o f

t his

s ort ,

s o T eeple

( p .

1 05)

p roposed

i nterpreting t he L anda e quation w ith 2 0 o r 3 0 d ays l eeway t o c ompensate f or i t , a llowing f or t hat m uch v ariation i n t he c orrelation i n c ase t his s hould b e t he r equired p lacement o f t he b ase . [ But a c alendrical e rror o f t hat m agnitude i mpute

i n L anda 's

i nformation i s

h ardly

m ore

l ikely ,

a nd

t he

n eed

t o

i t i s ac ause f or d oubt c oncerning t he i nterpretation .]

3 .

T eeple's

t reatment o f

f irst

t his

i nterpretation

s ubject

( 1926) .

I n

T eeple's

p revious

( 1926) h e h ad p osited n either o f t hese t wo

s eries , b ut i nstead , o ne t hat i s p laced t wo c alendar r ounds l ater t han t he e arlier o f t hem , t hus l ocating t he 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab b ase a t 9 .14 .15 .6 .0 a nd t he

o thers

a ccordingly ;

a nd h e

r econstructed

t wo h ypothetic

p rior

b ases,

a nalogous t o T hompson 's b ut s ix c alendar r ounds e arlier , o n t he a ssumption t hat t he c orrection p rocedure w as a lready i n o peration . T hen h e p roposed t wo o f w hat s eemed t o h im a t t hat t ime t o b e r easonable p ossibilities f or a n a stronomically d erived c alendar c orrelation ( they a re e quivalent t o t he c onstants 4 92622 a nd 4 27803, t hough h e d id n ot e xpress t hem i n t hose t erms) . g raph ,

B oth o f t hese y ield j ust a bout a n o ptimum p lacement o f t he e rror w ith h eliacal r ising o n o r w ithin a d ay o f t he 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab o f ( abscissa B o f

F igure

1 ,

b y t he f irst c orrelation ,

9 . 14 .15 .6 .0

o r A .D .

2 98 A ugust 9 b y t he s econd) a nd w ith t he

t his

r epresenting A .D .

4 76

r ange o f e rror m agnitudes n icely b alanced e ither s ide o f z ero , + 4 .2

d ays .

T he h ypothetic c orrelations,

o f c ourse ,

J anuary

2 5

f rom 3 .8 t o

w ere c hosen e xpressly

t o a chieve t hat e ffect ( along a lso w ith t hat o f y ielding c orrect moon a ges) .

B ut t hey w ere p remised o n s ome o ther c onsiderations s hown l ater t o

b e w rong , t ions

a nd t hey t ook n o a ccount o f e ither o f t he

f or a h istorically v alid c orrelation , n amely ,

t he K atun 1 3 A hau c ondition ; a t v ariance with t hese . d iscarded b oth

i nstead ,

t wo p rime c onsidera-

t he L anda e quation a nd

t hey y ield r esults

t hat a re g rossly

B y t he t ime h e w rote h is 1 930 t reatise h e h ad

t he c hronology a nd

t he c orrelations o f

t his

e arlier

p aper .

T hey a re o f i nterest , h owever , f or w hat t hey i llustrate a bout t he n ature o f t he p roblem a nd t he h istory o f a ttempts t o u nderstand i t . 4 .

S pinden

( 1928) ,

S chulz

( 1935) ,

L udendorff

T he h eliacal r ising o f V enus o n N ovember 2 0 , i nferior c onjunction o f N ovember 1 6 ,

A .D .

( 1937) , 9 34 ,

D ittrich

( 1937) .

f our d ays a fter t he

i s t he n ecessary a nd c rucial d atum f or

a ny i nterpretation o f t he D resden C odex t able t hat i s p remised o n a n a scription o f i ts 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab b ase t o a n o bservable a stronomical e vent o f t he p rescribed k ind , e quation--as

d o

b oth

a nd o n ac alendar c orrelation t hat r espects L anda 's t he

T hompson

a nd

t he

S pinden

c orrelations .

I t

i ronic t hat t his d ate w as g iven n o n otice b y e ither T eeple o r T hompson ;

i s f or

i t i s t he o nly t ime i n a ll o f M aya h istory t hat t he c ycle o f V enus a nd t hat o f t he Maya c alendar c ame t ogether i n t he r equired c ombination .

T he

m agnitude o f t he e rror a t 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 b y t he T hompson c orrelation s hould h ave g iven t he c lue t o l ook e xactly s ix c alendar r ounds l ater . S pinden , b y a f ortuitous

c oincidence,

h appened

o nto

t he

d ate

a nd r ecognized

i ts

p roperty; a nd i t ( or r ather t he d ay b efore) b ecame t he a nchor f or h is V enus c hronology .

I t was n oted a lso b y S chulz ( 1935), L udendorff ( 1937), a nd

D ittrich ( 1937) ,

a nd i t

f igured

s imilarly

i n t heir

i nterpretations .

B oth

L udendorff ( p . 8 9) a nd D ittrich ( p . 3 49) o bserved t hat w ith n either t he T hompson n or t he S pinden c orrelation d id t he p roblematic 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab o f 1 9

9 .9 .9 .16 .0

c orrespond

g enerally

b een

d isplay

i n

t o a h eliacal

s upposed

t he p reface

m ain t able .

a nd

a s

w as

r ising o f

t he m orning

s eemingly

i mplied

b y

s tar a s h ad

i ts

p rominent

a nd b y t he p lace o f t hat c alendar-round d ay i n t he

A nd S chulz ( pp .

5 8 ,

6 6) m ade a p oint o f t he f act t hat i t w ould

b e n ecessary t o a dd s ix c alendar r ounds t o i t w hen e mploying t he T hompson c orrelation , o r e leven w hen u sing t he S pinden , i n o rder t o r each t he o nly p ossibility t hat t here e ver was f or a 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab h eliacal r ising, w hich w as t hat o f N ovember 2 0 , A .D . b y

t he T hompson c orrelation ,

o r

9 34 ,

a nd w hich w ould b e M aya 1 0 .5 .6 .4 .0

1 0 .18 .9 .15 .0 b y t he S pinden .

T his d ate h e

t ook t o b e t he s tarting p oint o f t he 1 8 K ayab l ine o f t he m ain t able o f t he C odex . D ittrich ( pp . 3 37-9) g ave a n e legant d erivation o f t he d ate a nd p roof o f i ts u niqueness; a nd h e s howed t hat i f 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 w ere c onsidered t o

b e

t he

i ndicated

c orrelation T hompson 's ,

b ase

c onstant

o f

o f

t he

6 98164

1 8

K ayab

( six

e leven g reater t han S pinden 's) .

r ejected , o n t he g rounds a lready s hown t hat t here

t able,

c alendar

i t

w ould

r ounds

r equire

g reater

T his, h owever ,

a

t han

h e i mmediately

t hat r esearches o n t he c orrelation p roblem h ad c ould b e o nly t wo a cceptable a lternatives , f ive

c alendar r ounds a part, v iz . 4 89384 ( Spinden's) a nd 5 84284 ( an a ccepted v ariant 9 .9 .9 .16 .0

o f

T hompson 's) .

w ith A .D .

T he

v alue

9 34 N ovember

6 98164 w hich h e d erived

1 9

w ould

a gree

f rom e quating

w ith L anda 's

e quation a s

w ell a s d id t he S pinden a nd t he T hompson v alues, b ut i t w ould n ot s atisfy t he K atun 1 3 A hau c ondition,

a nd i t was t herefore t o b e r ejected .

H e

c oncluded t hat i t w as n ecessary t o a bandon t he n otion t hat t he t able o f t he c odex m ight h ave r ested o n a 1A hau

1 8

s tar a t h orizon p rior t o A .D .

T his m eant t hat t he 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 d ate

9 34 .

K ayab o bservation o f

t he

m orning

t hat w as h ighlighted i n t he p reface t o t he V enus t able ( which h e t ook t o b e t he b ase o f t he m ain t able) w ould r equire s ome e xplanation o ther t han t he s upposed o bservational o ne . T he

c hronology

o f

t he h istorical

b ases

O Dt o

H ) a s

p osited b y t hese

w riters w as t hus e ssentially i n a greement w ith t he o ne t hat i s p roposed i n t his p aper w hen i nterpreted i n t erms o f t he E uropean c alendar . i nterpreted

i n t erms o f M ayan c hronology h owever ,

i t

i s

W hen

s omething q uite

d ifferent . S pinden 's p lacements o f t he b ases D t hrough H ( as l abeled h ere) a re j ust o ne d ay e arlier i n C hristian c hronology ; b ut t hey a re f ive c alendar

r ounds

l ater

i n t he M aya

l ongcount .

A m ean-error

g raph f or h is

s cheme w ould b e l ike o urs f rom D t hrough H , b ut w ith a ll e rror v alues ( the o rdinates) r educed b y ad ay ,

a nd w ith t he a bscissas d ifferently i nterpreted

i n M ayan c hronology , t hough n ot i n E uropean . T he M aya 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 a bscissa w ould b e f ive c alendar r ounds f urther r emoved f rom b ase D ( two a nd a h alf b locks f urther t o t he l eft) , a nd t he o rdinate o f i ts

' error'

a t t hat p oint

w ould h ave t o b e f ound s everal f eet o ff t he l ower e dge o f t he p age . ( The d ifference i s a n o dd n umber o f c alendar r ounds; w hich r emoves t he d ate f ar f rom a ny i nferior c onjunction o r h eliacal r ising . d ays b efore a s uperior c onjunction .)

I t i s i nstead a bout

S pinden d id n ot c omment

o n b ase E , b ut i ts p osition i s i mplied b y t hose o f Da nd F . h e m entioned t hree a lternatives,

a t i ntervals o f

2 8

s pecifically F or b ase H

t wo c alendar r ounds ,

t he

f irst a pproximating a f inal h eliacal s etting o f t he e vening s tar, t he s econd a n i nferior c onjunction, a nd t he t hird a h eliacal r ising o f t he m orning s tar .

I t

i s t he l ast o f t hese t hat i s i n a greement w ith o urs,

t hat c onforms t o t he s pecification o f ab ase .

a nd

[ The o ne-day d ifferences a re

d ue t o h is i nterpretation o f t he P uuc-style M aya d ate i n t he L anda e quation ( 12 K an 1 P op = A .D .

1 553 J uly 1 6,

0 .S.) a s r epresenting C lassic 1 2 Kan

2P op r ather t han 1 A kbal 1 P op .] S chulz o utlined t wo a lternative c hronologies f or t he s ame s equence o f

20

b ases,

b oth

o f

t hem--but

f or

a s ingle

i tem--agreeing w ith o urs

a ssignments o f b ases t o E uropean c hronology ,

i n t heir

a nd o ne o f t hem a greeing a lso

i n i ts M ayan p lacements; w hile t he o ther a grees, a gain w ith t hat e xception , w ith S pinden's . T he f irst o f S chulz's a lternatives t hus r epresents a h istorical p recedent f or t he c hronological i nterpretation o ffered i n t his p resent p aper ,

t hough t he M ars c onjunction w ith V enus o n t he c rucial d ate

w as n ot n oted b y h im a nd d id n ot f igure i n h is d etermination .

A n u nfavor-

a ble j udgment o n h is p art a s t o t he l ikelihood o f s urvival o f k nowledge o f t he

l ongcount

l ed h im ( p . 9 .9 .9 .16 .0

i nto

5 9)

m ight

t he

p eriod

c overed

b y

t he

V enus

t able

( A .D .

9 34-1324)

s pecifically t o e xclude t he p ossibility t hat t he d ate b e

e xplainable

a s

a c alculated

b ackward

p rojection

f rom

t he d ate o f t he h istorical b ase o f t he t able , n amely , A .D . 9 34 N ovember 2 0 ( 10 .5 .6 .4 .0 b y t he T hompson c orrelation , 1 0 .18 .9 .15 .0 b y t he S pinden ) . H e t ook i t r ather t o h ave b een a f orward p rojection f rom O ld E mpire t imes , o ne t hat was p reserved--for a r eason u nstated--for u tilization i n a l ater p eriod . t hat

[ It w ould t hus h ave t o b e s een a s a n e arly C lassic M aya p rediction

c ame

t rue

o nly

s ix ,

o r e leven ,

j udgment a nd i ts c onsequence ,

e xception r eferred t o a bove ( namely , c alendar r ounds t oo e arly , w ould h ave b een t he l acked

i nterval 5 .

1 8 U o !) ,

S chulz's

t hat p roposed h ere .

e xplanation

l ate .]

B ut

f or

t he M ars d atum ,

t his

a nd

t he

h is p lacement o f t he 1 3 M ac b ase t wo

6 .9 .0 b efore

s ame a s

s atisfactory

c alendar r ounds

a nd t he a bsence o f

o f

e ither

A s

t he

f irst a lternative

i t w as,

d ate

h owever ,

9 .9 .9 .16 .0

o r

i t t he

1 .5 .14 .4 .0 .

M akemson

( 1943 ,

1 946) .

I n h er

e arlier

t reatment

o f

t his

s ubject

M akemson a ccepted t he v alidity o f t he L anda y ear-bearer e quation ; t ook n ote o f D ittrich 's p roof o f t he u niqueness o f t he 9 34 N ovember 2 0 i dentification o f a V enus h eliacal r ising w ith a M aya d ay L anda e quation t o b e c orrect); d etermined b y p ossibilities

t he f or

t op i ts

1A hau

1 8 K ayab ( assuming t he

a cknowledged t he f our s uccessive b ases

t ier o f n umbers a ssignment;

a nd

i n t he V enus

o n

t he

b asis

o f

t able a n

p reface

a s

a ssumption o f

c ontemporaneity o f t he 1 3 Mac l ine o f t he main V enus t able ( which s he s howed

t o

b e

t he

c urrent

l ine)

w ith

t he

p articular

r erun o f

t he e clipse

t able t hat w ould h ave i ts n odes a greeing w ith t heir l ocations i n t he t able, s he d etermined t hat t he 9 34 N ovember 2 0 e vent m ust b e i dentified w ith t he 1A hau 1 8 K ayab o f 1 0 .5 .6 .4 .0 .

T his r esult,

t he m ounting s um o f c onfirmations o f S he n oted a lso t hat " If . . 1 0 .5 .6 .4 .0

s he n oted, " may b e a dded t o

t he G oodman-Thompson c orrelation! ' r epresents a h eliacal r ising o f

V enus, i t f ollows t hat 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 must p lace t he p lanet 1 6 d ays b efore h eliacal r ising , a nd t he r everse i s a lso t rue ." F urther , s he t ook n ote o f t he

M ars

c onjunction w ith V enus o n t he

1 0 .5 .6 .4 .0 h eliacal-rising d ate ,

a nd

t he r ole t hat t his m ust h ave h ad i n t he b ackward n umerical p rojections t o 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 a nd 6 .2 .0 . H er r esults w ere t hus i n a greement w ith t hose t o w hich I h ave b een l ed, b y a s omewhat d ifferent r oute, s tarting w ith 1 0 .5 .6 .4 .0

( base D )

d isagree . b ase ( F)

a nd

p roceeding b ackwards;

b ut

p roceeding

f orwards

T he f inal 1 8 K ayab b ase ( E) i s m issing i n h er s cheme , i s u naccounted f or,

a nd t hose t hat f ollow--13 Mac,

( G a nd H )--fall t wo c alendar r ounds e arlier .

t he

t hey 1 8 U o

a nd 3 X ul

T his d iscrepancy r esults f rom

h er a ssumption o f c lose c ontemporaneity o f t he V enus t able a nd t he e clipse t able ,

h er s omewhat e arly p lacement o f t he l atter ,

a nd a d ifferent m anner

o f j udging t he c urrency o f a ny g iven v ersion o f t he t able . I t h as t he c onsequence o f p roviding n o e xplanation f or t he p roblematic n umber 1 . 5 .14 .4 .0

i n

t he

f ourth

t ier

n ot t ake i nto c onsideration . o f e ight t able

o f

t he

T his,

t able

c alendar r ounds a nd 4 .12 .8 .0

p lus

o ne

d oubly

f oreshortened

o f

t he

p reface ,

a s n oted e arlier ,

w hich

i s e qual

s he

d id

t o t he

s um

( i .e . ,

f our c omplete r uns o f t he m ain

r un ) ,

a nd

2 1

i t

d erives

t he

1 8 U o

b ase

f rom

t he

1 8

K ayab

b ase

o f

9 .9 .9 .16 .0 .

I n i gnoring t his,

h er p lacement o f

t he r emaining b ases f ails t o c onform t o t he p rescriptions o f t he p reface . T hat w as

1 943 .

I n 1 946 s he a bandoned a ll t hat ,

o r a t

l east t he m ost

e ssential p arts o f i t , a nd w ent o n t o p ropose a n ew c orrelation . A p art o f t he r eason h ad t o d o with t hat v ery n umber, 1 .5 .14 .4 .0 , t hat h ad b een b ypassed i n h er e arlier p resentation . T hough i t d id n ot f igure i n t hat p ublication , i t h ad n ot b een a bsent f rom h er t hinking a bout t he m atter; f or s he l ater w rote ( 1946 :

5 8-59) t hat a t t he t ime s he h ad b een s truck b y

t he

c urious f act t hat t he e xcess o f t hat n umber o ver 3 17 m ean V enus p eriods w as e xactly r ight f or r emoving t he d iscrepancy o f 17 .6 d ays b etween 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 a nd t he t ime o f h eliacal r ising a s g iven b y t he T hompson c orrelation , a nd t hat i t h ad s eemed t o h er t hen t hat t he n umber m ust h ave b een c omputed f or t hat

v ery

p urpose .

T his,

s he

n oted,

w as

e quivalent

t o

s aying

t hat

9 .9 .9 .16 .0 w as n ot i ntended t o r epresent a h eliacal r ising a t a ll , b ut w as c hosen f or s ome o ther p urpose . S he s ubmitted h er t heory t o T hompson b efore p ublication ,

b ut

a ccording

t o h er

t estimony h e

w as

n ot

c onvinced b y h er

a rgument e ither f or t his n otion o r f or t he Mars c onnection, a nd: m aintained

t hat

t he M aya d ate

w as

c learly

i ntended

e phemeris a nd a h eliacal r ising o f V enus ." c ommented : f resh

t he

e poch

" He

o f

C oncerning t his s he

t he t hen

" But i f 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 r epresents a h eliacal r ising o f V enus,

p roblem

[ namely ]

a s

a rises

w ith

r egard

t o

a

t he G oodman-Thompson c orrelation ,

h ow i t c ame a bout t hat a n e rror o f 17 .6 d ays i s

f ound ,

w hen t he

c umulative e rror o f t he e phemeris i s a lways i n ap ositive d irection: '

T his

i s y et a nother a spect o f t he p roblem t o w hich T hompson made r eference ( as q uoted

e arlier

i n

o nly b ypassed

t his

i t b y

p aper)

a dding

b ut

t he

f or

w hich h e

i nvented

f igure

o ffered o f

n o

1 . 6 .0 .0

s olution .

t o

t he

H e

d ate

i n

o rder t o f ind a n ew b ase f rom w hich t o p roceed . M akemson w as

v ery

c lose

t o

a n

a stronomically

a s

w ell

a s

l ogically

s atisfactory r esolution o f t he e ntire p roblem w ithin a c hronological f ramework c ompatible w ith t he T hompson c orrelation . h er

s uspicion a bout

t he

f ictitious

n ature

o f

t he

H ad

s he i nsisted o n

9 .9 .9 .16 .0

d ate ,

a nd h ad

s he b een willing t o a ccept a lso t he r emaining i mplications o f t he 1 . 5 .14 .4 .0 i nterval, h er c onclusions a nd h er c hronology w ould h ave b een t he s ame a s t hose t hat h ave b een p roposed i n t his p aper . I nstead , b y t he t ime s he wrote h er 1 946 m onograph s he h ad e r b arked o n as urvey o f p ossible c orrelations s uch a s m ight b e d educible f rom a stronomical e vidence a lone , d eciding n ot t o b e b ound b y t he c onstraints o f t he L anda e quation , a bout w hich

s he h ad

d eveloped

d oubts .

" a c orrelation w hich r epresents

A nd

s he

f ollowed u p h er

t he Maya d ate

[ 9 .9 .9 .16 .01

d eduction

e rror s hould b e g iven more w eight t han o ne which p laces n umber

o f

d ays

b efore h eliacal

f or t he n egative e rror a t t hat d ate . t hat

9 .9 .9 .16 .0 w as

i n u se b efore t hat d ate , T he

c orrelation

t hat c ondition, r equirements

t hat

a n e qual

I n t his

t o w hich T hompson h ad o bjected ,

9 .9 .9 .16 .0 w as a c omputed p rojection i nto t he p ast, a h ypothesis

[ it]

r ising ," a s d oes T hompson 's .

w as a bandoning h er f ormer h ypothesis ,

t hat

w ith a p ositive s he t hat

a nd t hat t his a ccounted

I n i ts p lace s he w as n ow s ubstituting

a f orward p rojection f rom a t able a lready

w hich w ould t hen m ake p ositive e rrors e xpectable .

s he

f ound--the

o nly o ne

f rom h er

s urvey

t o

f ulfill

a long w ith m eeting o ther a stronomical a nd h istorical

( not

i ncluding

t he

L anda

t estimony

d iffering f rom t he S pinden c orrelation b y j ust

h owever)--ended

2 46 d ays

u p

( with c orrelation

c onstant e qual t o 4 89138 , S pinden 's b eing 4 89384) . H er f urther a rguments i n s upport o f t his i nterpretation ( speculations a bout s easonal r elevance o f M aya

r ituals)

w ill

n ot

b e

c onsidered h ere ,

w ide o f t he m ark . 22

e xcept

t o

n ote

t hat

t hey a re

C onclusion A fter h aving c ompleted

t he

m ain p art o f

t his

p aper ,

i n w hich I p re-

s ented t he r esults o f my own i nquiry, a nd t urning t hen t o a r eview o f p revious i nterpretations o f t he p roblem--and a fter f inishing w ith t hose o f T eeple a nd T hompson a nd g oing o n t o t hose w ith which I h ad b een o nly s lightly

i f

a t

a ll a cquainted--I

c ircumstance o f h aving b efore;

i n t his c ase ,

d iscovered

f ound m yself t hings

t he d ate A .D .

t hat

i n t he n ot u nfamiliar

o thers

9 34 N ovember 2 0 ,

h ad

d iscovered

c ombination o f c alendrical a nd a stronomical e vents o f t hat d ate , s ignal i mportance . w ithout a p aper ;

l ocated a nd

A lthough c rucial

i dentified e arlier ,

r emained i ncomplete t o t he p resent t ime . t ation . S pinden

w as

a nd t heir

U nder m ost s uch c ircumstances t hat w ould h ave l eft m e

b ut n ot q uite t his t ime .

p uzzle h ad b een

l ong

t he u niqueness o f t he

t he

f irst

t o

p ieces o f

t he

t heir p roper a ssembly h as

S o a lso h as t heir f ull d ocumen-

d iscover

t he

c rucial

d ate .

H is

i nterpre-

t ation f or t he p eriod c overed b y t he h istorical d ates was e ssentially c orrect o n t he a stronomical a nd E uropean-calendrical s ide, b ut i t w as f ive c alendar r ounds o ff o n t he M ayan s ide o f t he e quation .

S ince

t his

i s a n

o dd n umber o f c alendar r ounds w hile t he m ultiples t hat a re c ompatible w ith t he V enus p eriod a re i n

l imbo b efore

e ven ,

t his

l eft

t he

i mportant

made o nly t he b riefest o f r eference t o i t , i t w ould

f all

( in A .D .

1 9 X ul h eliacal r isings , S chulz,

t ion ,

o f

9 .9 .9 .16 .0

n oting t hat b y h is

o ff

S pinden

c orrelation

3 63) o n A pril 1 2 i n r etroactive G regorian d ating ,

s easonal p osition t o w hich h e a ttached t he

d ate

s uperior c onjunction a nd w ithout a n e xplanation .

i mportance ( he

a ssociated

i t

a

w ith

t hose n ext p rior t o 1 8 K ayab) .

w hen c onsidering t he p ossibilities u nder t he S pinden c orrela-

o bserved

( 1935 :

6 6) :

" By

t he S pinden c orrelation t he d ate 9 .9 .9 .16 .0

r elates t o t he s uperior c onjunction o f V enus ( besides w hich i ts p osition i n t he t ropical y ear i s o f c ourse t o b e t aken i nto c onsideration) ." T he c odex ,

h owever ,

s tar ,

f our

c learly s ets

d ays

a fter

i t u p f or a f irst v isibility o f t he

i nferior

c onjunction .

[ The

S pinden

t his d ate, A .D . 3 63 A pril 1 1 ( Julian) o r 1 2 ( Gregorian), g ood

p obsibility

f or a l ast v isibility o f

m orning

e quivalent

o f

was a ctually a

t he m orning s tar .

B ut

t hat

i s

n ot w hat t he c ontext i n t he c odex c alls f or .] I t

w as

l eft

t o D ittrich

t he S pinden c orrelation .

t o c ontrive a r ationale

f or

t hat d ate u nder

N oting f irst t hat i t c ould n ot r epresent a n

a ctual h eliacal r ising , h e t ook i t t o b e ac ipher o f s orts, a s i f i t w ere a s ecret

c ode .

H e

c onsidered

t he

1 9

X ul

a nd

t he

1 8

K ayab

h eliacal-rising

d ates ( April a nd N ovember i n t he m id-tenth c entury ) t o b e t he m ore r eliable o nes,

a nd h e c oncluded ( p .

t he e poch,

3 49) :

" If o ne w anted t o c amouflage t he d ate o f

t he n atural t hing t o d o would b e t o d eclare,

N ovember b ase ,

a n A pril o ne .

T he

d ate

m oved f orward

i nto

s hould b e

i nstead o f t he

i nitiate w ould o f c ourse k now

t hat

t he

t he f uture b y t he a mount t hat i t w ould

t ake t o c ause t he d ay 1 A hau 1 8 K ayab t o f all i n N ovember: '

H ow m uch w ould

t hat b e? T he d rift o f t he h aab w ithin t he t ropical y ear a mounts t o a bout 1 2 .6 d ays p er c alendar r ound [ (365 .2422 - 3 65) x 5 2 = 1 2 .5944 .] T he i nterval A .D .

f rom

N ovember

2 4

( the

G regorian

9 34) t o A pril 1 2 ( its p roposed m ask ) i s

d ate

o f

1 39 d ays .

1A hau

1 8 K ayab

i n

1 39 d ivided b y 1 2 .6

i s e qual t o 1 1 a nd a s mall f raction .

T he h idden i nterval m ust t herefore b e

e leven c alendar r ounds !

i nitiate c ould d erive

f rom

t he

1 .8 .19 .17 .0

A nd s o t he

p ublicly d eclared ( 11

C R )

f alse o ne:

= 1 0 .18 .9 .15 .0

( 1 A hau 2 3

9 .9 .9 .16 .0 1 8 K ayab) ,

t he

( 1 A hau

t his

t rue e poch

1 8 K ayab) +

l atter

b eing

t he

l ongcount

e quivalent

o f A .D .

9 34 N ovember 1 9 ( Julian),

( Gregorian), b y t he S pinden c orrelation 1 0 .5 .6 .4 .0 c ounterpart b y t he T hompson ]. T his

r emarkable h ypothesis

i s

t he b est

t he S pinden c orrelation f or t he d ate

o r N ovember 2 4

[ 5 C R f urther a long

t hat

t hat

i s

t han i ts

c ould b e d one b y w ay o f t he

f rontispiece o f

t he

D resden C odex V enus t able a nd t hat h ad t o b e a llowed t o s tand ( one w ay o r a nother !) f or a h eliacal r ising o f t he m orning s tar . M akemson ,

i n h er

S pinden like

s econd

c orrelation

a ttack o n t he p roblem ,

( i .e.,

with

a nd g oing o ver t o

a 1 2 .9.0.0 .0

r ather

t han

a a n

1.16 .0 .0 .0 K atun " 13 A hau" ), a ttempted t o r emedy t his i nherent d iscrepancy b y c utting 2 46 d ays o ff f rom t he S pinden c orrelation c onstant ; b ut i n s o d oing ,

s he h ad

t o d iscard

t he h istorical u nderpinning o f t hat c orrelation

( which i t s hared w ith T hompson 's) i n t he L anda y ear-bearer e quation . T he t he

d iscrepancy

t erms

p roblem

o f

w ere

e ntertaining s olution ;

i n 9 .9 .9 .16 .0 w as o f

t he T hompson c orrelation , n ot

a ppreciably

t he

l ess .

p ossibility

o f

l esser n umerical b ut

t he

m agnitude u nder

l ogical d imensions o f

S chulz a nd M akemson ,

t hat

c orrelation ,

c ame

w hen

t he

t he

t hey w ere

c losest

t o

a

b ut f or r easons a lready r eviewed e ach f ell s hort o f a ttaining i t .

T eeple a nd T hompson w ere s till f arther f rom i t, h aving f ailed e ven t o r ecognize t he h istorical d ate t hat o ffered t he o nly p ossibility e ver f or a n a rticulation o f t he 1 A hau

1 8 K ayab p osition o f t he M aya c alendrical c ycle

w ith t he h eliacal-rising p osition i n t he a stronomical V enus c ycle . T he

r efractory

l ongcount

p ieces

o f

t his

p uzzle

h ave

b een

t he

9 .9 .9 .16 .0

d ate , w hich i s g iven a v ery s pecial t reatment i n t he V enus t able

p reface b ut w hich h as b een d ifficult t o r elate

t o t he a pparently i ntended

p henomenon o f V enus, a nd t he n umber 1 .5 .14 .4 .0 , which o n t he f ace o f i t s eems i ncongruously c omposed a nd w hose f unction i n t he a nd

c orrection

i tems h ave

p rocedure

p osed

f or

h as

m any

b een

o bscure .

s cholars

A s

n oted

a n o bstacle

t able's

c hronology

e arlier,

i n

t he

t hese

way

o f

t wo

t heir

a cceptance o f t he T hompson c orrelation . T he s olution t hat h as b een d escribed h ere p rovides t he n ecessary e xplanations f or b oth o f t hem . I t d iffers o nly s lightly f rom w hat S chulz o utlined a s p ossibilities u nder t he T hompson c orrelation , o r f rom w hat M akemson p roposed u nder t hat c orrelation i n h er

f irst s tudy ;

moreover,

f or

c orrelation ,

b ut t hose d ifferences a re c rucial .

t he

i t

T hompson

m ay b e n oted ,

c orrelation .

h as b een f ound a lso

f rom C lassic M aya i nscriptions

a t

s everal

I t o ffers s upport,

S trong

s ites .

s upport

f or

t hat

i n V enus-related d ates T he a pparent p ertinence

o f s ome o f t hose d ates

t o V enus w as f irst s hown b y K elley ( see K elley a nd

K err

1 977) ,

1 973 ,

a nd

c hronology a nother

p aper

T he d ocument w hose

K elley

w hen

a nd

i nterpreted b y

t heir

c ompatibility

t he T hompson

w ith

c orrelation

a stronomical

I h ave

s hown

i n

( 1982) .

v alidity

o f

o n w hich

T hompson 's

i t

w as

c orrelation

f ounded

d erives

( see T hompson

e vidence h as b een u nwelcome

t o s ome ,

f rom

1 927 ,

t he

h istorical

1 935) ,

a nd w hich

a d ocument

t hey h ave

t ried

t o

e xplain a way . T he V enus c hronology n ow i s c orroborative , a s h as b een l unar c hronology t able s een

f rom

c an n o n ow

a s

c orrelation

t he

l onger a t ype

m ay

b eginning . b e h eld c ase

d erive n ot

T he

a gainst

p roblem t he

i llustrating f rom

o f

t he

D resden

c orrelation . t hat

w rongness

o f

r eputed t he

C odex V enus

R ather ,

i t m ay

f ailures

c orrelation ,

t his

b ut

f rom

f aulty a nalyses o f s ome o f t he p roblems t o w hich i t h as b een a pplied .

2 4

b e

o f

R EFERENCES D ittrich , A rnogt 1 937

D er P lanet V enus u nd s eine B ehandlung i m D resdener M ayaKodex . S itzungsberichte d er P reussischen A kademie d er W issenschaften , 1 937 : 3 26-355 . B erlin .

H uber, P eter J . 1 982

A stronomical D ating o f B abylon I a nd U r I II . M onographic J ournals o f t he N ear E ast , O ccasional P apers 1 /4 . M alibu , C alif . : U ndena P ublications.

K elley , D avid H . 1 977

M aya a stronomical t ables a nd i nscriptions . I n : N ative A merican A stronomy , e d . A . F . A veni , p p . 5 7-73 . A ustin , T exas : U niversity o f T exas P ress .

K elley , D avid H ., & K err, K . A nn 1 973

M ayan a stronomy a nd a stronomical g lyphs . S ystems, e d . E . D umbarton O aks .

P .

B enson ,

p p .

I n : M esoamerican W riting

1 79-215 .

L angdon, S ., F otheringham , J . K ., & S choch , C arl 1 928 T he V enus T ablets o f Ammiza ch iga . L ondon :

Washington ,

D .C .:

O xford U niversity P ress .

L ounsbury , F loyd G . 1 976

A r ationale f or t he i nitial d ate o f t he T emple o f t he C ross a t P alenque . I n : P alenque R ound T able S eries, v ol . 3 , e d . Merle G reene R obertson , p p . 2 11-224 . P ebble B each , C alif . : R obert L ouis S tevenson S chool ; A ustin T exas : U niversity o f T exas P ress .

1 978

1 982

a nd c alendrical a stronomy .

I n :

D ictionary o f S cientific B iography , e d . C harles C . G illispie , 1 5 , p p . 7 59-818 . N ew Y ork : C harles S cribner 's S ons .

M aya n umeration ,

c omputation ,

v ol .

A stronomical k nowledge a nd i ts u ses a t B onampak , Mexico . I n : A rchaeoastronomy i n t he N ew W orld , e d . A . F . A veni , p p . 1 43-168 . C ambridge : C ambridge U niversity P ress .

L udendorff , H . 1 937

Z ur D eutung d es D resdener MayaKodex ( Untersuchungen z ur A stronomie d er M aya , N r . 1) . S itzungsberichte d er P reussischen A kademie d er W issenschaften , 1 937 : 7 5-98 . B erlin .

M akemson , M aud W orcester 1 943

T he A stronomical T ables o f t he M aya . C ontributions t o American A rchaeology 4 2 ; C arnegie I nstitution o f W ashington , P ubl 5 46 , p p . 1 83-221 .

1 946

W ashington ,

D .C .

T he M aya C orrelation P roblem . n o . 5 . P oughkeepsie , N .Y .

V assar C ollege O bservatory ,

M anitius, K arl ( tr. a nd a nnot.) 1 963 C laudius P tolemaeus, H andbuch d er A stronomie . V orwort u nd B erichtigungen v on 0 . N eugebauer . T eubner. 2 5

2 nd e d"

P ubl .

2 v ols . ,

L eipzig :

B . G .

S choch, C arl 1 924

T he

' arcus

v isionis'

o f

t he

p lanets

i n

t he

B abylonian

o bservations . M onthly N otices o f t he R oyal A stronomical S ociety 8 4 ( 9) : 7 31-734 . L ondon . S chulz, R . P . C . 1 935

Z ur C hronologie d er M aya . B erlin .

Z eitschrift

f ür E thnologie

6 7 :

4 9-68 .

S pinden , H erbert J . 1 928

M aya

i nscriptions d ealing w ith V enus a nd t he Moon .

S ociety o f N atural B uffalo, N .Y .

S ciences ,

T eeple, J ohn E . 1 926 Maya i nscriptions c orrelation . 1 930

[ III]:

B ulletin ,

T he

v ol .

V enus

1 4

( no .1) ,

c alendar

A merican A nthropologist 2 8 :

a nd

B uffalo p p .

1 -59 .

a nother

4 02-408 .

M aya A stronomy . C ontributions t o A merican A rchaeology , v ol . 1 , n o . 2 ; C arnegie I nstitution o f W ashington , P ubl . 4 03 , p p . 2 9-116 . W ashington , D .C .

T hompson , J . E ric S . 1 927 A C orrelation o f t he M ayan a nd E uropean C alendars . F ield M useum o f N atural H istory , P ubl . 2 41 ( Anthropological S eries 1 7 .1) , p p . 1 -21 . C hicago . 1 935

Maya C hronology : T he C orrelation Q uestion . C ontributions t o A merican A rchaeology 1 4 ; C arnegie I nstitution o f W ashington , P ubl . 4 56 ,

1 950

p p .

5 1-104 .

W ashington ,

M aya H ieroglyphic W riting : o f E d"

W ashington , 1 971 ,

P ubl .

N orman ,

5 89 .

O kla . :

D .C .

A n I ntroduction . W ashington ,

D .C .

C arnegie I nstitution [ 2nd E d"

1 960 ,

3 rd

U niversity o f O klahoma P ress .]

T uckerman , B ryant 1 964 P lanetary, L unar, a nd S olar P ositions, A .D . 2 t o A .D . 1 649, a t F ive-day a nd T en-day I ntervals . A merican P hilosophical S ociety , M emoirs ,

v ol .

5 9 .

P hiladelphia .

v an d er W aerden, B . L . 1 943 D ie B erechnung d er e rsten u nd l etzten S ichtbarkeit v on M ond u nd P laneten u nd d ie V enus t afeln d es Ammisaduqa . B erichte d er m athematisch-physikalischen K lasse d er S ächsischen A kademie d er W issenshcaften z u L eipzig 9 4 : 2 3-56 . W eir, J ohn D . 1 982 T he V enus

t ablets :

A stronomy 1 3 :

A f resh a pproach .

2 3-49 .

2 6

J ournal f or t he H istory o f

J OHN B .

C ARLSON

T he G rolier C odex: A P reliminary R eport o n t he A uthenticity o f a T hirteenth-Century M aya V enus A lmanac

T he

M aya

h ighest

k nown t hat

o f

t he

p ossessed b ecause t hese

o f

s creenfold

c odices

M esoamerica

b ooks

P eriod

W e a re m ost

f ortunate,

C lassic

b een

f ound

i n b urials.

k nown

t o

t hese,

t he D resden,

c ities w hose c ame

h ave

t hat

M aya

p ottery,

a nd

R egrettably,

n one

T he

i nscriptions

m ajor

c arved

f our M aya c odex b ooks

h ave

e xact

( named

f or

f rom t he o f

t he E uropean

l ong b een r ecognised a s p roveniences

o n

M aya

a nd h ow a nd w hen

t o E urope a re n ot k nown.

1 966

s creenfold

i n

t he

p re-Columbian a rt M aya a rtifacts

c odex c ontaining M aya

h ands

o f

D r.

J osud

d ay

1 973:ch.1).

A s

o n

b ark p aper

h owever,

a re

o nly

t he

t he

o ther

t hree

M aya

c oated w ith w hite

o bverse

M aya

i f n ot

a

i s

p ainted a nd

b ooks,

s tucco.

a ppeared

c ollector

i t

s cholars, i nsist,

s uch

t hat

a s

t he

p ossesses

S ir

E ric

f ourth

t his

o f

c odex

U nlike

n on-Maya " peculiarities" i n c ontent a nd s tyle. a nd u ncertainties o f p rovenience h ave c aused w ell-known

g lyphs

S adnz,

i n M exico, a long w ith s everal o ther e xtraordinary a lso c omposed a p erishable m aterials ( Meyer

p ainted

s uggest,

i s

2 50-900)

A .D. 9 00-1520) d id s urvive t he S panish c onquest. T hree

t hem)

t heir

A .D.

s urvived.

M adrid a nd P aris C odices

H owever,

A f ourth i n

( ca. a nd

l ibraries h ouse

m anuscripts. t hey

h owever,

P eriod o f t ime

t he I t

p ainted o n s tuccoed b ark p aper

t hem o n

s ource o f C lassic t exts i s t he m onumental s tone a nd w ood a nd p ainted o n s tucco m urals.

t he P ost-Classic d estructive f orces

a ttained

( ca.

o f

i s

a nd

t he p re-Hispanic N ew W orld.

C lassic

" codex" h ave

e astern

i n

t he

d epictions

e xamples

C lassic

o f

l iteracy

M aya

t here a re

d ecomposed o f

c ivilization

l evels

C ontent

t he

a

n umber

o f

T he u nusual s tyle a t l east a f ew T hompson

M aya

w as

o thers,

c odex

( 1975)

i s

a

t o

m odern

f abrication. A ccording

t o

c ommunication; 1 1-page a

c odex

t urquoise

s acrificial

t he m ost

s ee

f ragment i nlaid

k nife,

r eliable

a lso

M eyer

a long w ith m ask,

a nd

a ccounts

1 973:ch.1), t hree

p ieces

a b eautifully

s everal

o ther

( M.D. o f

c arved

i tems

C oe,

J osud S adnz

f rom

p ersonal

o btained

u nstuccoed

t he

p aper,

s mall w ooden b ox, l ooters

o r

a

t heir

r epresentatives a t a j ungle a irstrip, p robably i n t he s tate o f C hiapas. T he c ache w as a llegedly f ound i n a l arge w ooden b ox i n a d ry

c ave.

T he

m ask,

n ow

g enerally

d isplay i n t he D umbarton O aks v on W inning 1 968:p1.333). a lso a uthenticated, i s

a n

i mportant

m aterials, a ppeared w ould c ave.

b oth

t end T he

t o

h as b een d escribed

c onsideration a uthentic

t ogether

w ith

s upport

t he

t hat

a nd

t he

a ccepted a s

a uthentic,

i s o n

C ollection i n W ashington, D .C. ( see T he c arved b ox w ith M aya i nscriptions,

o f

a lternative w ould

o f b e

t wo a rtifacts

e xceptional

e qually

t ruth

i n d etail b y C oe

t hese

p erishable

t he t o 2 7

s tory o f

s uggest

( 1974).

p erishable

q uality,

a llegedly

c odex

f ragment.

t he c ache

t hat

I t

o f

i n

t he

t he h uaqueros

T his d ry f ound

2 8

f acsimile o f

L I )

2 9

0

3

t wo

( or

m ore)

d ifferent

g enuine,

s ources)

a nd

r are

t hen

p re-Columbian

i ncluded

p ieces

( perhaps

a f aked c odex w ith

f rom

t hem.

T he G rolier C odex - A M aya V enus A lmanac T he

c odex

f irst

g ained

p rofessional

a t

o pening o f a n e xhibition e ntitled " Ancient

s ponsored b y b y G eorge G ent p ages

i ts

a nd

2 0th,

t he

1 971 w hen

p ublic

A pril

e xistence w as

4 t hrough

W orld,

7 o f

o n C oe

M aya

t he " Grolier C odex".

A lthough

i t w as

g iven

i t

t he

a nd

t he

p age

o nly

b y p age

p ublished

f acsimile

t he

a p age;

t he

e leven

f ollowed c odex. t his

a verage

c ommentary.

o ne

I t

o f

r eported

u npainted

+ 1 30.

w idth

f ragmentary

b y A s

h as

a lso b een

n ame

" Grolier

A

b lack

a long a nd

i s

i s

1 2.5 c m.

p ages

s lightly

t hree b lank

s heets

i n t he M aya S cribe

b ark n ow

p aper

C oe's

( Coe

t han

p aper

c onceded

t he

o f

r eproduces h alf

1 973:150),

t hat

c opy

s ize,

f ound w ith t he a

y ielded a r adiocarbon d ate

g enerally

C oe's

1 . T he o riginal g reatest h eight

f acsimile

g reater o f b ark

w ith

w hite

t his c olor f acsimile i s r eproduced h ere a s F igure c odex h as a pproximate d imensions o f 1 8.0 c m f or t he o f

C alligraphy"

C oe ( 1973) i n t he p ublished c atalogue o f t he G rolier C lub T his h andsome o versized v olume, T he M aya S cribe a nd H is

c ontains

a nalysis

a ttention

b y M ichael D .

t he G rolier C lub o f N ew Y ork. T he n ext d ay a n a rticle ( 1971:49) a ppeared i n t he N ew Y ork T imes s howing

k nown a s C odex S agnz a nd C odex C oe, C odex" b y E xhibition.

a nnounced

p iece

o f A .D.

p aper

i tself

o f 1 230 i s

g enuine t hirteenth c entury M esoamerican p aper. H owever, a q uestion h as r emained i n s ome m inds a s t o w hether t he G rolier C odex i s a g enuine M aya b ook o r F rom

t he

f irst

a m odern

r evelation o f

i ndependently r eached f ragment o f a V enus

a n

o rbit

i ts

w ere T his

a nd

i nterior

E vening

e xistence,

t o

t hat

S tar

o f

t he E arth,

T he

M aya

5 83.92 M aya

s tations w ith ( 235

o f

t he

a M orning k new

t hat

s ame e ntity a nd

o f V enus w as 5 84 d ays. v alue o f t he s ynodic p eriod

d ays. F rom t he D resden C odex V enus t ables, w e k now d ivided t he f ull V enus c ycle o f 5 84 d ays i nto f our

t he

d ays);

M ayanists

e xhibits

a stronomers

w ere b oth a spects

a ble t o o bserve t hat t he f ull c ycle i s q uite c lose t o t he t rue a verage

o f V enus, t hat t he

s everal

i n t he t welfth-century M aya D resden C odex V enus, t he s econd p lanet f rom t he S un

S tar/Evening S tar m anifestation. M orning

p aper.

t he c onclusion t hat t he G rolier C odex i s a a lmanac w ith t he s ame b asic c alendrical

s tructure a s t hat f ound ( see F igure 2 a nd T able 2 ). w ith

f orgery o n a ncient

f ollowing c anonical

( 2)

d isappearance

d urations: a nd

( 1)

M orning

i nvisibility

a t

S tar

S uperior

C onjunction ( 90 d ays); ( 3) E vening S tar ( 250 d ays); a nd ( 4) d isappearance a nd i nvisibility a t I nferior C onjunction ( 8 d ays). A lso f rom t he D resden e thnographic a ccounts

C odex, a s w ell a s f rom e thnohistoric a nd t hroughout M esoamerica, w e a re l ed t o b elieve

t hat V enus w as s een a s a f earsome, d eath-dealing e ntity a ssociated w ith d ire p rognostications. I n p articular, t he h eliacal r ising o f t he M orning S tar p erils.

T he

i s f irst

T lahuizcalpantecuhtli, Q uetzalcoatl, s pearing w ielding v ictims

t he

s ingled

o ut

a ppearance " Lord o f " plumed

i n i n

t hese t he

t he H ouse s erpent")

a ccounts

e ast o f w as

f or

s pecial

o f

t he

V enus

D awn"

( an

a spect

o ccasioned

b y

G od o f

d eadly

r ays. M esoamerican V enus i magery s hows m alevolent d eities s pears a nd l aunching a tlatl d arts i nto t heir u nfortunate ( see

S eler

1 904).

3 2

The

Maya

c ommensurate f ound

calendrical

a nd

c oordinate

s ignificant

M esoamerican t heir p eriod g rand

o rder

" Calendar

3 65-days

" Sacred

i n

" Vague

A lmanacs".

C alendar y ears,

C alendar

R ounds,

and

t he V enus

1 46

w e

a nd

a p eriod

t heir

3 65-day y ear i s

c omposed

i s

o f

6 5

p eriods.

T he

t he

5 84-day

V enus

t he 2 60-day a lmanac,

V enus

i s

t o

t hey

a ll-important 2 60-day

t hat

a nd

k een t hat

c omposed o f 5 2 o f

c reated w hich

T his

i n b oth

a lways n umbers

g reater

d ays

r equire

A lmanacs.

f ound

e ven

7 3 o f

d ays

were

t ime a nd

1 8,980

f urther t he

o f

c reate o f

o f 3 7,960

S acred

c alendars

t o

Y ears"

I f

c ycles

R ound"

c ommensurate w ith V enus

a stronomers

t he

t he

i s

e xactly

c ycles,

a

t wo

1 04 v ague

c alendrical

b asis

f or

t he D resden a nd G rolier C odices.

T he D resden C odex V enus A lmanac F igure pages

2 c ontains

of

t he

t ranscribed m aintain r eality n ot

b e

i n

p lace

d iscussed

C odex.

T he

t hrough g iving

l eft

t he

a nd

S tar

h eliacal

r ight s ome

s ide s ort.

a v ictim t hese f irst

i mages

a nd

The

w as i s

t hese o f

Borgia

d ates,

s hows i mage

S tar

i s

b elow.

T he

c ontain

d ire

V enus

o ne

i n

t he

a V enus

l eft f irst

A lmanac

t o

o f

5 48

c olumns

r ight,

f or

a ppearance

r espectively.

t he h eliacal

i n t he a ct

g lyphic

p rognostications

a s M orning

f our

a s

I nferior C onjunction

t o

d eity

t he G rolier n umbered 4 6

c ycle

i nto

e ast,

r elated

a ssociated

t o

a stronomical

p ages,

V enus

f rom

C onjunction,

e vents

V enus

a s cheme

f ound w ith f ive

d ivided

r eading

s ix

notations

t he M aya L ong C ount,will

i s

i s

p rovides

d isappearance b efore

Morning

i n t he

o f

p ages

p age

S uperior

W est,

a s

f ive

e ach

f rame

t he

a lmanac a nd

t able

o f V enus

Dresden

a lmanacs

t he

i tself

c entral

a ppearance

V enus and

T he

b etween s uch

e ach p age

d epicted

which

n o

a s

b efore t he

2 4,

o f

calendrical

V enus A lmanac

o f

r ise

o f

P age

d rawing

t he

t ime

s ide

i n

w hite

with

t he

calendrical

d isappearance E vening

i n

h ere

E ach

The

2 .

a greement i t

D resden

5 0.

d ays.

a nd

Codex

Table

l ong-term and

b lack

Dresden

o f

t exts

T he

r ise o f s pearing

r elate

a ssociated w ith

t o t he

s tar.

c ontains

f ive

p ages-- a s

d o s imilar

p re-columbian " Borgia G roup":Cospi,Vaticanus B

codices

( Seler

1 904)

--

b ecause

of

a f ortuitous

a stronomical c oincidence. A s i t h appens, f ive V enus p eriods o f 5 84 d ays exactly e qual e ight Maya Vague Y ears o f 3 65 d ays. T hus, f ollowing

t his

c alendrical o f

t he

t hese

2 ,920-day

p osition

1 04-year five

g rand

pages

c ommensuration

p eriod,

r elative c ycle

V enus t he

t imes

w ill

r eturn

s olar y ear.

d escribed

t hirteen

w ith

t o

a bove,

we

t he 2 60-day A lmanac.

b ecause

a chieve A t

T his t he

t he u pper

t o

t he

i s

t he b asis

s ame

i f w e r epeat a dditional l eft

o f e ach

V enus A lmanac p age a re g roups o f M aya d ay s igns w ith c oefficients i n r ows o f f our a nd c olumns o f 1 3. T hese a re t he d ates o f d ays r eached b y

V enus

r ead

i n

t he

t he

2 60-day

t ables,

w e

A lmanac

p roceed

t o

a t

e ach

t he

t op

o f

t he

l ine

f our

f rom

s tations.

l eft

t o

T o

r ight

t hrough e ach o f t he f ive p ages ( eight y ears t otal) a nd t hen b ack t o t he f irst p age a nd b egin o n t he s econd l ine a nd r epeat u ntil a ll t hirteen p assagesare c omplete. T his i s t he 1 04-year g reat V enus c entury

o f

D resden

Codex

t he M aya.

a nd L ounsbury

m ay

b e

M ore d etailed f ound

i n

t he

( 1978).

3 3

d iscussions

o f

c ommentaries

p ages

i n t he

o f T hompson

t hese

( 1972)

2 4

F igure 2

T he V enus A lmanac p ages

o f

t he D resden C odex

( 1975).

T hese a re p en-and-ink d rawings o riginally made b y C arlos A . V illacorta a nd c orrected b y F erdinand A nders.

3 1

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F igure 2

T he V enus A lmanac o f

36

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F igure 2

T he V enus A lmanac o f

3 8

t he D resden

C odex

• .:

30 ° D OD° O DD• ' ‘ ' ' • T

i

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MMI ! I

5 0

T he D resden a nd G rolier V enus A lmanacs - A C omparison W hen w e o f

e ach

o riginally f our

l ook a t

p age

( with

V enus

o f

o n p age c ycle

S ince

m ust

w hich

5 0.

o f

G rolier.

f ound,

p ersonages b lades,

p age

a re

a nd

( God A )

A lmanac

t hrough T ,

s ame

w as

n ot

i s

t he

f irst

t wo

o ne V enus

1 ,

o ne

s tation.

t he

G rolier

o f 2 0 p ages

t aken

f rom

o f C oe

h ope

t o

i ncluded

b ecause,

C oe

w as

b eing

u nable

t o

t he C odex h ad b een c omplete

f ind

t he

a dditional

p ages

o r

o f

t he

G rolier

s hows

c ase

w ith

( p.9)

c aptives,

s pears,

a s tone.

w hat

f ew

i conography. a tlatls,

w ould

S tanding

s acrificial

I n t hese a ggressive p oses,

d ecapitate

a

v ictim

( p.6)

o r

s ling

i nto t emples ( pp.5,8) a M esoamerican s ymbol f or ( 1973) g ives a p age-by-page c ommentary w ith t entative o f

s everal

s tation,

o f

t hese

d eities

a nd

t his

s tanding ( God

a re

n amed

o n

i s

a cross

a lso

T he D eath

9 .

H e

a lso

t he

f ive

l abelled

g iven

i n

o ne

p ages

o f

t hese D eities T able

1 .

A

E ach

a lso h as a d irectional a ssociation ( on l ine 1 6), B ( west), C ( south), D ( east), e tc. O ddly e nough,

p attern

o f

g od

n ames

c ontinuing o n

i s

l isted a gain o n

l ine

2 2

( for

t o o ne

s tation a head,

B , C , e tc. u p t o D eity S f or r eason f or t his s hift s eems c olumn a ( equivalent

i .e.

l ines 2 1

p ages

D 50). T he d irectional a ssociations m aintain t he o n l ine 2 4 a s b efore, h owever, t he w hole p attern i s s equence

e .g.

p age

i n t he D resden C odex,

T hompson ( 1972)

s equence

f igures,

E )

l isted o n r ow 1 7

( See T able 2 ).

p ages D 46 a nd D 47)

s econd

t he

r epresents

a lmanac

d ates,

I f b y c hance

t o b e a rmed

o ne

p ersonage n amed n amely A ( north), t his

y et

2 0 d ifferent

e ach V enus

t he

p age

T able

c alendrical

o n p age 6 a nd M aize G od

t hat

p recisely

t o o ne D resden p age,

s urvived.

1

t he

c ontent

s een i n

i dentifications

f or

p age

c haracteristic M esoamerican V enus

t hey d ominate b ound

n otes

m atch

o n

a l ater d ate.

a tlatl d arts c onquest. C oe G od

s ee

a nd 4 9 a nd

c ontained a V enus

s equence.

p ictorial a s

e ach G rolier

w e

t he M aya g reat V enus c ycle f rom t he D resden C odex i ndicating t he o verlapping c alendrics o f t he

w e m ight

a t

t hat

p ages 4 8

c orrespond

p ages h ave

l acking

i n t he

f ragments T he

d ays,

G rolier

i t

1)

w here e ach D resden

o riginally

1 1

f ragmentary a nd

d ispute

T hus,

p age

d ates

o n D resden

p ages

( 1973:160) s hows w ith a s haded a rea

w hen

l eft w ere

5 84

h ave

s eemingly

p lace

t he

d ates

f our G rolier

C odex

1 )

a c olumn o f w haE

1 3 M aya 2 60-day A lmanac

c olumns

c olumns

t he G rolier C odex ( Figure t he e xception o f

D 48

( for

t hrough

s ame r elationship s hifted f or t his

s tarting w ith D eity T ,

A ,

t he l ast c olumn o f p age D 50. T he c lear. F or e xample, o n D resden p age 4 9

t o G rolier p age

5 ),

t he c olumn

o f

L amat

d ates

i ndicate a d eity ( Dresden D eity M ) p residing o ver t he e vent o f d isappearance o f t he M orning S tar b efore S uperior C onjunction. A lso i n

c olumn D 49a,

f rom

t he

d eity's

l ine

1 9,

b eginning o f i nfluence

t he

i s

n ot

g iven d ay, b ut e xtends s tation i s r eached,

o ver t his

d uration o f e xample i s o f

t he

h ere,

s econd

c ummulative d ays,

c olumn

s equence g iven

l imited

o n

t otal i n D 49b

o ver

d uration o f

c anonically 9 0 d ays. D resden

n umber o f

T his

4 9b o n l ine 2 2. i n l ine

1 988 e lapsed d ays l isted.

t he V enus

t hat

e vent

9 0-day

l ine

f ollowing

i nvisibility a t f igure

2 6 c lose

I f

t his

i tself o n

t he

i s

t o

T he

l ine

p eriod o f 4 0

1 9,

p eriod.

I n

o ur

S uperior C onjunction

l isted

a t

t he

b ottom

t he D eity M g lyph o f

T he 9 0-days w hen a dded

c olumn D 49a, 1 9.

t o

i s

t he s ubsequent p eriod u p u ntil t he n ext s hift w ould b e a m ethod o f r ecording t he

i nfluence t he

c ummulative

t he a lmanac o n p age D 46

g ives

t o

t he

a n ew

t he

1 988-day

t otal,

i nvisibility e nded,

2 078 V enus

r eappears a s E vening S tar i n t he w est r eaching t he E tz'nab d ays w ith t he n ew D resden D eity N p residing o ver t he e vent. T he w est/Deity N e vent

i s

d uely

s equence T he t o

p receeding

u nderstand

a lmanac. G rolier

A s p age

s tation

i s

o f

t he

t he

b e

u nusual f igure, Two

c olumn p osition

a t t o

l engthy

e xposition

u nique

t hough

S uperior t his

d ay.

O n

b lack

b ars

o f

t he

d ay

t o

t he

t his

r ight

o f

t he

M aya

c reating

a re

r ed

f our

k nown M aya

u ses

a re

s everal

i ndicate

a s tep

w hen

E tz'nab

d ate

o n

G od

N .

o ver o f

a lways

t ime

d ots

n ot

Though a

u ntil

i n

f or

w e

s tyle

o f

r ing

t his

E vening

S tar

a re w ritten

o n

i n a n

a nd

s ame

t he

M aya

t he

t he

d ay

o f

a T o

s ystem,

t he

e ach

w ith

n umbers

t o

a s

t he

9 0 t he

s eating o f D resden f igures

t o

t he

s tation.

s ubsequent T he

p age,

b ut

t he

G rolier w ith

a n

n umbers

a re

f ashion w ith a m aximum o f

m any

i t

o f

r each

t hese G rolier

t he r ight

g reater

c haracteristic;

w ill

f or

b undle,

b ar-and-dot

t hey u sually n umber

o f

e ach

r ing

b ut

v ersion

r elate

n ext

o n

r ed n umbers

s trings

i n

n umber".

r ing

l eft,

G rolier

a lso

w ay

W ithin

t he

c ontained

" ring

n umbers, t he

w as

r eaches

t he

s ee

w ill

t his

s uggest t o

n ot

M aya

s tyle

P ost-Classic

b e

a s

t hat

1 2

t han

c omes

d iscussed

b ook

w as

w hen

o f

t he

c ount g roups

d ots

a nd

4 u sing

n o

b ars

s trings

e ssentially

f rom

o f t he

i n

M aya

i s

a reas

l argely

j ust

t he

s uch

a s

a nd a cross t he l ower Yucatan p eninsular c oast o f Q uintana R oo. T he i conography r emarkably

c losely

p eninsular. o f

T ancah

a nd

t o

t hat

f ound

A r ecent

s tudy

b y

T ulum

c ontains

s tyle t o t hose f ound i n t he G rolier. m ost o f t his m aterial w as d iscovered u navailable

t o

a ny

p otential

f aker

4 1

t he

t he

T hompson

t hirteenth-century

b oundary

p aper,

t o

G rolier

o ther

t hree

t hroughout m uch o f M esoamerica E ric

C odex

G rolier

t his

s howing t he i nfluence, b roadly t he M ixteca-Puebla s tyle. T he

T hough

G rolier

t he

i n

c ompared

e xtensive

P eriod.

t hat

f ind

P ost-Classic

murals

a s

p eriod

N inety d ays

v igesimal

c ase,

t o

T his

i s c learly a h ybrid w hat h as b een c alled

a uthenticity

r elate

u s

G rolier

t he

d ay.

a re

t he

p otential

e vent

V enus

s tandard

" purely"

i nfluence

Yucatan

b efore

d ays

1 0

I n

d ate

t he

V enus

a M aya

I t o f

e xpect

9 0

t he D resden C odex s cheme,

c reation

c odices. s peaking,

t he

i t h elps t he

t radition o f c ounting.

n ot

I w ould

S tar

a s o-called

f or

I n

p age.

-

f unction

d ays, T he

i s

n ext

i n

H owever,

t wenty

t he

d eity

g roup o f t wenty a nd, w ith t he t wo a t otal o f 9 0 d ays i s i ndicated.

L amat

p eculiarity.

a ppear.

i n

t he

t ime.

t he

a g iven

f ormed

4 d ots.

t o

a s

n umbers

a dditional

i n

d epicted

J ust

d uration

b ack

a dded

D eath

p reside

i s

t hese

d ots.

T here

M ixtec

f irst

i n

o n a L amat

n umber

b undle,

o ne 1 0,

o f

t he

s ystem

r eappearance

5 ,

c ounts f or t he n umber

r ing

i n

g iven b ecause

M orning

r each

p age

o f t he f our d ots b ars r epresenting

D eity

w as

p arallel

C onjunction

G rolier

f or

t ied

t he

1 7

f orm a bove t he t wo-headed s erpent h eaddress o f t he s tanding w hich i s p robably t he G rolier v ersion o f D resden D eity M .

r ed-painted,

d ays,

1 6,

b elongs.

d isappearance

a dded

E tz'nab

a t

i t

i ndicated a bove, D resden c olumn D 49a c orresponds t o 5 a nd D 49b t o G 6. I n b oth c ases , t he f irst V enus

i nvisibility

must a n

r ecorded

o f D 49b w here

i n

o n

s ort

( 1975)

r ejected

s tylistic

g rounds,

o f c odex o ne w ould

M esoamerica C hiapas, t o a nd

a long A rthur

i mages

f rom

t he

G ulf

t he

C oast,

B elize a nd t he e ast s tyle o f t he G rolier t he

e ast

M iller

c oast

o f

t he

( 1982)

o f

t he

s trikingly

s imilar

i n

I t i s a lso s ignificant t hat r ecently a nd w as t hus l argely 1 966.

T he

d etails

o f

t hese

G rolier p age 9

F igure 3 A b lack-and-white r eproduction o f t he G rolier C odex p .9 w ith t he p reliminary r econstruction b y J .B. C arlson o f p . 1 0/11.

4 2

G rolier p age

4 3

1 0/11

a rguments, p oints

o f

p ublished T o

t ogether

s hown

a c areful

w ill

b e

c ritique

p resented

o f

T hompson's

i n a n e xpanded

( 1975)

s tudy t o b e

b y D umbarton O aks.

r eturn

b etween

w ith

r efutation

t he i n

b riefly

d eities

t he

t o

t he

q uestion o f

t he

i n

t he D resden

s equence

n amed

Grolier,

i n

only

t wo

p ossible

c ases

i s

r elationships

a nd

t hose

t here

f igures

a c lear-cut

c orrespondence. D resden D eity N h as a r ecognisable g lyphic n ame. I t i s S chellhas' G od A , t he D eath G od, w hich i s c learly d epicted w ith i ts c ollar o f " death e yes" o n t he a ppropriate G rolier p age 6 . D resden c an 9 .

D eity

Q i s

t he M aize G od,

b e m ade t hat t his i s I t i s d ifficult t o

c orrespondences. v ery

d ifferent

r egion,

e .g.

Yucatan, e qually c reate

T he

a nd

p erhaps

t he

even

i s

t o

T he

C odex

C hichen

s uch

i n

f or

c linching

Codex

t hat

p ossibly

h ave

who

h as

Maya

i s b een

d iscovered f or

i t

k nown

c omes

i nscriptions

i nitiated

a nd

a g ood c ase

p robably I tza.

d erives

O n

a f aker

s tylistically

t he

o f

f rom

o ther p ut

t he M aya n orthern

h and,

s ophisticated

1 960s w ould n ot e xample,

a re

c orners

i n m ore

D resden D eity

i t

e nough

i s t o

d etailed

I f rom D 48a,

G od G ).

t he G rolier C odex - N ew E vidence

e ssential

e vidence

f rom o pposite

( Schellhas'

Grolier T his

w hy

t he

a s,

t he M aya S un G od,

T he A uthenticity o f

c ome

i magine

G rolier C odex

c orrespondences, w hich

Dresden

d ifficult

G od E ,

D resden a nd G rolier C odices

p robably

t he

S chellhas'

t he f igure c orrectly s hown o n G rolier p age k now i f w e s hould e xpect more d etailed

a rgument

t o

f rom

t he

e vents

p urposes

t he

a uthenticity o f

i nformation

a p otential

t he

f aker

t hat

i n t he

c ould

t he not

e arly 1 960s.

r ecent w ork o f F loyd L ounsbury ( 1982)

V enus-related -

f or

c ontains

t hat

a nd

t imed

a re

b attles

o f o btaining

e vents o r

c aptives

i n

t he C lassic

r aids

f or

a pparently

s ubjugation o r

s acrifice. However, b efore p ursuing t he s ignificance o f t his d iscovery t o t he c ontent o f t he G rolier, w e m ust f irst e xamine t he s equence w ill

o f m acabre

f igures

s how - o n p age

f ound

o n G rolier

p ages

2 ,

6 a nd - a s w e

1 0.

While w orking o n t he i conography o f t he G rolier C odex a nd o ther V enus t ables d uring t he s ummer o f 1 982 a s a m ember o f t he D umbarton Oaks " Borgia Codex Group" S ummer S tudy S eminar, I c ame t o t he r ealisation t hat G rolier p age 1 1 m ust a ctually b e a f ragment o f p age 1 0.

I n

m issing

p rinciple, p ages.

c lear t hat 5 , must b e a lready

p age

H owever,

1 1

c ould h ave b een

f rom a d etailed

f rom a ny o f

l ook a t

i ts

t he

o ther

c ontents,

i t

1 0 i s

t he m acabre f igure o f p age 1 1, l ike t he p ersonage o n p age h olding u p a n a tlatl a s i ndicated b y t he d art t hat h e h as

l aunched

t oward

M easurements

o f

t he

t he

b ody o f w ater

b elow.

p ages w ere m ade

p ieces w ere s hifted

beneath t he p reliminary,

f eet o f t he s tanding f igures o n p ages 9 a nd 1 1. A t entative r econstruction i s o ffered i n F igure 3 , w hich

s hows

Grolier

r econstruction o n

p age

w hite

p age

f igure 1 1.

v ersion

i s

on

9 j oined t he

t o

t his

i n F igure 3 ,

c orroborated i s t he

n ot

G rolier

b y

c learly

c olour

4 4

f ixed b y a r ed b aseline

a h ypothetical

r econstructed

f urther

Though

d isplacement

t he

w ith

macabre

t he v ertical

a nd

h orizontally

a tlatl-wielding

p age

1 0/11.

This

t he w ater-staining p attern v isible

f acsimile

i n

s hows

t he b lack a nd a n a pproximate

m atch t he

o f

t he

unstained a rea b elow

u nderlying

b een

t orn.

t o v erify

f ibre

I t

o r

r emnant

w ill b e m ost

r efute

t his

o f

t he

p age

c hin o f

1 0

i mportant

h ypothetical

t he d eath

f rom w hich p age

t o e xamine

t he

f igure w ith 1

m ust

c odex

h ave

f irsthand

r econstruction.

I f f igure,

i ndeed t he o riginal G rolier p age 1 0 c ontained a s keletal i t f alls n aturally i nto a p attern w ith t he o ther m acabre

f igures

o n

p reside

o ver

S tar

p ages

f ollowing

l ikely

r etain

I t

h ad

Morning

s tations m odern n ever

o ne

have

b een

used

l ess

s tations

w ith

t he

n othing

f act

S tar

t o

t hat

H e

t hese w ith

f urther

i mplied

o ther

a t

t hat

t hat

t hat t hat

V enus

c hose

t o

g lyph

s ingle o ut

i gnore i s

r ise

t able

t he o ther

t he

a lleged

t he M aya w ould s tations,

t heir a ssociated d eities

Venus

t he

h eliacal

Dresden

a rgue

g rasped

w ould

a nd w ho w ould

a rguments t he

t o

w ho

a s E vening

p eriod.

i n V enus

e vent

h ad n ot

i n

s ame

( 1975)

i nterested

t hem a ll

t he

d eities o f V enus

t he E vening S tar

i mportant.

T hompson

a lmanac,

t o

t he w est

S uperior C onjunction,

t he G rolier

i nterested

t ables.

i n

T hompson's

o nly

M orning

l isted

D resden a s

He

o f

a t

c orrespond

o ver

t he

w ere

t his

much

t he M aya

D resden

o f

S tar. o nly

w ere

T hey

i nfluence

r eally

f abricator

t hough

a ppearance

i nvisibility

b een

i llustrates

6 .

f irst

t heir

M esoamericans a s

2 a nd

t he

t hat

e ven

f or

a ll

u sed

e ven i n t he i n t he

o f

t he

t he M orning S tar m anifestations

s pecial. B eginning

a nd

c hronicled

h as

b een

w ere

a ble

w ith i n t o

i nterested

e vents

t he

d epicted

t exts

b uild a m ost i n

" star-over-earth",

t he

t iming

L ounsbury

t hat

r aids

( 1982)

t he C lassic M aya

o r

b attle e vents

t o

i n t he V enus c ycle, b e t hey c alculated o r f or t he e vents i n q uestion a re t he s o-called

" star-over-shell",

main-sign" g lyphs.

f amous B onampak m urals

t he w alls,

c onvincing c ase

a strologically

s ignificant s tations o bserved. T he g lyphs

i n

p ainted o n

T hese

g lyphs h ave

a nd " star-over-emblem-glyph f or

s ome

t ime b een a ssociated

w ith r aids a nd w arfare. D avid K elley ( 1973, 1 977) h ad a lso b egun t o e xplore t he p ossibility t hat t hese " star" e vents w ere a ssociated w ith m anifestations o f V enus. U sing T hompson's o riginal 5 84,285 M aya-Christian t o

s how

t hat

c alendar

many

S ignificantly, o f E vening

a d raft t o t he

o f

t he

d iscuss, p aper

V enus

e vent

n umerous

L ounsbury

e vents

L ounsbury's

p aper

t hings,

( 1982)

h as

b een a ble

a ssociated w ith V enus.

e ight

p resentation

u ntil J uly 2 1,

o ther

a re

c ategory o f e vent

Oxford A rchaeoastronomy

among

w as

" star"

f or w hich L ounsbury c ites

h eard 1 981

c orrelation,

t he

t he m ost

S tar,

I had S eptember

o f

o f

i s

t he a ppearance

e xamples. t hese

r esults

a t

S ymposium b ut h ad n ever

t he s een

1 982 w hen I v isited h im a t Y ale

t he G rolier C odex.

T he

p reprint

o f

a r evelation b ecause L ounsbury h ad d iscovered a nother

g lyph,

a " toothy

s kull w ith d istinctive m arkings"

( see

F igure 4 ). This t oothy s kull g lyph i s a lso u sed a s a n i conographic e lement i n e xamples s uch a s t he h eaddresses w orn b y f igures o n S tela 1 6 a nd o n T emple I V L intel 3 a t T ikal ( also s hown i n F igure 4 ). I n e ither V enus

g lyphic

e vent, This

a strology;

o r

i conographic

a nd w ith

e xciting

c ontext,

t he E vening S tar d iscovery

s pecifically,

i t

1 +5

a ssociation

i s w ith a

i n p articular.

provides

c onnects

t he

n ew

i nsight

t he v arious V enus

i nto

e vents

M aya

a nd

4

5

6

7

8

9

H istory o f K atun C lause

F igure panel

4 (a) of

S chele K atun i s i s

- T wo

t he

a ssociated f ound

p osition

t he

" toothy w ith

o f

m otion

T he

t he h istorical o f

a ppearance

t he H istory 1 6. a s

r elative

o f

T he t his t he

( Clause

g lyph o f

t exts

I nscriptions i s

f ound

E vening

o f K atun

B o f

1 2),

p assage S tar,

s un.

4 6

t he

m arks

a t

B

f rom t he I n

e vent

t ime w hen

( from

H istory

p osition A 5

S tar.

t he

t he m iddle

t ablets

t he V enus

" star—over—shell"

E vening t o

t he

e xample

s kull" V enus

d ate

V enus

f rom

T emple f irst

a n

B o f

p osition

G 7.

e longation a pparent

I n

( Clause a t

c lauses

P alenque

1 980).

e xample

C lause

B

t he

1 1)

H istory o f Katun 1 2

1 1

t he

o f a nd

s econd

s kull

g lyph

g lyph

i s

a t

m aximum e astern i t

r everses

i ts

A l

A 2

A 3

A 4

B I

C I

8 2

C 2

8 3

C3

8 4

F igure 4 (h)

C4

D rawing o f

T ikal S tela

1 6 b y W .R . Coe ( from J ones 1 977:

3 8) . T he " toothy s kull" V enus s erves a s t he h eaddress o f R uler A , a nd t he " star" V enus s ymbol m ay b e s een a t t he b ack o f t he s kull . T he d ate, 9 .14.0 .0 .0 6A hau 1 3 Muan, c oincides w ith t he f irst a ppearance o f t he E vening S tar.

4 7

A

2

3 4 5 6 7

F igure 4 ( c)

D rawing o f T ikal L intel 3 f rom T emple I V b y W .R . C oe

( from

J ones

V enus

s ymbol a t

1 977:

4 6).

T he

" toothy

t he b ack f orms

s tanding f igure .

I n t he g lyphic t ext

o ver-shell" V enus

e vent

event occurred o n t he i ndicated a t p osition B 3, o n t his d ay, p recise

i s

s kull"

p art o f t o

i ndicated a t

with

t he

t he h eaddress t he

l eft,

" star" o f

t he

a " star-

p osition B 4a .

T his

date ( 9.15.12.2.2) 1 1 I k 1 5 Chen A 4. L ounsbury ( 1982: 1 57) n otes t hat

July 2 8 A .D. 7 43,

" Venus a s Morning S tar was i n

c onjunction w ith M ercury."

4 8

e

*• t r i-

e

•

r " :1ef 1 1 11 i df az . 1 , 1 10 1 7 .

e dp .

l i k e,

F igure 5

I f i r

• 4 %.

Ap en-and-ink d rawing f rom S eler ( 1961:

g od T lahuizcalpantecuhtli ; R emensis

f rom T recena

( 1899).

4 9

I X o f

7 0) o f t he V enus C odex T elleriano-

m ilitary g lyph 6 ,

v entures.

w ith

a nd

t he

1 0/11

S tar.

N o

I t

a lso d irectly c orrelates

s equence

which

o f

c orrespond

h ypothetical

c ould p ossibly s pecific p ages.

t hree m acabre

h ave

t o

f aker

k nown

i n

t o

t he t he

p ut

t he d eath-head V enus

f igures f irst

1 960s,

s uch

o n G rolier

a ppearance n o

p ages 2 ,

o f E vening

m atter h ow c lever,

s keletal

f igures

o n

t hose

One f urther p iece of c onfirming evidence c omes f rom t he p ost-conquest C odex T elleriano-Remensis ( 1899) f rom C entral M exico. T he m ain f igure d epicted o n t he p age d escribing t he n inth " Trecena" ( the n inth o f a s eries o f 1 3-day d ivisions o f t he 2 60-day A lmanac), i s

T lahuizcalpantecuhtli,

5 ).

T his

g od

r endition

w ith

b ody.

h is

h ead

-

t o

t he

n asal

m eaning

o f

S panish g loss b elow t he E ste ameceqe

t lauiz y l o

a noche er.

E ste

p rosteros.

H e

t he

L ord

l ord o f

a round

b oth

i t

s eems

t o

s how

d e

o f

t his

t he

b oth o f

h ead

c learly

b eing

E vening

S tar

b ack

o f

t he

o f T lahuizcalpantecuhtli.

p ortrayal

i s

g iven

b y

t he

d ezir

l a

m anana

q uando

c laridad

q uando

q uiere

t reze

l ord o f 1 3

o f

m eans

a rtist t he

t hey

a s

a s tatement c onquest,

o f

a yunavan

l os q uatro

o f

t he m orning w hen

o f

t hat,

t he

a t

l ast

l east

f our.

i n C entral

T lahuizcalpantecuhtli w as

t he E vening S tar.

F urthermore,

t he C odex T elleriano-Remensis

E vening

o f

t he V enus G od w ith

S tar.

W hen w e c ompare

o f G rolier p age 6 ,

O ther

s keletal

i t

s tar w hen e vening c omes.

f asted d uring

t he

s acrificer

s triking.

l ord

t hat b right

d ays,

g loss

t ime

d ias,

1 988:26).

r endered:

t hese m anifestations

w ith

f lint b lade

t he

q uiere

d estros

t he M orning S tar a nd

t hat

p articularly

i s

t hese

t he

t o

t he

s triped

a quella

p assage m ay b e

e qually h e

a nd

s kull w ith

a ttached

u nusual

s enor

s ef lor

t his

I i ntcrpret M exico

t his

( see F igure p ortrays

h eaddress,

t oothy

s een

t he h eaddress

T lahuizcalpantecuhtli

a nd

i s

t he

o f D awn"

p icture:

e s

e s

t he M orning S tar

t he H ouse

( Codex T elleriano-Remensis

T ranslated, T his

i s

c avity

calpantecutli

mesmo

o f

o f

f ace-painting,

f eature h owever

f rom t he

g od

" Lord

a d eath h ead w earing

A c lue

d awns

t he

t he

c haracteristic

A u nique

p rotruding

o f

f orms

t he

i ntended t he d eath

t his

f igure

c oincidence

i s

o f T lahuizcalpantecu

htli m ay b e s een i n t he B orgia well a s on t he T izatlän m urals

a nd C ospi C odices ( Seler 1 904) a s ( Noguera 1 927). I n t hese c ases

a lso,

m ay

I would

manifestations k now

t he

o btain t he

s uggest o f

t he

t hat

w e

d eity,

b e

v iewing

a m acabre V enus

t he

Maya a ssociated w ith a strologically-timed

c aptives.

c ase

both

t radition a nd

T hese C entral M exican e xamples

f or

f or

t he

t he

pan-Mesoamerican

g enuineness

o f

Evening

c haracter

S tar

t hat w e n ow

r aiding e vents f urther

n ature

o f

t o

s trengthen t his

V enus

t he G rolier C odex.

C onclusion T he

G rolier C odex,

discovery,

d espite

provides

a most

t he u nfortunate i mportant

c ircumstances

c ontribution

u nderstanding o f

t he P ost-Classic M esoamerican w orld.

i t

l ook a t

g ive

p lace

u s

i n

a n ew t he

Maya

a rea

t he a t

p rocess t hat

o f

t ime,

5 0

c ultural b ut

i t

N ot

i ts o ur

o nly d oes

a malgamation a lso

o f t o

t aking

c orroborates

and

c ontributes

Mesoamericans Morning

t o

o f

t he

V enus

n ew

e vidence

e vents

o ther

f or

t han

t he

i mportance

t he h eliacal

o f

t he

o f

t he

r ise

S tar.

B ecause

o f

t he

l ingering

q uestions

a bout

t he

a uthenticity o f

t he G rolier C odex, v ery l ittle i f a ny r esearch h as b een d one s ince i t w as f irst p ublicly d isplayed i n t he e arly 1 970s. F urthermore, t he

m anuscript

been

h as

e ssentially

t he

C odex

kept

i n

Mexico l ight

i s

t he

o wned

R adiocarbon o f

s mall

t he

analysed

c odex

c hemically

patterns s ections

a ctual

o f

water

o f

t he

s hould

i n b e

t echnique,

s taining

f ibers

f itted

i t

i s

n ow

M useum

b e m ade

u sing

p aint

b e

n ow

o f

o f m odern

s hould

t hat

i n

i n t he

p aper.

o btained, T he

t races

c odex m ay h ave

s hould

i t h as

t echnically

A nthropological

t his

f or

p ages.

f or a ny

T hough

I u nderstand

N ational

p resented

t o M exico w here

s tudy.

r e-examination

d ates

s ample

S a6nz,

t he

A c areful

b een r eturned

f or g eneral

J osu6 o f

t he n ew e vidence

developed one

b y

" bodega"

C ity.

o f

a pparently

unavailable

t he

t he b ark a nd

i nks

r ecently p aper

s tucco

o r

e xamined

p igments. t o

t ogether w hen

f rom

m ust

s ee

h ow

f ound.

b e T he t he

I n

t his

context, I b elieve t hat t he e vidence s uggests t hat t he c odex m ay have b een d amaged o r t ampered w ith a t s ome t ime i n a ntiquity a fter i ts

p lacement

may

b e

i n

p ossible

a ttached

t o

t he

F inally,

t he

t o

c ache -

t ell

i f

l ong b efore

t he

p resent m anuscript i t

s hould

b e

i ts m odern d iscovery.

t en m issing p ages w hen

p ossible

f ound b y t o

o f

I t

t he a lmanac w ere

t he h uaqueros.

v erify

t he h ypothesis

t hat

Grolier p age 1 1 i s a ctually t he l ower p ortion o f p age 1 0. I t i s c lear f rom t he p ublished f acsimile ( Coe 1 973) t hat t he l ower p ortion of

p age

1 0

had

b een

r ipped

f ibrous

p aper.

S ince

t he

portion

o f

a rea,

i t

s taining

t his

a nd

f iber

o ff

p age

l eaving 1 1

s hould

p atterns

p lies

o f

t he

b e

p ossible

t o a scertain

t he

t o

c ompare

p recise

p age

t he

1 1.

o riginal I n

t he

T his

must

c ertainly b e

s hould v erify Handbook

o f

f rom

t he

e arly

s ubstantially s eventeenth t he t his

o nly

o ne

Middle

American

e ntry

p eriod.

T he

t he

c orpus

o f

i n

G lass'

c ensus.

c urrently M exican

a vailable

f or

a n

i nspection o f

I ndians,

John

G lass

s ixteen k nown p reconquest p ictorial - a nd t wo o f t hese m ay a ctually d ate

thirteenth-century t o

i mportant

a nd m ade

c olonial

a nd

s eems t o b e i n t he r ight e dge

t his.

( 1975:12) l ists t he only manuscripts o f M esoamerica hybrid-style

i ncorrect

t he w ater

r elationship o f

t he t wo p ieces. F urthermore, t he p ublished f acsimile error i n a ttaching a p iece o f r ed-painted b order t o of

u nderlying

f ragment w ould h ave o verlapped a

G rolier Maya

p re-Columbian i s

t he

i n M exico.

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n ational

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a lmanac,

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N OTAS

1 C omo e l O bservatorio A stronömico ( Grupo E ) e n U axactün P eten , p ara d eterminar l as f echas d e l os s olsticios y l os e quinoccios ( Morley 1 980). E l O bservatorio o C aracol e n C hichen I tzä, p ara d eterminar l as f echas d e e quinoccios y l a p uesta l unar c on m axima d eclinaci6n e l 2 2 d e m arzo ( Ricketson 1 928, e n A veni 1 980), a si c omo l os e ventos d e V enus y e l s ol q ue o curren s egün 2 0 a lineaciones a rquitect6nicas ( Aveni, G ibbs, H artung 1 975). T ambien l as e structuras C y D e n X ochicalco , s ef ialando e l o cultamiento s olar e n l os d ias d e p osiciön c enital c on l a l fnea v isual d esde l a " Estela d e l os g lifos" h asta e l c anto d e l a b ase d erecha d e l a e structura D . ( Aveni 1 975) . L a o rientaciön d e e stas e structuras t ambign s ef iala e l p unto e n e l h orizonte ( Ponce d e L e6n 1 982) e n e l q ue e l s ol s e o culta 3 d fas d espugs d el e quinoccio, s ef ialando e l c uarto s ubmültiplo c alendärico d el a f io. C omo l as e staciones n o s on i guales e n n ümero d e d ias , e l e quinoccio n o e s l a c uarta p arte d el a no, s ino l os d ias s ef ialados p or e stas e structuras . T ambign e s c onocida h istöricamente l a f estividad d e T lacaxipehualiztli q ue s e h acia c uando e l s ol e staba e n m edio d e H uichilobos , c uyo f en6meno v isual p udiera s er s emejante a l q ue s e o bserva e n T eopanzolco ( vgase f oto 4 ) y q ue e n l a C iudad d e Mexico a ctualmente s e r egistra ü nicamente p or s us c alles ( vease f oto 7 ) . E stelas 1 0 y 1 2 e n C opan H onduras ( Aveni 1 980) c uyo e je s ef iala e l o cultamiento d el s ol l os d ias 1 2 d e a bril y 1 d e s eptiembre.

2 L os e jes o riente-poniente, o rientaciones e n l a A merica a ntigua

3 S e l e h a ( Tichy 1 978).

l lamado

e n l a g räfica ( Aveni 1 980).

t ambign " posici6n

q ue

r esume

l as

s olar e n e l h orizonte"

4 A lgunas e structuras ( principalmente e n e l P recläsico) e stän o rientadas h acia e l n orte d el o riente, e s d ecir r egistran e n p rimavera y v erano, p ero a l a manecer.

5 E sto d ifiere d el c oncepto t radicional q ue d esde l os p rimeros c ronistas s e h a c onocido ( Carrasco 1 980 y C aso 1 968).

6 J uan P alacios e n 1 934 e n s u e studio s obre e l p rincipio d el s iglo i ndigena t ampoco i ncluye e l d fa b isiesto, p ero c omo e l p ortador l o c onsidera e l p rincipio d el a f io c alendärico, l a f echa d el F uego N uevo ü ltimo e n M esoamgrica l e r esulta e l 2 A catl, 7 d e mayo ( juliano) d e 1 507, d espugs a l t ransportar l a f iesta d el 2 A catl a l 4 A catl ( segün C himalpain) o btiene e l 2 6 d e j ulio d el m ismo a f io, ( 80 d ias d espugs) d ia d el s egundo p aso c enital e n T enayuca.

8 7

7 D ifiere d el d ato ( 1507) q ue t radicionalmente s e ha c onocido, p orque e l p ortador d el a fo 3 C alli (A s o e n q ue e s c onquistada d efinitivamente T enochtitlan) r esulta e n 1 522 y n o e n 1 521, y a q ue a l c onsiderar e ste p ortador a l f inal y n o a l p rincipio d el a go p rehispänico, r esulta q ue a l a r io c ristiano d e 1 521, t ermina 1 8 d ias a ntes d el d ia 3 C alli p or l o q ue ä ste c ae a l 1 8 d e e nero d e 1 522 ( juliano), e quivalente a l 2 7 d e e nero d el a ho g regoriano d e 1 522, c ontinuando c on e sta c orrelaci6n ( sin l a i nclusi6n d e d ias b isiestos) s e d educe q ue l a f echa c ristiana e n q ue s e c elebr6 e l C i ltimo F uego N uevo, q ue d io n ombre a l a nterior c iclo d e 5 2 anos, f ue e l d ia 3 1 d e e nero d el a n( ) 1 508.

8 T ezozomoc ( Garcia 1 975) s enala F uego N uevo o s e " ataron l os a f los" :

l os l ugares d onde d escendiö e l 1 090 e n A cahualitzingo ; 142

e n C oatepec ; 1 194 e n T ecpayoacan-h asta a qui e n a hos C etochtli-1 247 e n C hapultepec; 1 299 e n C ulhuacan y d e l a s exta e n a delante, y a n o l as p recisa . C himalpain d ice ( Garcia 1 975): ' nuestros a hos s e a tan e n l a c umbre d el Huizachtecatl, c ae-e l f uego-e n e l e ncendedor d e b arrena".

9

S i e l p ortador d el a ho 2 A catl,

f uese e l d ia ültimo d e l os

N emontemi ( 25 d e f ebrero d e 1 404) e ntonces e l r egistro s olar d e l a e structura c inco d ias a ntes 1 0 T ochtli ( 20 d e f ebrero d e 1 404), t endria e l l ugar ü ltimo d el m es X VIII q ue e n l a c ronologia d e C aso l o o cupa e l p ortador 2 A catl.

1 0

i Podria s er a caso ä sta u na d e l as r azones d e l a p eregrinaci6n

a ztecaT

1 1 L os v alores d ados h asta a ntes d e l as e xcavaciones h an s ido: 7° 3 0 ' ( Aveni 1 977) y 7° 0 0 ' ( Tichy 1 978). L os r esultados o btenidos e n marzo d e 1 981 p or q uien e sto e scribe, e n l a r ealizaciön d e l as m ediciones a cimutales d e l os e jes p rincipales y d e l as e structuras v isibles ( en e sa e tapa d e l as i nvestigaciones) d el T emplo Mayor y l as d iferencias que entre s i guardaban entonces, s on l os s iguientes . P ara l a s egunda f ase c onstructiva ( misma q ue c uenta , an c on l os d os t empletes) s e midieron d os e jes . E l e je s uperior q ue p asa e n m edio d e l os d os t emplos, y e l e je v irtual i nferior q ue v a d e l a p arte media i nferior ( entre l as d os e scaleras e n e l nivel d e d esplante d e ä stas) h acia l a p arte m edia d e l a e ntre c alle ( ranura o j unta) o puesta a l as e scaleras e n e l n ivel d e d esplante a ctual d el m onumento . P ara e l p rimero e l v alor r esultante f ue d e 9 7° 2 5 ' ( medido a p artir d el n orte a stronömico) y p ara e l s egundo d e 9 80 4 8% E s d e c onsiderar q ue e l d esplome q ue p resentan l as f achadas o riente y p oniente d e d icha f ase c onstructiva f ue m otivado p or e l " bufamiento" d el t erreno c uyo c omportamiento n o h a s ido h omogäneo e n t oda l a s uperficie d e l as e xcavaciones , e nconträndose q ue l a m ayor e levaci6n o b ufamiento s e h a r egistrado e n l a p arte s ureste d el monument°, r az6n p or l a c ual s e h a p ropiciado u na d iferencia a cimutal e ntre l os e jes m encionados d e l a e structura . P ara l as ü ltimas e tapas c onstructivas d e l a f achada p rincipal, c onsideradas a p artir d e l a t ercera f ase , e l e je q ue s e h a l ogrado

8 8

m edir

h asta

l a

f echa

e s

e l

q ue

v a

s obre

l a p arte m edia s uperior

( entre l as d os e scaleras) d e c ada u na d e l as e structuras . E ste e je p resenta u na m edici6n d e 9 6° 0 2' c on u na d iferencia a proximada d e - 10 2 3 ' c on r especto a l e je s uperior d e l a s egunda f ase y d e - 2° 4 6 ' c on r elaciön a l e je i nterior d e l a m isma . S i c onsideramos q ue e stas d el

ü ltimas

f ases

t erreno a l

i niciar

l as

( semejante

f ueron

f altar

l a

a fectadas

c arga

e xcavaciones,

a l

e xistente

c on

e s

e n

d e

l a

t ambien

l a

q ue

s uponer

s egunda

p or

e staba q ue

f ase)

e l

l evantamiento

t rabajando

a ntes

e xista

e sviaje

e ntre

e l

u n

e je

d e

s uperior ,

c on r especto a l i nferior o s ea q ue s i a l a m ediciön r ealizada d e 9 6° 0 2' l e a dicionamos l a d iferencia o btenida ( 1° 2 3 ') q ue e xiste c on r especto

a l a

s uperior

d e

p rincipales

s egunda

9 7° d e

f ase,

2 5 '.

l a

P or

t raza

nos

o tro

c olonial

d arä

l ado d e

u n

e s

l a

v alor

p ara

c ongruente

C iudad

d e

e ste

q ue

M exico

e je

l os

e jes

t uviesen

l a

m isma o rientaciön q ue l a ü ltima f ase c onstructiva p rehispänica o s ea 9 7 o 3 , 9, ( promedio) que e s p räcticamente e l mismo d e 9 7° 2 5 ' s upuesto

p or c omparaciön d eductiva

c on r especto

a l a

s egunda

f ase.

C onclusiones: E l e je d el p asillo d e l a s egunda f ase ( perimetral) c onsiderar c on u n v alor o riginal c ercano a l os 9 8° 4 8'. I I

L os

m uros

o riente

y p oniente

t ienen

7° 3 0 ',

e l

I II

f ase h asta l a ü ltima

E l

e je,

c onsiderar I V

E l

d esde

c on

u n

T emplo

l a

t ercera

p asillo

l os

s ur t ienen 9 7° 3 0 '; p or l o q ue c on r especto a l a e structura.

c entral

s e p uede

m uros

q ueda

n orte y

d escuadrado

f ase ,

s e

p uede

v alor o riginal a l os 9 7° 2 5'. Mayor

p resenta

u n

e sviaje

e n

l os

e jes

o riente-

p oniente d e l a s egunda f ase ( pasillo c entral) c on r especto a l e je q ue c omprende l as f ases p osteriores ( de v alor a proximado e s d e 11 ) 2 3'.

l a

V

d el

P ensando

e n

q ue

l a

o rientaciön

t ercera a l a ü ltima) c uyo

p asillo

c entral

s egunda f ase s ehalarä l a p osiciön s olar e n e l horizonte, c uatro

l os

d ias

s enalados:

o ctubre y a l

p oniente

e sto

c ontexto

h ajo

e l

e l

a l

2 4

d e

o riente

2 8-29

s eptiembre y e l

e stablecido

( vgase

d e

f ebrero

1 0 d e

l ämina 4 )

l a

d e

l a

s erian y 1 0

a bril .

d e

V isto

p rimera

f echa

n os i ndicaria que l a s egunda f ase s e habria c onstruido p or e l a ho 1 400 d .C., d espugs d e l a 3 a. f ase, l o c ual e s i ncongruente . L a s egunda f echa n os i ndicaria q ue e sta f ase s e h ubiese c onstruido p or e l 5 00 d .C., c osa q ue t ambien e s i mprobable , p ero l a c uarta f echa , p or e l an( ) 1 200 d .C . s e a proxima a l o q ue mencionan a lgunos i nvestigadores ( Vega 1 979) s obre e l a sentamiento a nterior a l a f undaciön p or

1 2

A demäs

l os

a ztecas.

e xisten v arios

e jes

e n l a

C iudad

d e

M exico,

c uyo

t razo

u rbano e s herencia e n gran medida d e l a antigua c iudad d e T enochtitlan , q ue p resenta c omo m uchos s itios e n M esoamgrica u na r elaci6n l ugar

d e ubicaciön

d el

T emplo l a

M ayor

e jes .

E l

d e

C alzada

d e

V allejo,

c on s e

o riginal q ue

r especto a o tros

e ncuentra C alzada

u nia

l a

d e

p osiblemente

T enayuca

( Gonzalez

P irämide

8 9

l ugares.

d efinido d e

T enayuca ,

A si,

e l

p or

t res

1 973),

h oy

T lateloco,

e l T emplo M ayor d e T enoc -htitlan , e l C apulli , Z oquiapan , l a q ue f uera i sleta d e A colco, y r emataba e n e l c entro d e H uixachtitlan , u niendo e stos

s itios e n f orma s imb6lica y f isica .

O tro e je q ue

p osiblemente d efine l a u bicaci6n d e e sta a ntigua c iudad ( vgase p iano 1 ) e s e l q ue c ontiene l a t raza d el c entro c eremonial y c iudad d e C holula e n P uebla ( Ponce d e L e6n 1 982), c uyo r umbo a stron6mico s ef iala e l s olsticio d e i nvierno, e ste e je d espugs d e s e f ialar e n e l p orteaguas d e l a C uenca, e l c erro T ehuicocone c omo mojonera n atural, c ruza p or e l T emplo M ayor . E l t ercer e je p ropuesto p ara e sta c iudad ( v ase p iano 1 ), e s a quel q ue v a d el T emplo Mayor a l c erro d e C hiquihuite ( Ponce d e L e6n 1 982), q ue d efiniria e l n orte a stron6mico, e s d ecir , l as e strellas s ituadas a rriba d e l a c umbre d el c erro g irarian a lrededor d e u n p unto s ituado s obre e ste m ismo, v isto d esde e l T emplo M ayor.

1 3

E sta

f echa

y a

c orrespondientes, ( Tichy 1 978).

1 4

S egün

l as

h abia

s ido

1 0 d e o ctubre,

f uentes

e l

a i io

mencionada, 6 d e

f ue

1 325,

p ero,

c ronologia d e A lfonso C aso, e l a no 2 C alli e s e l l a p osici6n d el p ortador d el a no ( v ase n ota 7 ).

1 5

L a

o rientaci6n

d e

l os

d iferentes

a si

s eptiembre

p anos

c omo

a plicando

1 326 y e sto e s

p or

l as

y 6 d e a bril

e jemplo

l a p or

e n

l a

P irämide d e Quetzalcoatl v arfan d e 0° a 2° 1 7 ' a l s ur d el o riente, p or l o q ue t omamos e l p romedio e ntre 1° 1 2' y 1° 5 0' ( Aveni 1 980).

1 6

E l

o tro

e je,

n orte-sur,

d e

e sta e structura

c ruza

p or

l os

s iguientes s itios ( Ponce d e L e6n 1 982): p rincipia a l s ur e n e l c erro A catipa ( v ase p iano 1 ) q ue c ontiene r estos a rqueol6gicos, s igue a l n orte p or l a P irämide d e T eopanzolco, c ontinüa m äs a l n orte p or e l v olcän T res C ruces n orte-sur d e

( por e l q ue t ambign c ruza e l e je

l a S erpiente E mplumada d e X ochicalco) ( v ase n ota 2 8)

y

t ermina e n l a P irämide d e T gquipa a l s ureste d el p ueblo d el A jusco . D e e sta f orma, e ste e je u ne t res s itios a rqueol6gicos, d os e n el V alle d e C uauhnahuac y u no e n e l V alle d e Mgxico. E sta u ni6n d e t res s itios a rqueol6gicos, p or e l m ismo e je , n o e s e l ü nico c aso e n e l A ltiplano, y a q ue T eotenango, C uicuilco y l a P irämide d el F uego N uevo e n I ztapalapa ( Ponce d e L e6n 1 982) s on u nidos p or u n e je s olsticial ( v ase n ota 2 0). E l m ismo c aso e s e l e je q ue u ne Malinalco, L a P irämide d e P alpan d e B aranda y X ochicalco ( Ponce d e L e6n 1 982). E l s ignificado d e e sta u ni6n, q uiz äs imb6lica , d e s itios a rqueol6gicos d e d iferentes g pocas c ulturales , n o l a s abemos p ero d udamos

s ea c ircunstancial.

1 7 E n g eneral l a o rientaci6n d e l as e structuras p iramidales e n Mesoamgrica s e p resenta d e l a s iguiente f orma . C uando e s a l o riente , s eia1a h acia e l s ur-oriente y c uando e s a l p oniente s ef iala n or-poniente, p ero T lapacoya , n or-oriente y a l s ur-poniente .

c omo a lgunas o tras , m ira h acia e l E ste g rupo d e o rientaciones t ienen

e n c omün e l p ertenecer a l P recläsico

9 0

( vgase n ota 4 ).

1 8

C omo

c erro n o e l

l a P irämide e s

c erro,

1 9

d e

T lapacoya e stä e n l a l adera n or-oriente d el

p osible v isar e l h orizonte s iendo v isible

S i b ien e l p eriodo d e

h asta e l p eriodo ( Pi5a 1 963).

2 0

S e

p uede

manifiestan p oniente,

a zteca,

d ecir

t res 0°

q ue

t ipos

3 0 ',

p oniente ,

y a q ue

l o o bstruye

ü nicamente e l h orizonte o riente.

a sentamiento

e n T lapacoya

e l

g ste

e n

i nicio

l a

P irämide

d e e jes:

e l d e

d e

e l

q ue

r edonda

s er ialan

l a t umba s uperior

s e p rolonga

e s e n e l P recläsico

d e

l as

C uicuilco

r ampas

1 8° a prox. y e l d e

t umba i nferior c on 2 6° a prox . a l n orte d el o riente l os t res. l a

d iferencia

d e

e jes

l a

variaciön

d e

o rientaciones

e n

l a

m isma

e structura

c onforme

c ongruente e l q ue l a t umba i nferior, r egistre s olisticialmente e n j unio Cuicuilco-Teotenango) ( v ase nota

s e

o riente-

y b ajo

p asa

e l

e l

l a P or

c ontexto

t iempo,

d e

p arece

c onstruida p rimeramente, ( como e l e je I ztapalapa1 6), l a t umba s uperior

( construida d espues) r egistre e n mayo y l a e structura q ue p resenta l as r ampas ( construidas e n l os ü ltimos a nos d e s u o cupaci6n) r egistre e n m arzo, s iguiendo e l s entido i nverso a l as e staciones.

2 1

L a

r ampa

varian

p oniente

2°

9 5°

E n

e l

r egistren

l a

v alores

( Aveni

A ltiplano l as

a signados

norte,

a e sta

por

p irämide:

n o

s e

h an

e n

e l

s olar

e structuras

i dentificado

h orizonte

e ncuentra

9 7° 3 8 ',

c on

C y D t ambign

j unto a l a A lberca

e n

e structuras

e xactamente

e l

d ia

q ue d el

r egistro m s c ercano p ueden s er:

e l Juego d e P elota e n X ochicalco ( vganse f otos e structuras

l o

1 980).

p osiciön

e quinoccio;

d el

o rientaciones q ue

2 2

oriente

c uyas

c oinciden

y 9 1° 4 3'

a l

e scalones

l as

l os

8°

t res

que

c on

a

p resenta

p erpendiculares a e stas t errazas s erian d e 9 2° a 9 8° a prox ., 4 2'

de

X ochicalco,

d e V illa

1 6, l a

O limpica,

1 7 y 1 8),

P irämide q ue

a im

l as

q ue

c uenta

s e c on

e l d esplante d e muros e stucados y c uya o rientaci6n d ifiere e n 0 .5 g rado

a l

o riente

p oniente

a stronömico .

E sto n os

h ace

p ensar

e n

l a

d ivisi6n d el " a5o n umerico" o " dias d e m itad d el a f lo" ( Tichy 1 978; C arrasco

1 980)

i ntervalo

ms

c orrespondientes s encillo

e ntre

a l

e l

2 4

d e

m arzo

s olsticio

y 2 0

e stival

d e

s eptiembre,

e i nvernal.

E l

T empi° Mayor d e T enochtitlan p udo haber r egistrado e l e quinoccio mediante ( Aveni

l a

1 978;

e xistir

p osiciön

s olar

c on

2 2° d e a ltura

v ase t ambign f oto 4 ).

e dificios

e n C hichen I tzä,

q ue

r egistran

e ste

s obre e l h orizonte

E n l a z ona maya s i p arecen d ia ,

y s on

b astante

c onocidos

U axactün e tc.

2 3 A ctualmente l a e femgride s olar o riente d e l a e structura m s i mportante e n V illa O limpica, q ue a ün c uenta c on p at ios d e muros c onfiables, o bstruyen l os

d esgraciadamente n o s e p uede o bservar, p ues e dificios c olindantes a l a P irämide; p ero e n b ase

c älculo h echo

m ediante

l ecturas

s olares,

s e

l a

r esoluciön d el t riängulo a stronömico,

p uede

d ecir q ue

9 1

e ste

r egistro

s olar

l a a l p or

s e l leva a

c abo t ambign t res n ota 2 2 . ).

d ias

d espugs d el e quinoccio d e p rimavera ( vgase

2 4 Med ia n te a nälisis d e f otos a greas e stereosc6picas y c artografias ( SDM . S PP . C AVM) s e p uede a preciar , e n c onjunto , u na d esviaciön e n l a o rientaciön d e l a P irämide d el S ol c on r especto a l a C alzada d e l os Muertos o i nclusive c on l a A venida E ste-Oeste . P ero l a c omprobaciön f isica , m ediante l a m ediciön t opogräfica q ue h emos l levado a c abo, r efleja v ariaciones e n l os d iferentes p aeos.

2 5 P arece c oincidir c on l a o rientaciön d e l a C iudadela, 1 6° 5 5 ' a l s ur d el o riente ( Aveni 1 980) . M illön ( 1968) l e a tribuye l a m isma o rientaciön a l a P irämide d el S ol y a l a C alzada d e l os Muertos . Marquina ( 1964) l e a signa a proximadamente 1 70; A veni ( 1980) n o l e a signa v alor y G aitän ( 1974) l e a signa 1 6° 3 0'.

2 6 P ara e ste t ipo d e o rientaciones ( 17 ° ) s e l e a signa c omo f echas d e r egistro ( Tichy 1 978) e l 4 d e f ebrero , 5d e m ayo, 8 d e a gosto y 7 d e n oviembre , q ue d efinen o cho p eriodos d el c alendario n umgrico ( Carrasco 1 980).

2 7 T ichy l e a signa 2 5° ( Tichy 1 978) y A veni s egün v arias f aces: 2 6° 1 6', 2 4° 1 5', 2 3° 4 7', 2 5° 3 2' y 2 5° 3 8'.

2 8 E l e je o riente-poniente d e e sta p irämide ( vgase p iano 1 ) q ueda s egalado a l o riente p or e l c erro J umiltepec ( Ponce d e L eön 1 982) c uya c umbre c ontiene r estos d e e dificios p rehispänicos r odeados p or u n f oso p erimetral q ue c ircunda e l s itio . L a c ornisa n orte mide 1 05 ° 3 9 ', l a s ur 1 06 ° 0 9 ', l o q ue p romedia 1 05 ° 5 4 ' ( 106 a prox.), l o c ual c oncuerda c on e l r egistro s olar a l o riente, c onstatado f otogräficamente ( vganse f otos 1 , 2y 3 ). P or f ases A veni m ide 2 76 ° 4 5 ' y 2 77 ° 1 3 ' ( Aveni 1 980) . D e f orma s emejante a l a P irämide d e T eopanzolco e l e je n orte d e e sta p irämide s enala a l C erro d e T res C umbres, e n l a p arte mäs a lta d e l a s ierra q ue s epara e l V alle d e C uauhnahuac d el V alle d e M exico ( vgase n ota 1 6).

2 9 A l p oniente d e l a P irämide d e l a S erpiente Emplumada , s e e ncuentra u na e structura m s a lta c uya o rientaciön v aria 0 .5 g rado h acia e l n orte d el p oniente c on r especto a l a P irämide d e l a S erpiente E mplumada . L a r azön d e e sto p odria s er p or l a d iferencia d e a ltura e ntre l as d os e structuras, y a q ue e l s ol c uando s e o culta e l 5 d e a gosto, v isto d esde l a P irämide S erpiente E mplumada s e a linea a l e je d e g sta a ntes d e o cultarse , p ues d esde e sta n o s e o bserva e l h orizonte; e n c ambio, d esde l a e structura p oniente, s i s e o bserva e l h orizonte; p ero c uando e l s ol y a s e o culta c on 0 .5 g rado m äs d e o rientaciön a l n orte d el p oniente.

3 0 E n 1 508 a nos s olares medios t otal d e d ias s erän 5 50,785.2376

9 2

( de 3 65.2422 d ias) e l n ümero y e n 1 508 a i los c alendäricos

p rehispänicos

( de

3 65

d ias)

s erän

5 50,420

d ias

s iendo

l a

d iferencia

3 65 .2376 d ias . E s d ecir , s i c ada 5 2 a nos s e h acia u na c orrecciön e n l os ' registros s o l ares" ( v ase 1 4m ina 3 ), c ambiando s u o rientaciön c on r especto a l a a nterior , s e p uede c onsiderar q ue e l c alendario p rehispänico s i c ontenia c orrecciones p ara j r a corde c on e l m ovimiento s olar ; p ero e ste a juste n o e ra e l e stilo " europeo", y a q ue n o l o a dmitia s u s istema c ombinatorio ( Palacios 1 934; C aso 1 968 ; C arrasco 1 980) . S u e lemento c orrectivo e ra l a m ediciön d el n ümero d e d ias d el d esfasamiento e ntre e l c alendario d e 3 65 d ias y e l a r io s olar medio d e e sta f orma s i s e t enia c onocimiento d e l os d ias q ue s e d esfasaba e l c alendario c on r especto a l as e staciones p or

l o

q ue

s i s e

p odian

p rever

l os

" ciclos

a gricolas".

3 1 L a d iferencia d e 1 2.594 d ias e n l a p osiciön s olar h orizonte p roduce u na v ariaciön a ngular e n l as o rientaciones

e n d e

e l l a

P irämide, q ue n o e s h omoggnea ( v ase l ämina 3 ), p ues e l movimiento a parente d el s ol e n e l h orizonte e s mayor e n l os e quinoccios q ue e n l os s olsticios. E sto e s a l c onsiderar c omo u nidad b ase e l " tiempo" , d iferente a l a u nidad " ängulo" p ropuesta p or T ichy ( 1978).

3 2 A l m enos l a c alendärica m esoamericana p uede s er c onsiderada c omo e videncia d e l a a ctividad a stronömica ( Gibbs 1 977).

3 3 E l r egistro s olar e n T enayuca e s e l 7 d e m ayo, q ue d ifiere e n 8 0 d ias a l s upuesto ( 26 d e j ulio) p or M arquina ( 1934) . E ste a utor l e a signa u na o rientaciön d e 2 0° 4 7 ' a l n orte d el p oniente, l a e structura e n r ealidad t iene 1 7° 4 2 ' ( Aveni 1 980), m enos; p or l o q ue e l d ia d e p aso s olar c enital, s enalado e n e l h orizonte p or e l e je d e l a P irämide.

e s d ecir e l s ol n o

3° e s

3 4 E l r egistro d el s itio s eria a l p oniente , c on l a p osiciön s olar s enalada m inutos a ntes d e s u o cultaciön , s emejante a l a P irämide d e l a S erpiente E mplumada e n X ochicalco ( vgase n ota 2 8).

3 5 E l e je p oniente c on 1 7° 4 2 ' a l n orte d el p oniente ( Aveni 1 980) r egistra c asi a m ediados d e m ayo. P ero a l o riente , p or l a a ltura d el c erro ( lo mismo q ue e n T eotenango y e n l a P irämide d e l a S erpiente

E mplumada

e n

X ochicalco ;

v ganse

n otas

i ncide s obre e l e je a mediados d e f ebrero. e sta e structura s enala a l c erro C hichiltepetl.

E l

2 8 y 3 4),

e l

s ol

e je n orte-sur d e

3 6 A qui e n T ula, l o m ismo q ue e n X ochicalco, T eotenango y T eportlan ( vganse n otas 2 8, 3 4 y 3 5), p or e star a l h orizontep oniente m äs a lto d e l o c omün e l r egistro e s e n l os ü ltimos d ias d e j ulio y n o a p rincipios d e a gosto, d el h orizonte.

9 3

s egün l os

1 7

°

a prox . a l n orte

3 7 E l c onvent° d e C ulhuacan e sta e dificado s obre r estos a rqueol f ticos , c uya c erämica a barca d esde T eotihuacan I V h asta e l A zteca I ( Sejourne 1 970). D esde l a c olonia, i glesia y c onvent° f iguran c omo p arte d el p ueblo d e C ulhuacan . Puesto q ue l os c onquistadores e levaban s iempre l as i glesias e n l ugares y a c onsagrados, c on l a i ntenciön d e t ransferir s obre e llas u n a ntiguo p restigio, e s i mprobable q ue m onumentos t an c ostosos h ayan s ido e dificados e n u n l ugar a bandonado , d esprovisto p or c onsecuencia d e f uerza s ocial. E s s eguro q ue e l e je d e l as r uinas d e l a p rimera i glesia s ea e l m ismo q ue e l d e l a e structura p rehispänica , c omo e n o tros muchos s itios, y a q ue l os e jes d e t razo d e l os s itios c oloniales v ienen s iendo l os m ismos q ue l os p rehispänicos , c omo e n l a C iudad d e M exico. L a o rientaciön d e l as r uinas d e l a p rimera i glesia, 1 8° 5 0 ' a prox . a l n orte d el p oniente, r egistra l os p rimeros d ias d e a gosto . L a f echa q ue d e l a f undaciön d e C ulhuacan t ransmite C himalpain ( Sejourne 1 970) 6 70-10 T ochtli c onviene p erfectamente a l T eotihuacan I V ( Sejourne 1 970 ) y d ebe a nteceder e n 5 0 a r ios a prox . a l a c elebraciön d el c iclo c alendärico e n e se s itio , s egün g räfica ( vease l amina 2 ) e l 7d e a gosto d el a i l° 7 27 d .C., l o c ual c oncuerda c on l o p lanteado ( vease l amina 4 ).

3 8 L a f unciön a signada a e stos e lementos h a s ido l a d e r ecintos p ara s acerdotes o p ersonajes p rincipales ( Pina 1 980).

s er

3 9 D ado q ue n uestra g räfica ( vease l amina 4 ) n o r eporta a nos a nteriores a l 5 00 a .C ., p ara e ncontrar a q ue a g io c orresponde e l r egistro s olar , e l c älculo l o h acemos d e l a s iguiente f orma: l os p rimeros d ias d e s eptiembre e n n uestra g räfica ( \ tease l amina 4 ) s erian r egistradas p or e l a f lo 6 00 d .C.; c omo l os r egistros s e r epiten c ada 1 508 a nos ( vease l amina 3 ) e l r egistro d e l a e structura d ebia d e s er 1 500 a nos a prox . a ntes d el 6 00 d .C., e s d ecir , e l 9 00 a .C .

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I NAH .

R .

C iudades a rqueol6gicas d e M exico.

9 7

M exico:

I NAH.

( 1963)

C hichen I tzä , ( 1980) P once d e L e6n,

l a c iudad d e l os b rujos d el a gua .

F CE .

A .

" Arqueoastronomia U NAM . ( 1980) P openhoe,

M exico:

e n e l A ltiplano d e M exico" .

G aceta .

M exico:

H .

" An A stronomical C alendar i n aP ortion o f t he Madrid C odex", e n A veni ( 1975). R eyes,

V .M.

" Trazado d e R ojas,

l os m onumentos m ayas",

e n E scalona

( 1940).

R .T .

N uevas n oticias s obre l as o bras h idräulicas p rehispänicas y c oloniales ( 1974) R uz,

e n

e l

V alle

d e

Mexico.

Mexico:

S E P .

I NAH .

L .A . " Mäs d atos h istöricos e n l as i nscripciones d e P alenque", E studios d e c ultura m aya,

9 .

" Obras d e d ivulgaciön s obre l a c ultura m aya", e H istoria ( INAH), 2 1. ( 1978) S aenz,

e n A ntropologia

C .A.

E l f uego n uevo. S ahagün,

M exico:

I NAH.

( 1967)

F .B. M exico:

H istoria g eneral d e l as c osas d e l a Nueva E spaea . P orrüa. S ejourne,

( 1975)

L .

" Arqueologia I NAH. S miley,

e n

( 1973)

d el

V alle

d e

M exico,

C ulhuacan" .

V .

I .

M exico:

( 1970)

C .H .

" Jeroglificos m ayas a sociados a l s ol, e n E studios d e c ultura m aya ( Mexico : S oustelle,

l a l una y l os U NAM), V . I X .

p lanetas", ( 1973)

J .

L a v ida c otidiana d e l os a ztecas.

9 8

M exico:

F C E .

( 1956)

T ichy F . " El c alendario

s olar c omo p rincipio d e

o rganizaciön d el e spacio

p ara p oblaciones y l ugares s agrados", ( Proyecto P uebla-Tlaxcala, M exico), 1 5. T oussaint,

M .

P lanos

d e

h ist6rico, ( 1938) V ega,

l a C iudad d e Mexico. u rbanistico

S iglos X VI y X VII .

y b ibliogräfico.

E studio

Mexico:

I NAH .

S .C. E l r ecinto s agrado d e Mexico-Tenochtitlan . 6 9 y 1 975-76. M exico: I NAH. ( 1979)

W olf,

e n C omunicaciones ( 1978)

E xcavaciones

1 968-

E . P ueblos y c ulturas d e M esoamerica.

9 9

M exico:

E d.

E ra.

( 1967)

G ORDON W HITTAKER

T he S tructure o f

t he Z apotec C alendar

Z apotec c ivilization , r adiating f rom M onte A lban i n t he V alley o f O axaca, s pans v irtually t he e ntire s tretch o f Mesoamerican h istory f rom j ust a fter t he e nd o f t he O lmec e ra t o t he r ise o f t he A ztecs , a s pace o f a bout 2 000 y ears . S ituated b etween t he M ixeZ oquean a nd M ayan c ultures o f S outhern M esoamerica a nd t he d iverse c ultures o f t he N orth, i t c ould w ell p rovide t he k ey t o a n u nderstanding o f t he d evelopment o f s uch a s ignificant p anM esoamerican t rait a s t he 2 60-day d ivinatory c alendar , f or w hich t here i s a bundant e vidence i n t he P reclassic a nd C lassic m onuments o f M onte A lban. T he q uestion o f w hether o r n ot t he O lmecs w ere t he i nventors o f t he d ivinatory c alendar w ill b e l eft a side h ere . S uffice i t t o s ay t hat t he e arliest e vidence ( to d ate) f or i ts u se c omes f rom O xtotitlan i n G uerrero i n ac lear O lmec c ontext d ated b etween 9 00 a nd 7 00 B .C . ( Grove 1 970: 1 8-20, 3 2) . T he i tem c oncerned i s a p ainting o n a c ave w all d epicting a c ipactli-like h ead a round w hich a re s ix c ircles o r d ots ( Fig. 1 ). I t must b e e mphasized t hat a n i nterpretation o f t his a s ad ay-date o r c alendrical n ame 6 D ragon ( Cipactli) i s b y n o m eans f irm, b ut t he l ikelihood t hat i t i s i ndeed s uch i s s trong, a nd t here a re n o c ompelling a lternatives t o t his i nterpretation. A t t his p oint i t w ould b e a ppropriate t o r eview t he b asic f eatures o f t he M esoamerican c alendar . T he l atter i s c omposed o f a s equence o f n umbers 1 t o 1 3 r evolving e ndlessly i n c oncert w ith a s et o f 2 0 d ay-names, t he r esulting 2 60 c ombinations o f which a re g rouped i n 2 0 s ets o f 1 3 d ays c alled t recenas ( Fig. 2 ). T he f irst d ay i n t he c alendar i s t raditionally t he e quivalent o f t he A ztec 1 C ipactli, a lthough o ther b eginning p oints, n otably A catl, • are a ttested i n s ome a reas . T he n umeral c oefficient i s u sually p laced b efore t he d ay-name, b ut t his i s r eversed i n t he Z apotec s ystem a nd o ccasionally e lsewhere. T he n aming o f y ears c omes f rom t he a pplication o f t he r epeating 2 60 d ay-sequence t o a c onventionalised , a nd i nvariable , s olar y ear o f 3 65 d ays . I n t he s olar c alendar d ays a re g rouped i n 1 8 s ets ( 360 d ays i n a ll). F ollowing t hese 1 8 " months", a s t hey a re c alled, a re 5 ' empty ' d ays, t he n emontemi o f t he A ztecs a nd t he u ayeb o f t he Maya . T he s olar y ear i s n amed a fter t he d ay i n t he d ivinatory c alendar f alling e ither: ( a)

o n t he d ay f ollowing t he n emontemi,

( b)

o n t he l ast d ay b efore t he n emontemi,

1 Q1

F ig

F ig.

3

1

P ainting 3 ,

O xtitlan

F igs.

1 5)

1 4 a nd

M onument 3 ,

( after G rove

S an J os€ M ogote

1 02

( Marcus

1 970:

1 976:

F ig.2)

F ig.

IC ipactli I I E hecatl I II C alli I V C uetzpalin V C oati V T M iquiztli

2

T he d ivinatory c alendar

1 0 8

2

2

3

9

9

3

1 0

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

1 0

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

1 3

7

1 3

7

3

1 0

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

1 3

7

5

1 2

6

1 3

7

6

1 3

7

1 (i) 8

2

3

1 0

1 1 1E) 8

2

3

1 0

4

1 1

i (i) 8

2

3

1 0

4

1 1

5

1 2

3

D D

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

1 3

1 3

7

2

V III T ochtli

8

2

3

D D

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

9

3

I D

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

1 3

7

1 0 1

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

1 3

7

X I O zomatli

1 1

5

1 2

6

1 3

7

X II M alinalli

1 2

6

1 3

7

1 3

7

1 0 2

X III A catl X IV O celotl X V C uauhtli

.

X VI C ozcacuauhtli X VII O lin X VIII T ecpatl X IX Q uiahuitl X X X ochitl

9

9

9

1 08

X I tzcu i .ntli

9

9

4g)

1E) 8

2

Ei) 8

2

3

€ ) 8

2

3

1 0

4

1G) 8

2

3

1 0

4

1 1

5

4 :1) 8

2

3

1 0

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

8

2

3

1 0

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

1 3

7

9

3

1 0

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

1 3

7

1 0 8

1 3

7

0

8

2

10 8

2

9

3

1 0

4g) 8

2

3

D D

4

1 1

K .2) 8

2

3

1 0

4

1 1

5

1 2

2

3

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

1 3

9

9

3

1 0

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

4

1 1

5

1 2

6

1 3

7

5

1 2

6

1 3

7

6

1 3

7

7

l ( g) 8 2

7

I X A tl

7

Ei) 8

V II M azatl

9

1 3

1 08

9

9 1 0

9

9

9

9

T he n umbers i n c olumns c oMbine w ith e adh d ay-name t o l abel t he d ays . T he n umbers w ithin c ircles i ndicate t he n umber o f e adh t recena i n t he 2 60-day c ycle .

1 03

9

o r

( c)

o n t he

B ecause

o f

l ast t he

d ay o f

f ive

t he n emontemi.

e xtra

d ays

t he

d ay-name

l abelling

a g iven

y ear w ill a lways b e s ituated 5 p ositions f urther t han t he o ne n aming t he p revious y ear. T his r esults i n f our p ossible y ear-names c ombined

w ith

c ombinations a re r eferred b earers.

t he

e ntire

a ll t old . t o ( with

I n

t he

s equence

o f

D ay-names a nd w ithout

majority

o f

n umbers

Mesoamerican

b earers f all i n p ositions 3 ( Calli), 1 8 ( Tecpatl) o f t he d ay-name s eries, o r

d own o ccurring

T he

C alendar F or

o f

t he

c alendar

w e

i n

1 t o

c ertain a reas

1 3--

a s et o f 5 2

i n t heir f unction a s y ear-names a ccompanying n umerals) a s y ear c alendars

t he

y ear -

8 ( Tochtli), 1 3 ( Acatl) a nd a lternatives o ne p osition u p

o r i n c ertain p eriods.

t he P reclassic

f irst must

c onclusive e xamples

t urn

t o

t he V alley

J ose Mogote a nd M onte A lban . J ose a f ew y ears a go h as b een

o f

o f

t he u se o f

O axaca ,

t o

t he 2 60-day

t he

s ites

o f

S an

A c arved s tone s lab e xcavated a t S an p roclaimed a s t he f irst d ocumented u se

o f t he c alendar, d ating t o t he Middle P reclassic, c . 6 00 B .C. ( Marcus 1 976: 4 4-45) . B etween t he f eet o f a f igure r esembling t he s o-called d anzantes o f p reclassic M onte A lban a ppears a d ate r ead b y M arcus

a s

" 1

E arthquake"

I f t aken a lone, t he

S an J osé

3 ).

t he s tyle o f t he c alendar h ieroglyphs b elow

d anzante

Prot° -Clas si c ,

( Fig.

would

s uggest

b eginning

a d ate

a round

2 00

I ntermediate P eriod ( Transici6n I I-IIIA ) a nd ( c. 2 50-450 A .D .). a

c urved

b ase

u nattested i dentified t akes

b y

a f orm

C lassic.

t he

U-bracket,

e arlier Marcus

h ere

I n

e arlier with

t han

t he

M onte A lban P eriod I IIA

a s

t he

which

f act,

a hallmark

p eriods. i s

1 7th n ot

Z apotec

a ttested

a v irtual

o f

t he

F urthermore,

t he

d ay-name b efore

duplicate

i s

" Earthquake"

t he

f ound

Monte o n

s ome t housand y ears l ater t han t he d ate Marcus a ssigns s lab,

c oming

a s

i t

d oes

f rom

Monte A lban

C lassic d ay-sign

t he

marker e xcavated i n t he Z apotec q uarter o f T eotihuacan, J osé

t he

F irst

T he s ign f or t he numeral 1 i s embellished w ith

and

i n

n o

A .D.

A lban s tone

w hich i s t o t he S an

I IIB ( c.

4 50-700

a ccepting

M arcus'

A .D.). Caution

i s,

moreover,

a dvisable

i n

t ranslation o f t he 1 6th-century Z apotec d ay-name X oo " Fury, V iolence, T urbulence" a s " Earthquake", which i s only o ne o f t he e xtended meanings o f t he word ( it c onnection with u nderstandably b y e quivalent

d ay,

i s,

f or example,

u sed a lso i n

s torms). Marcus' t ranslation, i nfluenced t he f requent s eismological a ssociation o f t he

a nd

r elated

s ign,

i n o ther

M esoamerican c alendars,

i s b rought i nto q uestion b y t he e arly i conographic u se o f t he d ays ign t o r epresent f alling water, a t orrential d ownpour, o r t he l ike.

The

a ttested

o n a C lassic V eracruz

e ssentially

P alenque,

where

( cf.

1 915:

S eler S ince

i t

n ature

o f

f igurine a nd

i s r endered i n b lue

4 28,

o fficials

Antropologia

a queous

t his

s ign

i n a m ural

w ith a ttendant

i s

f urther

o n H ouse E a t d rop

e lements

4 82-86). o f

e Historia

t he

have

Mexican i nformed

1 04

I nstituto m e

o f

s ome

Nacional

d e

u ncertainties

r egarding t he e xact c hronological c ontext o f t he s tone s lab a s e xcavated b y F lannery a nd Marcus, i t w ould s eem b est t o w ithhold f inal j udgement o n t he m atter u ntil s uch q uestions a re r esolved. N evertheless , g iven t he f act t hat w e a re d ealing w ith g lyphs o n a d anzante-style m onument , Iw ould a rgue , a lbeit t entatively, f or a t erminal L ate P reclassic d ate. With M onte A lban I ( c. 5 00-200 B .C.) t he f irst i ndisputable e vidence f or t he Z apotec, a nd Mesoamerican, c alendar c omes t o l ight i n t he f orm o f f ive i nscribed s telae a t M onte A lban . S ituated a longside t he e arliest l evel o f t he D anzante w all ( Caso 1 947), t hese m onuments a re a ssigned t o t he m iddle o f t he p eriod ( Scott 1 978: 1 5, 4 2, 6 8-71) . W ith t he e xception o f s telae 1 4 a ll r ecord d ates i n t he d ivinatory c alendar, S telae 1 2, 1 3, a nd 1 7 ( Fig. 4 ) p roviding a t t he s ame t ime e vidence f or t he s olar c alendar. A lfonso C aso, w hose i ncisive s tudies o f t he h ieroglyphics o f M onte A lban ( 1928 ; 1 947 ; 1 965) l aid t he g roundwork f or r esearch o n t he d evlopment o f t he Z apotec c alendrical s ystem, w as c onfronted h ere w ith t he major p roblem o f d ifferentiating b etween t he v arious k inds o f c alendrical s ign o ne m ight e xpect t o b e r epresented i n a M esoamerican w riting s ystem . F oremost w as t he t ask o f s eparating d ay-signs f rom s igns f or l arger u nits s uch a s y ears, m onths a nd f our- o r f ive-part d ivisions o f t he d ivinatory c alendar.

T he Y ear-bearers W ith t he a rchaic t exts o f S telae 1 2 a nd 1 3, p lus t he much l ater s telae o f C lassic M onte A lban a t h is d isposal , C aso s et a bout d etermining t he v alue o f a n i mportant g lyph w hich h e c alled t he " head o f C ocijo" ( the g od o f r ain a nd l ightning; s ee F ig . 5 ) o r, m ore a ccurately, " headdress o f C ocijo" ( Caso 1 928: 4 5-49 ; 1 947: 2 8-29) . N oting t hat o ne s et o f g lyphs a lways o ccurs w ith n umerals, a nd t hat t he n umber i s n ever h igher t han 1 3, C aso c oncluded t hat t he s igns i n q uestion must b e d ay-names . S ince a b are h andful o f s uch s igns a lso a ppeared b elow t he h eaddress e lement o f C aso 's " head o f C ocijo", u sually a t t he b eginning o f a c olumn, h e h ad l ittle h esitation i n i dentifying t hese a s y ear-signs ( 1928: 4 5-59). U nable t o m atch u p t he Z apotec y ear-bearers w ith t he M ixtec a nd A ztec s eries ( CaIli/House, T ochtli/Rabbit, A catl/Reed, T ecpatl/Flint), C aso was d rawn t o a n a lignment o ne s eries h igher ( Ehecatl/ Wind, Mazatl/Deer, Malinalli/Twisted G rass, O lin/Movement) b y h is r ecognition o f a n a pparent d eer 's h ead o ccurring w ith t he y ear-sign o n C lassic P eriod m onuments ( 1928: 5 4), a nd b y t he e xistence o f s uch a s eries a mong t he P ostclassic C uicatec a nd, a lledgedly, C lassic M aya. T his d eer g lyph ( Caso's G lyph G ) i s, h owever, t wo s igns, c onsisting o f t he h eads o f a d eer a nd o f a r abbit o r h are . B oth s hare a l olling t ongue, w hich C aso t ook t o b e t he h allmark o f t he d eer a lone , w hereas i n f act t he l atter 's a ntlers m ight b e t aken a s a b etter d iagnostic f eature-a t l east a s f ar a s Z apotec i nscriptions a re c oncerned.

1 05

S tela

S tela

1 2

1 5

F ig. 4 T he S telae o f Monte A lban I ( Caso 1 947: F igs.

1 06

1 0,

1 1, 1 4,

1 5)

F ig.

5

Y ear-glyph

P eriod

( upturned),

A catl

S tela 3 ( after C aso

Tecpatl _

C alli

1 928:

F ig.

3 1)

Töchtli

.

0o u nattested .) ,

_

, I I

Z Y

I

1 -47 1 ‘1 ?)

< = : : ] Ea r = >

V •

N e „

n

T V

N e

I

F ig.

6

T he Y ear

1 07

1

b earers

I

T he

M onte

A lban

T urquoise ( or J ade),

y ear-bearers D eer,

w ere

i dentified

b y

S erpent ( or S erpent Mask),

C aso a nd

a s B at

( 1947: 2 9). O f t hese t he f irst a nd l ast a re u nknown o n o ther Mesoamerican c alendars . T he s econd a nd t hird , o n t he o ther h and, a re f ound o n a lmost a ll d ay-name l ists s ince t hey a re s ituated a m ere t wo p ositions a part . E ven r einterpreting D eer a s R abbit w ill n ot s olve t he p roblem, s ince t hese a re s till o nly t hree p ositions a part, i nstead o f t he r equired f ive. I n 1 976 a t t he A nnual M eeting o f t he S ociety f or A merican A rchaeology I p resented a means o f b ringing t he Monte A lban e vidence i nto a n a cceptable M esoamerican p attern . A s I h ave d iscussed e lsewhere ( 1980: 2 6-36; Z apotec i nscriptions f rom d ifferent

1 981; 1 983), a c omparison o f t ime-depths w ill s how t hat t he

s ymbols e mployed t o n ame t he d ays i n t heir f unction a s y ear-bearers were a ctually s ubject t o c hange f rom p eriod t o p eriod ( Fig. 6 ). N ot f our, b ut e ight, d ifferent s igns a re r ecorded a ttached t o C aso's y ear-glyph, a nd among t hese a re t he t hree l abelled T urquoise, D eer and S erpent. I a m a t s ome o dds t o e xplain t he a bsence o f a y ear B at, b ut a c areful s tudy o f a ll p ublished a nd u npublished i nscriptions a t Monte A lban has f orced m e t o t he c onclusion t hat n o s ign d epicting t his o r a nything s imilar i s a ttested f rom a ny p eriod a t t he s ite. F rom P eriod 1 S telae 1 2, 1 3 a nd 1 7 w e m ay e xtract t hree o f t he f our Monte A lban y ear-bearers, w hich t ake t he f orm o f ad ragon 's h ead, a c rosspiece d evice a nd a j aguar 's h ead ( the l atter r egarded b y Marcus, 1 976 : 4 6, a s a m onth n ame) . T he f irst i s C aso 's ' head o f C ocijo" a nd y ear S erpent o r S erpent m ask c ombined. I f w e c ompare t he s ign i n F igure 5 with t he y ear-name o n S tela 1 2, w e f ind t hat i n b oth c ases t he d ragon-like head s hould b e c onsidered n ot a p art o f t he y ear g lyph, b ut r ather a q uite s eparate y earn ame, a nd t hat t he h eaddress a lone f unctions a s a s ign f or y ear . N either a y ear S erpent n or a y ear D ragon w ill , h owever , m atch u p i n c ompatible p ositions w ith a y ear J aguar. A c omparison o f I II,

a s

f ound

o n

t he P eriod I y ear-bearers t he

s tone

c over

o f

T omb

w ith 1 04,

t hose

o f P eriod

p rovides

t he

s olution : o f t he y ears n amed i n s equence , t he s econd a nd t hird a re d epicted b y a f lint k nife a nd h ouse-m atching t he C lassic Maya ( cf . T hompson 1 960 : 1 24), M ixtec a nd A ztec y ear-bearers T ecpatl a nd C alli-a nd, t herefore, t he f irst a nd f ourth, i n t he f orm o f C aso 's S erpent Mask a nd T urquoise , T ecpatl. T he " turquoise" g lyph, b ands"

o n

f ormal

g rounds,

m ust w hich

may b e

b e e quivalent t o A catl a nd I p refer t o c all " swirling

c ompared

w ith

t he

Maya Lamat

( =Tochtli), w hich i s s imilarly d ivided i nto f our c hambers. B y f urther c omparison w ith l ater i nscriptions, t he c rosspiece a nd j aguar o f P eriod I may b e l ined u p w ith t he F lint a nd H ouse o f P eriod I II ( Whittaker 1 980: 3 3-34). I n t hese e arly c ases w e a re d ealing w ith s ymbolical a ssociations o f t he d ay-names i n t heir s pecial

r ole a s

y ear-bearers.

T he T recena C ycles A c alendrical

s ign

w hich

a ppears

i o8

o nly o nce a t M onte A lban ,

o n

S tela 1 7 o f P eriod I ( see F ig. 4 ), s upplies a v ital c lue i n a scertaining t he e xact p osition o f t he y ear-bearer i n t he Z apotec c alendar . I n t he u pper r ight-hand c olumn b elow t he d ate 2 O zomatli o r Monkey ( with f ingers s tanding f or t he d igits) i s a l ong c igarl ike s ign f ollowed b y t he n umber 1 8 . C aso h as s uggested ( 1947: 1 01 1) t hat t his m ay b e t he n ame o f a m onth i n w hich 2 O zomatli i s t he e ighteenth d ay, a h ypothesis w hich c an b e t ested n ow t hat t he y ear d ates a re i dentifiable. I f t he y ear-bearer 1 2 T ecpatl f ell o n t he f irst d ay, a ll months o f t hat y ear would h ave b egun w ith a d ay T ecpatl, a nd 2 O zomatli w ould h ave b een t he 1 4th d ay o f M onth 7 . I f t he y earb earer f ell o n t he 3 60th d ay , t he d ate w ould h ave b een t he 1 3th o f Month 1 2. A y ear w hich h ad 1 2 T ecpatl a s i ts 3 65th d ay w ould, h owever, y ield f or 2 O zomatli a p osition 1 8 i n M onth 1 2. T he m atter w ould s eem t o b e r esolved b y t his c lose m atch , b ut t here a re r easons f or f inding t his s olution l ess t han s atisfactory . F irstly, t here i s o ne o ther t ime d ivision w hich m eets t he n ecessary r equirements: t he 1 3-day p eriod. I f t he y ear-bearer f ell o n t he 3 60th d ay, i nstead o f t he 3 65th , 2O zomatli w ould t hen h ave o ccurred i n p osition 1 2 o f t he 1 8th 1 3-day p eriod c ounting f rom 4 Q uiahuitl, t he f irst d ay o f t he y ear ( Fig. 7 ). L ocating t he y ear-bearer o n t he 3 60th d ay o f t he y ear w ould a ccord b est w ith t he e vidence a vailable t o u s f or t he M ixtec a nd A ztec c alendars , w hich s tand i n a d irect l ine o f d escent f rom t he c alendar o f M onte A lban . I t i s a lso r easonable t o e xpect t hat a M esoamerican c ulture w ould a void p lacing t he y ear-bearer w ithin t he f ive i ll-fated d ays a t t he e nd o f t he y ear , a nd t hat t he f irst d ay, a s u nder t he C lassic Maya, a nd l ast d ay o f t he s olar m onth c ycle, a s u nder t he A ztecs, w ould h ave b een c onsidered r ather m ore a ppropriate. F urther l ight m ay b e s hed o n t his p roblem b y a nother p eriod g lyph , C aso 's G lyph W ( catalogued W (hittaker) 5 42-545); s ee F ig. 8 ), w hich i n c ontrast t o t he f irst g lyph ( W864) i s o f f requent o ccurrence i n p eriods I a nd I I . T his s ign h as b een v ariously a nalysed a s a d ay-name ( Caso 1 928: 4 4, 9 5), a m onth-name ( Caso 1 947: 2 9 ; M arcus 1 976 : 4 6-47) , d ue t o t he d iscovery o f t exts w here i t i s f ollowed b y n umbers a bove 1 3, a nd a s a c ount o f e lapsed t ime ( Prem 1 971: 1 20-21) . A n e xamination o f t he c ontext o f t his s ign h as l ed m e, h owever, t o t he c onclusion t hat i t s tands f or t he r itual s emilunation k nown a s t he t recena ( Whittaker 1 980: 3 6-37; 1 981; 1 983), a nd t akes i n f act t he f orm o f a c onventionalised h alf-moon . T he n umber f ollowing t he s ign p laces a n amed d ay i n a n e lapsing t recena o f t hat n umber i n t he d ivinatory c alendar . U nlike t he Maya who r ecorded month d ates a s e lapsed t ime, t he Z apotecs r ecorded d ates i n e lapsing t ime, a d istinction o f s ome i mportance t o t he d ecipherer ( cf . C 6rdova 1 886: 1 55ff . f or t he 1 6th-century Z apotec m odes o f c ounting t ime) . B y m eans o f t he t recena d evice i t i s p ossible t o a nchor a n umber o f d ay-signs t o t heir c orresponding p ositions o n t he d ay-name l ist . T hus, S tela 1 5 p laces a d ay 1 X ochitl ( Zapotec L oo " Face") i n T recena 4 , while S tela 1 5 r ecords 2 O zomatli

i n T recena 1 4.

1 09

N

m

i n

r -

c o

a t

N

0

• e l

1 . 0

0 .

N 0 4

C D

•

0 . 4

CO

N

1 4

i n

t o

. 4

O 3

•

•

0 ,

C 2 r -

N 0 4

1 0 0 4

U I

, C 1

N

M I

a )

a t

r•

0

N . 4

•

•

•

•

N

r . ,

03

Ot

0 . 4

4

N

r e

% • .




5

1 4

2

X

> "

1 10

4 I . -

" 4 4 J

a Q

CO

0

, i

4r / 1 ,

4 . 1 > I

2 '

( . 4

r e

C M

. 4

r •

5

S olar

1

t recenas

N

W542

W864

F ig.

8

T he t recena g lyphs

11

A c omparison o f t he t wo p eriod s igns o f Monte A lban I r eveals a c ertain f ormal r esemblance b etween t hem, which s trongly s uggests t he

d erivation

o f

t he

f irst

f rom

l atter depicts a half-moon, t he d erivative. t his

p resents

t he

t recena

g lyph .

S ince t he

a r elated meaning must b e s ought f or

"Month" would a gain s eem a l ogical c hoice,

d ifficulties .

A r eading

2 O zomatli,

n ot f it a ny p lacement o f t he y ear-bearer, t he r eadings i n t his c ase b eing M onth 7 o r M onth 1 2.

Month o nly

1 8

b ut w ill

a cceptable

The p ossibility t hat t he s ign i n q uestion i s t he n ame o f o ne p articular month, and t hat 1 8 i s t he p osition o f t he d ay w ithin t his

( 12th)

month,

may

b e

r uled

o ut

b y

v irtue

o f

t he

f act

t hat

s uch a s ign would not s imply b e a d erivative o f t he s ign f or h alfm oon ,

b ut

w ould h ave

t o h ave g raphic c haracteristics d istinguishing

i t unmistakenly f rom s eventeen o ther s igns i n t his c ategory . e xamination o f t he g lyphs i llustrate t his p oint.

f or

t he C lassic

Maya

A n

month n ames w ill

T he N ovena C ycle I ndirect e vidence f or t he y ear-bearer o n t he 3 60th d ay, t herefore s upport f or t he i dentification o f t hat

f or

B .C. u s

" solar

t recena",

2 50 A .D.).

f rom Monte A lban ,

c entral c olumn-y ear, 6 T ochtli, C alli

c omes

f rom T ablet

1 4 o f

This i nscription ( Fig. 9 ), r ecords

d ates

a nchored

a nd

t he mystery g lyph a s P eriod I I ( c .

2 00

t he l ongest k nown t o i n f our

t recenas .

T he

a nd m ain t ext-b eginning w ith t he n ame o f t he r efers t o t he s ubjugation o f a t own o n t he d ay 1 1

( Whittaker 1 980:

3 7-39,

1 34-36;

1 982).

T he f irst c olumn

( from t he r ight) i s a p reface w hich r eads: " Trecena 5 ( named) R eed d escends t o 7 Quiahuitl". T he p rimary d ate 1 1 C alli o ccurs f our d ays

l ater,

s till w ithin t he

5 th t recena ,

which b egan w ith 1 A catl

( Reed) . I n t he u pper l eft o f t he t ablet i s a c olophon o f r educed s ize h ieroglyphs. This two-column t ext c ontains f our d ates: o n t he

r ight a p robable d ay 8 O lin a nd b elow

T ochtli

( the

y ear-bearer)

i n T recena

most unusual mirror-image s equence: C alli,

i t a d amaged 5 Mazatl o r 6

1 5;

a nd o n t he

T recena 4 ,

l eft,

i n a

2 C ipactli;

1 0

T recena 2 .

The d ates 1 1 C alli a nd 6 T ochtli r equire n o f urther c omment, b ut

t he

o ther

d ates

p resent

a c urious

p attern .

I n

t he

d ivinatory

c alendar 1 0 C alli, 2 C ipactli, a nd 7 Q uiahuitl a re s eparated f rom e ach o ther by 9 -day i ntervals, and 8 O lin f alls o n day 9 o f t he l ast m onth o f t he y ear . T he p reface a nd c olophon , t herefore , s eem t o b e c oncerned with p lacing t he s ubjugation o f t he t own n ot s imply i n t he r itual c ontext o f t he 1 3-day t recenas, b ut r ather i n t hat o f t he v ery important Mesoamerican s eries k nown a s t he Lords o f t he N ight. O f

r elevance

h ere

i s

t he

c oupling

o f

d ates

i n

t he

f ar l eft

c olumn with d eity h eads i dentifiable f rom c omparative M esoamerican i conography. Above t he d ate T recena 4 , 2 C ipactli a ppears t he h ead o f a g od known c onveniently b y t he A ztec l abel X ipe, l ord

o ver

Z apotec

t he

s ign

4 th

t recena,

f or w hich

i s

which

t he f ace

1 12

b egins

o f X ipe.

with

w ho i s

1 X ochitl,

t he

0 0 C Z =

F ig.

9

T ablet 1 4 ( after C aso 1 947: c orrected T recena 1 5)

1 13

F ig .

4 4,

w ith

. 1 1.

. ,

.4

1 J1

C •

1 .0

1i

. 4

N

I'

. . ,

OD

0 ,'

‘

o '

' 2 Z . " i -° r i

%r e' •

. d d i

•

i n

e

la

4 ,

CO

0,

0 en

N

%

40

.4

M .4

o

, C e

0 .

. .

t r„ d .

N

.1

e r

4 . 1

c o

a

0

el

c o

c r

I

•

•

•

a

•0 _e

4 -.

,a ,

N

N a

a

4 e

fn

• / i n •

0

A

10

u : 4

N

r c 0 I •fr : \

V „ 1. 9

a al

C • 1 a

a

•

4 • 1

e

1 . ,

en

r.

40

•

0

.1

. 4

. . 4

r ,

i d,

0 ,

, i ,

r d . . , ‘ 1 e • u,

•

0

P s ,

fn

‚ la a

q v,

VD

N

0

. 1

/ 4

.

N e.

.1 ®

P. ,

..

1.1

e1

•

c i

N

IN

al

r e )




>

H

( 0 0

C Z H >

4 ” i N i. .Q

W 0

C Z

M

R S

› . 1 0 )

1 4

a )

4

( 0

0, 0

x C

0

V

W 4 . )

c i ) 9 : 3

K 1

a

”A

W

E g

C Z

P m

0

01 ( 0

C Z

3

C Z

Z

H

H

X

X

H

H

H

>

H >

H H

>


X

119

0

f )

01

( 0

W 1 4 Z

4 3

r •-i Z

4 1

>

>

H

X

>

X

C W E

a )

4

c

>

,• 4

0

H

H

Z

, -

I

> X

( 4 1 0

E volution

I

Crosspiece

I

D eath's-head

P reclassic

House/Jaguar

1 4

c

N 4 0 )

3

-. 4

0

4

X

W

H

>4

>
X

4

t o t he m eanings o f t he a ctual n ames u sed i n t he p eriods c oncerned . There i s, o f c ourse, n o g uarantee t hat d ay-names were a lways i n t he o rder t hey t ake i n t he M ixtec, A ztec a nd Yucatec c alendars . T he o riginal s equence a t Monte A lban c an b e a scertained o nly b y m eans o f a c areful s earch f or a nchored d ates a nd s equences o f d ays i n t he i nscriptions a vailable t o u s. S ince t he 1 6th-century V alley Z apotec d ay-names a re n either s tatic i n f orm n or i n e very c ase t ransparent i n meaning a nd u nambiguous i n s pelling, i t w ill c ontinue t o b e n ecessary t o e mploy s tandard N ahuatl t erminology, t he r eferents o f which a re well u nderstood, f or Z apotec d ates o n m onuments . S ole u se o f S panish o r E nglish t ranslations o f t he N ahuatl t erms, while f requent i n Mixtec s tudies, i s i nadvisable h ere b ecauseof t he l ack o f c oncordance b etween Z apotec g lyph a nd N ahuatl m eaning , w hich would r esult, f or e xample , i n l abelling d ay-name X X ( glyphically a X ipel ike f ace) F lower.

D evelopments T he

i n t he C lassic

i nscriptions

o f P eriod I c onstitute r elated

t exts i n s tyle ,

f ormat a nd c ontent, and t his h olds n o l ess t rue f or t he Mound J t ablets o f e arlier P eriod I I . A t t he b eginning o f t he C lassic p eriod, Monte A lban I IIA (c. 2 50 A .D. - 4 50 A .D .), a new g rouping a ppears i n t he f orm o f t wo r elated s ets o f S outh P latform s telae ( Caso 1 928 ; Whittaker 1 977; M arcus c onvention, e ach i nscription h as d ownwards a nd f rom r ight t o l eft

1 980) . F ollowing P reclassic a r eading o rder o f c olumns when t he g lyphs f ace l eft

( standard), a nd l eft t o r ight when t he g lyphs f ace r ight . t he c olumns o ppose e ach o ther, t he r ight-hand c olumn

When t akes

p recedence. A s tudy o f t he d ates o n t he s telae r eveals a r emarkable c o -r elation b etween t heir s equence i n t he 5 2-year c ycle a nd t heir p lacement a round t he S outh P latform ( Fig. 1 5). The f irst s et, l ocated a t b oth e nds o f t he s tructure's important n orth f ace, f ollows t he s equence ( from r ight t o l eft): S telae 6 ( years 1 0 T ochtli a nd 1 T ochtli), 5 ( 5? T ochtli), 4 ( no y ear), 3 ( 10 A catl) a nd 2 ( 13 T ochtli). I t i s n o c oincidence t hat t he o nly y ears f ound a re T ochtli a nd A catl y ears . T he v ast majority o f t he p ost-Period I d ated i nscriptions a t M onte A lban, a nd f or t hat matter e lsewhere i n t he Z apotec a rea , r ecord a y ear T ochtli , a nd a part f rom t he o ccasional A catl, o ther y ear p ositions a re v irtually u nknown . e vents t o s ubcycle,

T his s uggests t he p ossibility t hat t he Z apotecs o rdered f it t he c lose o r b eginning o f a r ecurring f our-year i n a k ind o f r itual systematization o f h istory.

A lternatively,

i t may s imply b e t hat t hey p referred t o s et d own

e vents a t f our-year i ntervals. B e

t hat

a s

i t

m ay,

t he

i nscriptions

n ot y et y ielded m any o f t heir s ecrets . o f t he P reclassic d isappears f rom v iew,

o f

t he e arly C lassic h ave

T he f amiliar t recena g lyph a lthough t he s igns o f t he

d ays b eginning t recenas a re n ow a nd t hen u sed i n i ts p lace, e xtension o f t he p ractice f ound o n P eriod I I T ablets 1 4 a nd 1 6.

1 20

a n

i S TeirA z

s T e La

s TeLa 7-

8

\

Ti 2 . e

u q a-r e s

8R D a p

p La in . S t ST . 2 . 3

s -r e La .

3 r .

3 T : 3T . 5 6

4 .

r he r u pe r f2 .f a ce

F ig.

1 5

T he c hronological o f

t he

a nd

_ t _ o t u p

l ocational

S outh P latform s telae

1 21

o rder

S tela

S tela

F ig.

1 6

C orner

2 ( front

6 ( left

s telae o f

and r ight

s ide

a nd

s ide)

f ront)

t he N orth F ace G roup

1 22

( after C aso

1 928)

" l e a .

F our G ates

4 4 0

t o 4 4

T he d ate

s eries

" l e

e s 1

c c )

z-› r 4

123

A d ay

1 3

C ozcacuauhtli

( with a n o wl-like

g lyph)

c rops u p t wice

o n m onuments o f t he N orth F ace G roup ,

b oth t imes i n c onnection w ith

a pparent

t he e xtreme

p eriod

s igns

( Fig .

1 6) .

A t

n orthwest c orner ,

o n S tela 6 , i t o ccurs b elow a c artouched e lement w hich r ests i n a b asin o ver t he l ower h alf o f a h uman b ody i n t he c ross-legged s eating p osition . I n t he n ortheast c orner , o n S tela 2 , t he d ate p recedes a c artouched g lyph s urmounted b y a h and a nd s ubfixed b y t he s ame s eating e lement a s o n S tela 6 . S ince t he c artouched e lements d o n ot s trong o r o ne month

a ppear a s d ay-signs e lsewhere a t Monte A lban, t here i s a p ossibility t hat w e a re d ealing w ith a l arger u nit - a m onth o f t he 5 2- o r 6 5-day p eriods w ithin t he d ivinatory c ycle . A i nterpretation, h owever, will n ot work f or t he y ears 1

T ochtli

a nd

1 3 T ochtli,

n or w ill a 6 5-day p eriod f it.

O nly i n t he 5 2-day s ubdivision o f t he c alendar d oes 1 3 C ozcacuauhtli c arry s ignificance, a s t he f inal d ay o f t he t hird p eriod o f t he c ycle . T he c ontext o f S tela 6 s uggests t hat t he p eriod-sign r ecorded i s t hat o f t he t hird p eriod which i s j ust c oming t o a n e nd . O n S tela 2 a d ifferent p eriod-sign f ollows 1 3 C ozcacuauhtli, a nd t he h and e lement i s s etting i t d own. T he f ourth p eriod, w hich b egins h ere , i s r uling w hen t he e vent o f t he main t ext t akes p lace o n 3Q uiahuitl, am ere t hree d ays a fter 1 3 C ozcacuauhtli. O n t he Mound I I T ablet ( Caso 1 965b : F ig . 1 7), w hich b ears t he s ame y ear d ate a s S tela 2 , n ot t o m ention r elated i conography, t he s eated e lement s upports a v ariant o f t he O lin s ign b elow a c artouched e lement which e lsewhere s eems t o m ark t he c ommencement o f a t recena . T he f irst i nterestingly e nough, t he f irst d ay o f

d ay o f t he O lin t recena i s, t he f ourth 5 2-day p eriod.

T he s econd s et o f P eriod I IIA s telae ( 1, 7 , 8 , a nd t he P lain S tela), which I c all t he F our G ates G roup a fter o ne o f t he t raditional n ames f or t he S outh P latform ( Whittaker 1 980 : 1 66-69), i s c ast i n a s tyle r esulting f rom i ntensifying f oreign c ontact w ith t he T eotihuacan-dominated N orth a nd S outheast . A s eries o f d ays i n t h. y ear ( 13?) T ochtli a re n amed i n t he o rder g iven i n F ig. 1 7. T hat t his was a t ime o f g reat c hange i s s een i n t he l ack o f a s ingle c onvention f or t he r epresentation o f n umerals. O n S tela 8 f iveb ars w ere p laced u nder t he d ots a s i n t he P reclassic , o n t he P lain S tela b ars o ccur b oth a bove a nd b elow d ots, a nd o n S telae 1 a nd 7 t hey a ppear o nly a bove t he d ots . N umerals may b e f ound w ithout i nternal d etail a s o n t he f ronts o f S telae 7 a nd 8 , o r e mbellished a s o n t he s ides o f t hese s ame monuments, where, moreover, a f iller e lement s eems t o b e f ound i n c onnection w ith t he n umber 7 ( Whittaker 1 977; c f. M arcus 1 980: 6 0). T he a rranged

e lements

c omprising n umeral c oefficients a re a s a r ule

i n h orizontal

l ayers ,

t hese

b eing

i n a ll

b ut

o ne

i nstance

b elow t he d ay-names a ssociated . O n S tela 1 , n onetheless , s everal c oefficients a re f ound s tanding v ertically b eside o r b elow t he d ayo r y ear-name. N o d ifference i n f unction s eems t o b e i nvolved i n s uch c ases. A s emblance o f

o rder i s r estored

i n t he 2 nd I ntermediate P eriod

( or T ransiciön I IIA-IIIB , 5 th c entury A .D .), r everse o f t he c over o f T omb 1 04 ( Fig. 1 8). f ound

b oth

b eside a nd b elow

d ay-names,

1 24

b ut

a s

e xemplified b y t he A gain n umerals a re

t here

i s

a s ignificant

F ig.

1 8

T he F ig.

r everse o f 9 4,

t he T omb

1 04 e ntrance

w ith c orrection

o f

s lab

( after C aso

1 938:

y ear 9 A catl o n u pper e dge.

G iL 42 . y -

Embellished numeral 1 , Tomb 1 04 s lab ( reverse)

c&ppe

Calendrical name Quiacappe/1 Q uiahuitl a s Cocijo p endant

F ig.

1 9

T he p refix Q uia- a s

1 25

a C lassic P eriod g lyph

c hange i n f unction h eralded b y t he v ertically-aligned n umerals . I n e ach c ase w here t he l atter o ccurs a c oefficient i s a lready p resent i n s tandard h orizontal a rrangement b elow t he n eighbouring d ay-name, s o v ertical n umerals c annot b e d ay-name c oefficients. I n o ne i nstance ( at l ower l eft) t he v ertical n umeral 7 i s f ollowed b y a s ign w hich I h ave i dentified a s t he Z apotec e quivalent o f t he Maya k in " sun, d ay" ( Whittaker 1 976; 1 980: 2 8, 4 0-41), which i t c losely r esembles . T o t heir r ight i s t he d ay 7 Mazatl . S ince t his i s s even d ays a fter t he c ommencement o f t he d ivinatory c ycle o n 1 C ipactli , t he s tatement " 7 d ays" r efers t o t he p osition o f

t he p rimary d ate i n e lapsing B elow

t his

i nformation

t ime.

i s

a r ow o f

t hree c artouched g lyphs

which a re f ollowed b y a v ertical 1 5 b efore a day-name with c oefficient 7 . O n i ts o wn u nderneath t he f irst s ign i s o ne f urther c artouched g lyph . T hese f our g lyphs a re t he f irst e vidence w e have f or t he Z apotec c ocijo o r 6 5-day p eriod, d escribed i n C 6rdova's A rte d el i dioma z apoteco ( 1576, 1 886). 5 2-day d ivisions i n Monte A lban I IIA-t hem-- t hese g lyphs s tand e ach f or c ounting f orward f rom a b ase o f 1 t herefore, s hould r epresent T recenas v ertical 1 5 n ext t o i t w ould t hus s eem T he d ay-sign f ollowing t akes

S imilar t o t he s igns f or a nd p ossibly a dapted f rom

a c ocijo o f f ive t recenas, C ipactli . T he t hird s ign, 1 1 t o 1 5 i nclusive , a nd t he t o i ndicate T recena 1 5.

t he

f orm

o f

a c artouched Greek

c ross a bove a n o dd b asin-like e lement , a nd i n t he A rrowhead S eries a t Mound J t he emblem o f D istrict H , t he Mixteca Alta ( Mixtec N udzahui " Land o f R ain"), i s a c ombination o f q uasi-Greek c ross a nd water/rain 1 5 t he d ay d ays a t

t he e nd o f

T he C ltssic

e lements ( Whittaker 1 980 : 1 14-15, 1 33-34) . I n T recena i n q uestion i s 7 A tl/Water , t he f irst o f t he f ive empty

w ide g ives

t he y ear 6 T ochtli

s cope way

o f i n

( recorded a t

i nnovation P eriod

i n

I IIB

( c .

t he

t he

a rtistry

4 50-700

r ight). o f

A .D .)

t he t o

Early

a s harp

d ecline i n t he s culptural q uality a nd t extual c oherence o f m onuments a t Monte Alban. Cluttered with c rude, i ll-proportioned i conography a nd a wkward h ieroglyphs , t he l atter b ecome i ncreasingly d ifficult t o i nterpret . S tela 9 a t t he e ntrance t o P latform i s n o e xception ( see B atres 1 902; C aso 1 928: 5 2 ), a lthough t he calendrical n onetheless o f g reat i mportance.

i nformation

i t

t he N orth F igs. 4 9-

d isplays

i s

O n t he n orth s ide o f t he s tela t wo i ndividuals s tand a bove a r ow o f g lyphs c arrying t he message: " 3 C ozcacuauhtli, day o f c apture, C ocijo 1 (?) ". At t he f oot o f t he monument t he i nscription c oncludes: " 11 Quiahuitl, d ay o f s acrifice, y ear 6 T ochtli", b elow w hich t he g lyphs f or C ocijos 2 , 3a nd 4 a re g iven . 3 C ozcacuauhuitli f alls i n t he s econd t recena o f C ocijo 1 , 1 1 Q uiahuitl

i n

t he

2 nd

o f

C ocijo

4 .

T he

p eriod

g lyphs

d iffer

s omewhat f rom t hose f ound i n Monte Alban I IIA and t he 2 nd I ntermediate P eriod, b ut a r elationship b etween t hem s eems e vident . T he g lyphs f or t he 5 2-day p eriods a pparently were adopted f or t he l ater c ocijos, t he 2 nd a nd 3 rd d oubling u p a s a lternates f or t he 3 rd c ocijo.

1 26

T he P ostclassic a nd a fter With t he e nd o f t he C lassic c omes a lso a n e nd t o t he l ast t races o f t he t radition o f w riting a t M onte A lban . T he g rowth o f i conographic a nd n otational s ystems a t t he e xpense o f w riting i s v irtually unparalleled i n t he h istory o f c ivilisations, b ut t his t ransformation, a ll b ut c omplete b y t he m id ist m illennium A .D ., g ave

r ise

t o a v ersatile n ew

s ystem

mixing e lements

o f

w riting

( phonetic r enditions o f n ames , c reation o f v erbal g lyphs , e tc .) i n a d ominant i conographic s tructure . D urable s tone d eclined i n u se a s a p rimary m edium o f c ommunication,

t he emphasis p assing t o a

h ighly p erishable medium: p aper . L argely f or t his r eason o ur k nowledge o f P ostclassic c alendrics h as t o r ely, n ot o n t he s parse a nd s culpturally p oor s tone t ablets a nd s telae a vailable f rom s ites a round Monte A lban, n or o n c odices o f p aper a nd h ide, n one o f w hich s eems t o h ave s urvived t he C onquest , b ut o n t he w ritings o f a S panish p riest o f t he l ate 1 6th c entury, F ray J uan d e C ördova. I n h is A rte o f

1 578 C ördova s et

d own

s ome

t antalizingly

m eager

d ata o n t he n ature o f t he V alley Z apotec d ivinatory c alendar, i ncluding a n onetheless c omplete t ranscribed d ay-count, b eginning w ith 1 C ipactli a nd d ivided i nto t recenas w hich a re i n t urn g rouped i nto 6 5-day p eriods. E ach t recena ( cocij) a nd 6 5-day p eriod ( cocijo) b ears t he n ame o f i ts f irst d ay, c ontinuing a p ractice g oing b ack a t l east t o t he L ate P reclassic. A f urther

t radition

r eflected

i n h ieroglyphic p ractice i s

o f p lacing n umerical c oefficients a fter d ay-names .

t hat

T he Z apotec

c ulture i s t he o nly o ne i n Mesoamerica k nown t o h ave t his b oth h ieroglyphically a nd l inguistically a s t he s tandard c onvention . A lthough t he n umerals a re s elf-explanatory, t he d ay-names a re n ot . S ince C 6rdova d id n ot t hink i t n ecessary i n h is s ummary t o d elve i nto t he m eaning o f t he d ay-names, w e a re l eft i n a f ew c ases h a i ng t o h azard a g uess w here t he s tandard M esoamerican d ay-name s eries o r t he h ieroglyphic r ecord d oes n ot p rovide c lues . T onal and o ther phonetic f eatures are i nadequately and o ften i nconsistently r egistered i n C ördova 's w ork, w hich o nly a dds t o t he c omplexity o f t he p roblem . N o f ully s atisfactory i nterpretations have b een g iven t o d ate f or t he d ay-names i n p ositions X ( Itzcuintli) a nd X V ( Cuauhtli), a nd s everal o thers h ave b een r ather q uestionably t ranslated b y C aso ( 1947; 1 965), w here h e d eparted f rom a nalyses b y S eler ( 1901; 1 904) a nd C ruz ( 1935).

b y

A s i f t his w ere n ot e nough, t hese d ifficulties a re c ompounded t he s o-called p articles p refixed t o d ay-names . C ompletely

l acking

p arallels

i n

t he

A ztec

a nd

Maya

c alendars,

t hey

e vade

t ranslation e ven more t han t he d ay-names, f or which w e a t l east h ave e quivalents i n o ther p arts o f M esoamerica , a nd d ocumentation i n t he hieroglyphic s cript. I nterestingly, all Z apotec c alendrical n ames r ecorded a fter t he C onquest i n t he S panish s cript h ave t hese p refixes, b ut t o my k nowledge n one h as t he e xpected n umeral c oefficient, w hich i s a lways g iven o n t he s tone m onuments.

1 27

T his p refixes , s ystem,

i mmediately b rings t o m ind t he p ossibility t hat t he a s I p refer t o c all t hem, a re r emnants o f a n o ld n umber b ut c ounting a gainst s uch a h ypothesis i s t heir l ack o f

r esemblance t o a ny O tomanguean s et o f n umerals, l ooks

a t

l anguages

u nrelated

t o

Z apotec

b righter . T here a re , f urthermore , n ot ( 1965: 9 44-45) maintains, b ut n ine, r egular i ntervals. L eaving

a side

t he o ccasional

s equences , w hich may r esult d eliberate r itual e xceptions,

Q uia-

2

P e(la)-

3

P eo(la)-

4

C a(la)-

a nd e ven i f o ne

p rospect

s eems

n o

t hirteen p refixes a s C aso o f w hich f our r epeat a t

i rregularity

i n

t he d ay-count

e ither f rom s lips i n t ranscription t he f ollowing p attern e merges:

+ 3 1

t he

o r

+ 3

5

P e(la)9

6

Q ua(la)-

7

P il(la)-

8

N e(la),

L a-

P eo(la)-

1 0

P il(la)-

1 1

N e(la)-,

1 2

P ino-

1 3

P ece-

L a-

O f t hese o ne i s c learly p resent i n t he h ieroglyphic r ecord a s f ar b ack a s t he P rotoclassic: t he p refix Q uia-, w hich o ccurs w ith g reat f requency o n u rns o f t he r ain g od C ocijo ( "Thunderbolt"). E ffigies o f t his d eity a re n ormally a dorned w ith a p endant b earing h is c alendrical name 1 Q uiahuitl Q uegappe, " 1 F lash o f L ightning" ) .

( Zapotec Q uiacappe, C 6rdova 's T he u pper e lement i s d ecorated

a t i ts c orners with t he p honetic s ymbol q uia/quie, f ound among o ther t hings i n t he c onventionalized m ountain ( quia) u sed with p lace-glyphs, b ut a lso u sed s ymbolically f or r ain ( quia) i n t he g lyph f or t he d ay Q uiahuitl ( see F igure 1 9). W ilfrido C ruz, a n I sthmus Z apotec , a ttempted t o e xplain t he p refixes a s n ormal Z apotec w ords i n a r itual c ontext ( e.g . p eo a s " moon") , a nd w hile m any o f h is i nterpretations ( 1935) a re s omewhat l ess t han c ompelling, h is h ypothesis d oes s eem o n t he r ight t rack . P articularly a stute i s h is o bservation t hat p ece, which i s u sed o nly f or t he f inal d ay o f a t recena, i s t he Z apotec w ord f or " portent, omen" . I t i s p recisely a t t his p oint, a t t he e nd o f t he o r o verturning o f a p assage o f t ime, t hat o mens a re m ost e xpected a nd f eared. I s hould a dd t hat a fter t he C onquest t he D evil b ecame a ssociated w ith t he o minous g od B ezelao " 13 X ochitl", w hich i s

t he v ery

l ast

d ay o f

t he d ivinatory c ycle.

1 28

The

s ame

r ecorded i n

p attern

t he

o f

p refixes

n orthern Z apotec

t urns

d istrict

up

a gain

i n

o f V illa A lta

a nd 1 7th c enturies ( Alcina F ranch 1 966), a nd d eerskin b elonging t o t he Yale Map L ibrary,

d ay-counts i n

t he

1 6th

o n a n u npublished which r ecords a

g enealogy o f Z apotec l ords u p i nto t he 1 6th c entury . I nformed o f t he l atter's e xistence b y G eorge K ubler, I f ound i t, e rroneously c atalogued a s a" Nauhtl. ( sic) d eerskin m ap c .1800?", t o b e am ine o f i nformation o n Z apotec c alendrical n ames . I ronically, t he s equence o f e lements i n a Z apotec l ordly n ame, a s r eflected i n t his d ocument, i s t he exact o pposite o f t hat used b y Nahuatl r oyalty : ( 1) t itle, ( 2) p ersonal n ame, c oefficient.

( 3) c alendrical n ame,

( 4) n umeral

S ince n one o f t he n ames i s r endered i n g lyphs, t he t ask o f a nalyzing t heir underlying m eaning i s a ll t he m ore d ifficult . S ome c alendrical n ames a re n onetheless t ranslatable o wing t o t he f ortunate c ircumstance t hat n either t he p refix n or t he d ay-name i s i n t he S panish a lphabet ambiguous: e .g. H uatela = 6 I tzcuintli, Y aquela = 1 C alli, a nd P ezechila = 1 3 C ipactli . O thers c an b e r educed while

t o i n

t wo

p ossibilities ,

extreme

c ases

n o

e .g .

P ilahuiya = 7 o r 1 0 Malinalli ,

means

o f

s electing

t he

c orrect

i dentification i s l ikely e ver t o b ecome a vailable, e .g . P eloo = 2 o r 5 ( and p erhaps 3 o r 9 ) O zomatli, C ozcacuauhtli, o r X ochitl! Allowing

f or

t he

i nevitable

ambiguities

r esulting

f rom

i mprecise p honetic r enditions o f s uch n ames , w e a re s till l eft a t b est with d ual-referent p refixes, which a re l ess l ikely t o h ave b een d ifferentiated b y t one . T his b rings u s a gain t o t he p roblem o f t heir f unction . S ince n umbers a re d ropped i n n ames, t he p refixes c an b e a ssumed t o h ave t aken u p t he b urden t hey c arried, t hat i s, t heir i nfluence o n t he f ate o f t he d ay. A r ole a s f ate i ndicators would e xplain t he d isproportionate f requencies o f p articular p refixes i n r ulers' n ames, s ince we k now f rom A ztec s oLrces t hat d ecidedly n egative b irth d ates c ould b e o vercome b y p ostponing t he n aming c eremony, a nd t his would b e a ll t he more d esirable i n t he c ase o f f uture r ulers . F rom a p reliminary s tudy o f t hese n ames I would s uggest t hat 1 , 7 and 1 0 c arry a g ood f ate, 3 , 9 and 1 3 a b ad o ne . The r elationship b etween 9 and 1 3, t he n umbers

a ppearing

with

t he

l owest

f requency

o n

p re-Conquest

m onuments , i s e vident a lso i n t he f act t hat 9 p refixes w ere a pplied t o t he 1 3 c oefficients a t t he t ime o f t he C onquest . My f eeling i s t hat t he p refixes a re d erived f rom a ssociations with t he Z apotec L ords

o f The

t he N ight

( see W hittaker 1 983).

s ymbolism o f 9 a nd 1 3 c rops u p a gain i n t he p resent-day

c alendar o f t he S outhern Z apotecs, which was s tudied i n r ecent y ears b y C arrasco ( 1951) a nd Weitlaner ( 1958, 1 961). T here t he d ivinatory c alendar o f 2 60 d ays i s made up o f 2 0 t recenas g rouped i n f ive 5 2-day p eriods, a t radition which may d escend f rom Monte A lban I IIA , I n p arallel

b efore t he 6 5-day p eriod w as a dopted.

p lace c ycle

o f o f

t he

expected

n ovenas ,

2 0 d ay-names

t he n ine d ay-names

t his o f

c alendar w hich

r uns

a

f ollow e ach

o ther i n o rder e xcept o n t he f irst d ay , o n which t he i nitial t wo n ovena n ames d ouble up . This a djustment a t t he b eginning o f t he

1 29

d ivinatory c ycle i s s omewhat r eminiscent o f t he P reclassic Z apotec n ovena c ycle , w hich w as a djusted t o t he s olar y ear n ot b y d oubling u p, b ut b y a dding a d ay a t t he b eginning o f e very s econd s olar y ear . l ength,

I n b oth c ases i t w as t he n ovena c ycle n ot t he d ivinatory o r s olar c ycle.

w hich

w as

a djusted i n

D espite t he many a nd v aried d evelopments i n t he h istory o f Zapotec c ulture, i t i s q uite r emarkable t hat t he a ncient Mesoamerican i nstitution o f t he c alendar h as e ndured s o l ong a nd r emained s o c onservative . N ot e ven t he S outhern Z apotec c alendar t oday , f or a ll i ts l osses, h as a ltered i ts f undamental s tructure : t he d ivinatory c ycle i s s till 2 60 d ays l ong, s till d ivided i nto t recenas a nd s ubperiods , a nd s till p reserves a n ovena c ycle w ith a d oubling-up

m echanism k nown

e lsewhere i n M esoamerica .

F ar f rom

b eing t he o bscure a nd s eemingly a berrant s ystem i t h as s o l ong b een t aken t o b e, t he Z apotec c alendar, i n a ll i ts f orms a nd a ll i ts p hases , c an n ow b e s een t o h ave m aintained i ts b asic c haracter a t l east 2 500 y ears w ithout m ajor c hange.

1 30

M esoamerican

R eferences

A lcina F ranch,

J osé

" Calendarios

z apotecos

s iglos X VI y X VII," ( 1966) B atres,

p rehispänicos s eggn d ocumentos d e l os

i n E studios d e c ultura n ähuatl,

L eopoldo

E xploraciones d e M onte A lban. C arrasco,

M exico.

( 1902)

P edro

" Una c uenta r itual e ntre l os z apotecos d el s ur," a l d octor A lfonso C aso. C aso,

v ol. 6 .

M exico.

i n H omenaje

( 1951)

A lfonso L as e stelas z apotecas.

M exico.

" Exploraciones e n O axaca: 1 937."

I nstituto

P ublicaciön 3 4.

( 1928)

q uinta y s exta t emporadas,

P anamericano

d e

G eografia

1 936-

e H istoria,

( 1938)

C alendario y e scritura d e l as a ntiguas c ulturas d e Monte A lbän . M exico.

( 1947)

" Zapotec W riting a nd C alendar ," I ndians,

v ol .

3 ,

p art

I I .

i n H andbook o f M iddle A merican U niversity

o f

T exas

P ress .

( 1965) " Sculpture a nd M ural P ainting o f Middle American I ndians, v ol . 3 , T exas P ress. C ördova,

i n H andbook U niversity

o f o f

( 1965b)

J uan d e

Arte

d el

M exico. C ruz,

O axaca," p art I I .

i di oma

z apoteco.

R eedi ti on

o f

1 578

o riginal.

( 1886)

W ilfrido E l t onalamatl z apoteco.

G rove,

M exico.

( 1935)

D avid C .

T he O lmec P aintings o f O xtotitlan C ave, D umbarton O aks.

( 1970)

1 31

G uerrero,

M exico.

M arcus,

J oyce

" The O rigins o f Mesoamerican Writing," A nthropology, 5 . ( 1976)

" Zapotec ( 1980) P rem,

W riting,

i n

S cientific

i n A nnual R eview o f

American,

2 42,

n o .

2 .

H anns J . " Calendrics

a nd

W riting,"

i n

O bservations o n

t he E mergence o f

C ivilization i n M esoamerica . C ontributions o f t he U niversity o f California, Archaeological R esearch F acility, 1 1. B erkeley. S cott,

( 1971)

J ohn F .

T he

D anzantes

o f

Monte

A lbän .

2 v ols.

D umbarton

O aks .

( 1978) S eler,

E duard

T he T onalamatl o f t he Aubin C ollection . ( 1901) " The

M exican C hronology,

w ith

S pecial R eference

C alendar ." Smithsonian I nstitution, E thnology ( Washington), B ulletin 2 8. G esammelte

A bhandlungen

A ltertumskunde, T hompson,

J .

v ol.

z ur

5 .

t o

B ureau ( 1904)

amerikanischen

B erlin.

t he Z apotec

o f

American

S prach-

und

( 1915)

E ric S .

M aya H ieroglyphic W riting. W eitlaner,

B erlin a nd L ondon .

2 nd e dition.

N orman.

( 1960)

R obert J .

" Un c alendario d e l os z apotecos d el s ur ." P roceedings o f t he 3 2nd I nternational C ongress o f Americanists . C openhagen . ( 1961) " La

j erarquia

d e

l os

d ioses

z apotecos

d el

I nternationalen A merikanistenkongress. W hittaker, " On

t he

D ecipherment a t

S t L ouis.

a t

A kten d es

3 4 .

( 1961)

G ordon

P resented

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s ur ."

V ienna.

S ociety

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f or

E arly

O rleans.

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A rchaeology

H ieroglyphics ." A nnual

M eeting ,

( 1976)

Z apotec H ieroglyphics

S ociety

M onte

American

f or

American

t o

t he M ixtec C odices ."

A rchaeology

( 1977)

1 32

A nnual

P resented

Meeting,

New

The

Hieroglyphics

A nn A rbor: Los

j eroglificos

I .N.A .H. " The

o f

precläsicos

o f

Mound

I nternacional: prehispänica

C alendar

A lban.

Yale

U niversity

D iss.

( 1980) de

Monte

A lbän.

O axaca:

( 1981)

Tablets

L eyenaar.

Monte

U niversity M icrofilms.

Los

y e n

L eiden: a nd

S cript

Habilitationsschrift.

l a

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Monte

i ndigenas

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a ctualidad,

Alban," Mexico e d.

M .

i n e n

P rotohistorical

C hina

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1 33

l a

J ansen

R ijksmuseum v oor V olkenkunde. i n

C oloquio

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epoca a nd

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( 1982) Mesoamerica . ( 1983)

F RANZ

T ICHY

O bservaciones

l a

d el

s ol y c alendarto a gricola

e n M esoamgrica

E n l os a ltiplanos d e M exico c entral y d e G uatemala a si c omo e n c osta d el P acific° r eina u n c lima t ropical q ue v aria e ntre

p recipitactones e stivales y u na t emporada s eca d e i nvierno. S e c ultiva e l m aiz c omo u n c ereal e stival e n c ombinaciön c on f rijoles , c alabazas y o tras p lantas b ajo a decuadas c ondiciones. E stes s e a lcanzan s olamente e n e l s upuesto d e q ue l as l luvias empiecen c on p untualidad y s on e speradas a f ines d e a bril y p rimeros d ias d e m ayo, p ero l a i ncertidumbre a menaza s iempre. E l a r io a gricola y c on e llo e l c alendarto d e t rabajo d e l a p oblaciön e stä a daptado e n p romedio a l as c ondiciones a tmosfgricas . H ay que i nsistir e n " en p romedio", p rimer ( ) a c ausa d e l a i ncertidumbre d el c omienzo a si c omo t ambign d el f in d e l a t emporada d e l as l luvias, ya demäs p orque l os f ases d el t iempo n o s e p ueden e sperar e n t odos l os l ugares d e M esoamgrica e n l os m ismos d ias o e n l as m ismas s emanas . E n r egiones b ajas l a s ituaciön s e p resenta e n o tra f orma q ue e n r egiones a ltas, y e n o tra f orma a s otavento q ue a b arlovento, e n r egiones d el P acifico e n o tra f orma q ue e n l as d el A tläntico. A si s e e ntiende, l a r azön p or l a c ual l a s iembra d el maiz s e h ace e n d ias d iferentes a daptändose a l as c ondiciones l ocales. A p esar d e e llo s e h ah a u na g ran c oincidencia e n l os c iclos d e t rabajo a gricola . E sto e s v älido s obre t odo p ara l os r itos a gricolas e n c ombinaciön c on l as c ostumbres r eligiosas t ipicas. L a d escripciön d e l a m archa d el a rm a gricola e n T epotzlän/ M orelos, M exico, e s u n e jemplo d e e sta o bservaciön h echa p or O scar L ewis ( 1960) . E sta e s u na r egiön e n d onde s e p ractica e l d esmonte c on q uemadura . E n s entido e stricto n o s e t rata a qui d e u n c alendario a gricola p orque n o s e m encionan f echas, p ero e llas a parecen e n l as c ostumbres r eligiosas. Muy e xtendido e stän l os r itos a gricolas d e l a F iesta d e l a S agrada C ruz e n l os d ias 1 a l 3 d e Mayo. E n T eportlän s e c elebra l a b endiciön d el maiz e l d ia d e S an I sidro e l 1 5 d e m ayo. A m ediados d el p rocesiön a lrededor d e l os c ampos , y e l 2 8 d e c ruces e n l as m ilpas. r epresentarse e n f orma f inal d el a rticulo).

d e

a gosto s e h ace u na s eptiembre s e p onen

E n s uma, e l c iclo c alendario a gricola

d e l abores p uede ( vgase T abla 1 a l

U na e strecha c onexiön e ntre e l v iejo c alendario, q ue a ün p ermanece l atente, y e l c iclo a grario l o e ncontrö W eitlaner e ntre l os c hinantecos e n O axaca ( 1969 S .538). E l c iclo a gricola e stä c ombinado a gricolas, c atölico.

c on d istintas f echas y a demäs c on d istintos r itos a ün h oy e n d ia e n d ias d e S antos o S antas d el c alendario

1 35

D esde s iempre s e h a n ecesitado p oner l a s iembra e n e l m omento o portuno p ara q ue l as p rimeras l luvias puedan f avorecer el d esarrollo d el c ultivo, e s d ecir, n o s e e spera a l as l luvias p or s embrar d espugs. P ero, L cömo f ue p osible e n l os t iempos p rehispänicos r econocer l os d istintos d ias e n e l c urso d el a f to, p .ej. e l 1d e mayo d e h oy? z Cömo f ue p osible f ijar e l c alendario a gricola y e l c urso d el c i c1o d e l as l ab or e s? i Cuäles o bservaciones d el s ol f ueron e n ü ltima i nstancia ü tiles p ara e stos a suntos. Examinemos

p rimero

d e

t odo

u n

c iclo

a gricola

c on

f echas

c onocidas. S e t rata d e u n c alendario d e 2 60 d ias d e d uraciön, l evantado e i nterpretado p or R afael G irard e n l os p ueblos c horti e n l os A ltos d e Guatemala . E l h abla d el " autgntico t zolkin d e l os m aya" o d el

" tzolkin o riginal" y e scribe e n 1 982:

" El t zolkin d e l os c horti s e c omputa d esde e l 8d e f ebrero a l 2 4/25 d e o ctubre . E s b äsicamente u n a lmanaque a gricola y a q ue s u f unciön p rincipal c onsiste e n r egular l as l abores d e c ultivo , d e d os milpas c onsecutivas a l a no. E stä d ividido e n d os s ecciones: u na d e 8 0 d ias q ue c orresponde a l p eriodo e stival y o tra d e 1 80 d ias q ue e s e l c iclo d e l as l luvias. — L os c horti c uentan l a e staciön e stival d el t zolkin p or ' cuarentenas' o p ares d e u inales ( v ase T abla 2 ). L a

p rimera

a ctividad

d el

c ampesino

c onsiste

e n l a

t ala d e

l os

g randes ärboles y d ebe f inalizar e n u n p lazo d e v einte d ias . " Durante e l s egundo s ector d e v einte d ias , e l c ampesino s e d edica a l a r oza d e ' montes b ajos ' o r astrojos ." D espugs d el d esmonte d urante l a p rimera c uarentena s e r ealizan l as q uemas . T odas l as maderas d eben e star e n i guales c ondiciones d e s equedad . " Las q uemas... p rincipian a r aiz d e l os r itos e quinocciales e n l ugares b ajos y c älidos y s e c ontinüan h asta mediados d e a bril e n t ierras a ltas .— L a c eremonia d e m ayor i mportancia s e c elebra c uando e l s ol s e r ealiza s u p rimer p aso p or e l c enit, q ue l os c horti l laman l a ' Mediania d el M undo ' ; c eremonia q ue d ura d el 2 5 d e a bril a l 3 d e m ayo y d etermina

l as

p rimeras

l luvias."

E l p rimer p aso d el s ol p or e l c enit " divide e l c uadrante c eleste e n d os s ectores d e i gual d imensiön: e l c ielo c laro y l uminoso d e l a e staciön e stival y e l c ielo o bscuro d e ' invierno ' .— L as d os e staciones d el t röpico c onstituyen c iclos t emporales p erfectamente s imgtricos d e 1 80 d ias c ada u no y s uman e l v alor d e u n t un m aya d e 3 60 d ias." D urante e l " reglamento d e i nvierno",

q ue d ura 1 80 d ias,

" el

a imputo d el t iempo s e r ealiza p or n ovenas y t recenas— . P arten d os c iclos d e 5 2 d ias d ivididos p or e l s olsticio d e v erano . E s d ecir , e stän e nmarcados p or l os f enömenos ms r elevantes d e l a a stronomia m aya, e l p rimer y e l s egundo p aso d el s ol p or e l c enit , d ivididos e xactamente e n d os p artes i guales p or e l s olsticio . E ntre e l p rimero y s egundo p aso d el s ol p or e l c enit s e d esarrolla t odo e l c iclo d e c ultivo d e l a p rimera milpa . Entre e l p rimero d e e stos f enömenos y e l s olsticio d e v erano s e c uentan c uatro t recenas . D urante

l a p rimera s e r ealiza

l a s iembra ,

1 36

e n

l a

s egunda

t recena e l

maiz e stä y a e n ' alas d e p erico', e s d ecir, c on d os h ojitas, a l c omenzar l a t ercera t recena s e p rocede a l a p rimera l impia o d eshierbo y a l f inal d e l a c uarta t recena , r ealizan l os l a s egunda l impia . D urante e l p rimer c iclo d e 5 2 d ias , l legado

a s u

d efinitiva

c aracterizaciön .

e l maiz e stä ' en e lotes', f iesta l lamada a an k in." " Los

V ia L äctea

l a

q uinta

t recena ,

a contecimiento que e s c elebrado c on u na

s acerdotes-aströnomos

V ia Läctea.P ara e l 2 5 d e

D esde

t rabajos d e e l m aiz h a

c horti o bservan e l

2 5

d e

j ulio

a l a

N otan s us c ambios d e p osiciön c on r elaciön a l s ol. j ulio l a t rayectoria s olar ( la e cliptica F .T .) y l a

f orman u na

g igantesca

c ruz

a stronömico s enala e l p rincipio p eriodo d e s uspensiön t emporal t emperatura,

e n

e l

c ielo .

E ste

d e l a c anicula, d e l as l luvias

f enömeno

e s d ecir, y aumento

u n d e

c omo r esultado d e l as a rtes mägicas d el s acerdote .

E l D ios d e l a V ia L äctea s e e ncarga d e d etener l as l luvias d urante l a c anicula p ara p ermitir q ue l os c ampesinos p reparen s us t ierras d e l abranza p ara " En

l a

l as

s iembras

f echa d el

d e

a gosto,

o curre

e l

s acerdote

l lamadas

s egundo p aso

f uerte

o rdena

' de d el

s egunda'." s ol p or e l

p recipitaciön

q ue

s e

d e

r ealicen

l as

c enit

l luvias

d e

' siembras

d el

1 2 a l

1 3

c onvecciön-. d e

s egunda'.

Durante e l e quinoccio d el 2 2 a l 2 3 d e s eptiembre,

l os c ampesinos

h acen

e l

l a

d el s ol

ü nica

l impia

p or e l

d e

l a

c enit hasta

s egunda l a

m ilpa .

D esde

s egundo

c eremonia d e c lausura d el

p aso

t zolkin,

que o curre a l a m edianoche e ntre e l 2 4 y 2 5 d e o ctubre, m edian 7 6 d ias que c orresponden a l a s egunda s iembra y d esarrollo d el maiz. A l

f inalizar

c ulto

l os

s olar

c ompletändose D e

e ste

2 60 d ias

d e

1 00

d el t zolkin ,

d ias

a si

l os

m odo

s e

que

3 65 d ias d el p resenta

l os c horti p or G irard.

c omienza i nstantäneamente e l

f inaliza

l a

P ero,

c on

l os

5 d ias

a ciagos,

aM ) m aya." d escripciön

d el

c iclo

a gricola

d e

i qug t an p recisa e s l a r elaciön d e

l os hechos a stronömicos c on l a r ealidad? L a r elaciön existe d e h echo p ara l as r egiones a lrededor d e 1 5 g rados d e l atitud e n d onde o curre

e l

p rimer p aso

mayo, e s d ecir, c uarentena, s egün

d el

s ol

d os d ias G irard.

p or

e l

c enit

a l

mediodia

d el

1 d e

d espugs d el p eriod s ° d e l a s egunda E l e quinoccio d e p rimavera s ucede

t ambign e l 2 1 d e marzo d os d ias d espugs d el p eriodo d e l a p rimera cuarentena . E l p rimer c iclo d e 5 2 d ias f inaliza e l 1 9 d e j unio, d os

d ias a ntes d el s olsticio d e v erano.

E l s egundo p aso d el s ol

p or e l c enit o curre e l 1 2 d e agosto c erca d e l os 1 5 g rados d e l atitud n orte; e l s egundo c iclo d e 5 2 d ias y a f inaliza e l 1 0 d e a gosto . C on e l c iclo a gricola s egün G irard l legamos a l f in d e l os c iclos s iempre d os d ias a ntes d e l os f ases a stron6micos. En s u c arta d el 2 1 d e a gosto d e e ste a n ( ) G irard n o puede p or e l momento e xplicar b ien e n q ue c onsisten e sos d os d ias d e d iferencia, s ino h asta l os

c uando

p ropios

r egresa

a G uatemala ,

Ahora empieza

l a milpa d e

f echas

d el

c onsultar

s us

i nformantes,

s egunda c on e l p rimer c iclo d e 4 0

d ias hasta e l 1 9 d e s eptiembre, i nteresante .

p ara

s acerdotes.

E ste

e s

s olsticio

a quel d e

d ia

v erano

u na f echa e legida d e u na manera q ue

s e h ah a

y d el

t rata d e u n " dia d e l a mitad d el ano".

o toAo s igue cuatro dias despugs,

1 37

e n

s olsticio

e l d e

p unto

e ntre

i nvierno,

l as s e

C laro que e l e quinoccio d e

e l 2 3 d e s eptiembre.

O tros 3 6

d ias

o 4 n ovenas S iguiendo

c älculo

p or

o rganizado

s iguen y e l

l as

u n d e

f echas

f inaliza e l

l evantadas

t raslado t al

c iclo

d e

manera

d os

que

2 5 d e

p or G irard,

d ias,

e l

p udiera

o ctubre.

p ero

m ejorando

c alendario

s er

s e

c ontrolado

s u

h ubiera

a b ase

d e

o bservaciones d e l os p asos d el s ol p or e l c enit. G irard n o m enciona, s i l a o bservaciön e s v älida p ara e l p resente y n o p odemos e sperarla, p orque l as f echas n o c orresponden c on l os l imites d e l os c iclos

d escritos .

s olamente

p ara

L a u n

s imetria y l a

c iclo

a gricola

c oincidencia

q ue

a bsolutas

e mpiece e l

1 0 d e

e xisten

f ebrero y

f inalice e l 2 7 d e o ctubre . L a s ituaciön e n e sta f orma v ale a demäs s olamente p ara l ugares e ntre l a l atitud g eogräfica d e 1 5 g rados y l a d e

1 40 1 4'.

E n e l c alendario t zolkin d e l os c horti s on d e i mportancia l os e quinoccios, pero n o e s posible verificarlos a t raves de o bservaciones r elativamente s encillas c omparado c on e l m etodo d e l os s olsticios

c omo

muy g rande

e xactitud,

d ia a t raves

p untos

d e

e xtremos

d el

s ol

s in e mbargo,

l a o bservaciön

d e

e s

l os

e n

e l

h orizonte .

p osible

p asos

f ijar l a

d el

s ol

p or

C on

u na

f echa d e e l

c enit ,

u n e s

d ecir, d os v eces a l a n ( ) y s olamente e n l os t röpicos. E l c ontrol d e l a p rimera observaciön, p .ej. e l 1 d e mayo, e s p osible, c uando h ay s ol, b ajo 1 5 g rados d e l atitud n orte y e l 1 2 d e a gosto, 1 04 d ias d espues. P or e so e s p osible h acer u na c orrelaciön d el c iclo a gricola, p ero t ambien d e c ualquier o tro c alendario q ue t enga e l

c urso

d el a no

s olar

c omo

u na p equena a pertura,

b ase .

C omo

e quipo

o i nstalaciön b asta

p .ej. e n e l t echo d e u na c hoza,

d e u na c asa

o d e u n t emplo. E ' s l a misma s ituaciön q ue nos hace s aber P arsons ( 1932) d e u n r ito p racticado p or l os s acerdotes d e l os Z uni ( v ase Aveni y H artung, 1 981, päg. 6 7). L a p uerta d e l a c asa d ebe s er c errada p ara o bscurecer e l r ecinto . A ntes s e m arca e n e l s uelo e l p unto o riginado p or l a v ertical q ue empieza e n l a a pertura , p .ej. e chando u na p lomada.

En p rincipio t enemos u na c ämara o bscura y

p odemos observar e l c urso d e l a l uz d el s ol a t raves d el p unto b äsico v erticalmente s et ialado b ajo l a a pertura e n e l t echo . Una c onstrucciön e l

p ozo

d e

a deruada l a

c ueva

p ara

l a

o bservaciön

a rtificial

d e

s e

h ah a

X ochicalco,

a m i

p arecer

Morelos

e n

( Tichy,

1 980). H ay

g rados

d e

l atitud

s enalados,

e n

d onde

c oinciden

l os p asos

d el s ol p or e l c enit c on c iclos c alendarios,

c omo p .ej. e n e l c aso

d el

l atitud

t zolkin d e

e ntre d ias.

l os

c horti .

B ajo

1 5 g rados

d e

l a

d iferencia

l os d os p asos d el s ol p or e l c enit a sciende a d os v eces 5 2 B ajo l a l atitud d e 1 8 g rados, p .ej. e n La V enta, s on d os

c uarentenas o c uatro

v eintenas,

b ajo

l a

l atitud

e n C holula o X ochicalco s on 7 2 d ias u o cho g rados, c omo e n U xmal, s on t res v eintenas. G irard

t iene

r azön

e n

o pinar

q ue

l as

d e

1 9

g rados ,

n ovenas,

m ejores

c omo

b ajo

2 0,5

c ondiciones

p ara

l a i nvenciön d el t zolkin a gricola e stän d adas e n l as r egiones b ajo 1 5 g rados d e l atitud y a demäs e n l a c osta d el P acifico p or c ausas c limatol6gicas . d e

q ue

h ayan

N o

o bstante,

e xistido

c iclos

n o q uiero a gricolas

d ejar f uera

s emejantes,

g rados d e l atitud y a s ef lalados . P reguntemos a hora: podria s er c on struido u n c alendario a grico l a X ochicalco?

1 38

l a p osibilidad b ajo o tros

z en q ue f orma e n C ho l ula o

P odemos s uponer l os m ismos c iclos p arciales d e 5 2, 4 0 y 3 6 d ias y u na s emejante s imetria . L os p asos d el s ol p or e l c enit o curren r espectivamente b ajo 1 9 g rados d e l atitud n orte e l 1 6 d e m ayo y e l 2 8 d e j ulio . E ntre e l 1 7 d e m ayo y e l 2 0 d e j unio h ay 3 6 d ias y e ntre e l 2 1 d e j ulio, e l s olsticio d e v erano, j ulio h ay o tros t antos, e s d ecir c uatro n ovenas . L os

y e l 2 7 d e e quinoccios

a qui n o s e p ueden r econocer c omo l imites e ntre c iclos . 5 2 d ias e mpezaria e l 2 6 d e m arzo y f inalizaria e l 1 6 d e

U n c iclo d e m ayo . Ms

a gradable s eria u n c iclo d e 4 0 d ias d ia e s i nteresante p orque e l s ol

e mpezando e l 7 d e a bril. e l 7 d e a bril d esciende

E ste e n e l

h orizonte c on u na d esviacidn d e 7 g rados d e O este a N orte. L a d esviaciön e s l a q ue i ndica e l e je d e T enochtitlan c on s u T empi° M ayor y d e

c iclo

o tros

s itios m äs.

P or e so, d ejemos e mpezar e l c alendario d e 2 60 d ias c on e l d e 5 2 d ias e l 1 4 d e f ebrero y t ambien d ejemos f inalizarlo c on

5 2 d ias. S in e mbargo, h acen f alta 4 d ias p ara s er e l 3 1 d e o ctubre y p ara c umplirse l os 2 60 d ias. E l p rimer d ia, e l 1 4 d e f ebrero p osee u na b uena r elaciön c on r especto a u na s ituaciön s olar y a l os e jes p iramidales q ue t ienen l a d esviaciön d e 1 3,5 g rados d e E ste a S ur. D irecciones d e e stas e structuras s e c onocen e n T eotenango, K obah, N ohpat y C ozumel. E n l os d ias d el p aso d el s ol p or e l c enit, e l s ol d esciende e n e l h orizonte c on u na d esviaciön d e 2 0 g rados O este-Norte e n e l Mexico c entral. S in e ntrar m äs e n d etalle, e s d igno d e m enciön e l h echo d e q ue e s p osible c onstruir t ambien p ara l a l atitud d e 1 8 g rados s emejantes c iclos a stronömicamente r elacionados. S e e mpieza d e l a m isma manera c omo e n l a l atitud u n c iclo d e 4 0 d ias.

d e

1 5 g rados

t ambien e l

1 0 d e

f ebrero

c on

H ay b astantes r azones p ara h acer v älida l a o piniön d e q ue h aya e xistido u na v ez e n M esoamerica m uy e strechas r elaciones e ntre e l o rdenamiento d el e spacio y e l o rdenamiento d el t iempo e n c ooLdinaciön c on l a v ida e conömica y e l c ulto . d el s ol s e d eterminö l a o rientaciön d el e spacio

A p artir d el y d el t iempo

v iejo mundo .

d eterminan

L as

v ariaciones

d el

c urso

d el

s ol

e n

c urso e n e l s uma

e l c urso d e l os f enömenos n aturales, l os d e l a a tmösfera y d e e ste modo s e a dapta e l c urso d e l as l abores a gricolas d e 2 60 d ias d e d uraciön d e f ebrero a o ctubre. P robablemente s e p uedan h allar o tros t ambien a l S ur d el E cuador . E s p osible c ontrolar y r ectificar e l c alendario a gricola y s us c iclos c on o bservaciones d el p aso d el s ol p or e l c enit c on u na m uy a lta e xactitud.

R eferencias

Aveni, A .F . y H . H artung, " The O bservation o f t he S un a t t he T ime o f P assage t hrough t he Z enith i n M esoamerica", A rcheostronomy, 3 ( Journal o f t he H istory o f A stronomy, 1 2), 1 981, 5 1-70. B eutler, C ., c ultivo

" Algunas o raciones y c eremonias r elacionadas c on e l d e m aiz e n M exico", I ndiana ( Berlin), 1 , 1 973, 9 3-

1 11.

1 39

G irard, R ., La c ivilizaciön maya y s us e pigonales. C .A., s .f. ( 1982). L arsen,

H .,

L ife o f

" The 2 60-day P eriod a s t he A ncient I ndian",

r elated

E thnos,

1 ,

t o

Guatemala

t he A gricultural E stocolmo,

1 936,

9 -12. L ewis,

O scar,

T eportlän.

V illage L ife

i n Mexico.

N ew Y ork,

1 960. Tichy,

F .,

" Der

S onnenkalender?

F es t kalender L ateinamerika

S ahagt in's. S tudien,

6 ,

E in München,

e chter 1 980,

1 15-37. Weitlaner,

R .J.

y H .F.

M iddle A merican

C line,

I ndians,

" The

C hinantec",

7 ( 1969),

1 40

p ägs.

e n

5 23-52.

H andbook o f

T ABLA E l

1

a no a gricola

M exico.

R itos

M es

e n

m arzo

d e

q uema

e n l a m ontana d el c entro y S ur d e

e n T eportlän

( Lewis,

1 960).

r itos a gricolas

l abor

t emporada

itima c osecha

e nero f ebrero

c ampos

a grarios

t .

s eca

d esmonte y r nza olocaciön de p iedras 1 c

a bril

q uemas

m ayo

s iembra del m aiz

S an I sidro e l

1 5 de m ayo

bendiciön d el m aiz j unio

l luvias

s iembra: f rijol,

m aiz, c alabaza

d eshierbo,

j ulio

l impia

e p ausa d l luvias r ecalzar,

a gosto

a collar

s iembra d e l a

p rocesiön e n l os c ampos a medidas d e a gosto

s egunda m ilpa s eptiembre I

l luvias

( sachar 2 . milpa) t .

s eca

c osecha: f rijol,

d iciembre

c ruces e n l as m ilpas e l

v igilar

o ctubre n oviembre

‹ p rimeras e lotes

m aiz, c alabaza

c osecha d el m aiz t ransporte

2 8 d e s eptiembre

T abla 2 a

E l c alendario a gricola d e 2 60 d ias b ajo

1 5° L .N .

A - m eses c ristianos B - l os c iclos p arciales e n p osiciones s imetricas C - t zolkin c horti ( vease 2 b) T abla 2 b

E l t zolkin c horti d esde e l 8d e f ebrero a l 2 5 d e o ctubre s egün G irard

f echas

( 1982)

a daptado a l os

d ias

l abor

1 0/2 - 2 1/3

e quinoccio d e p rimavera

4 0

d esmonte

2 2/3 - 3 0/4

p rimer p aso d el s od p ar

4 0

q uemas

e ventos

verano-

e l c enit 1 /5 - 2 1/6 2 2/6 - 1 2/8

s olsticio d e v erano

5 2

s egundo p aso d el s al p ar

5 2

e l 13 /8 - 2 1/9 2 2/9 - 27/10

1

d e

p rimera

c enit

e guinoccio d e e state

1Milpa

4 0

1

3 65

M ilpa d e s egunda

2 60

1 / 1 -2 ,

c iclo d e l as l luvias invierno-

s olares

T abla 3 a

E l c alendario a gricola d e 2 60 d ias b ajo 1 9° L .N . ( Construcciön a b ase d e l a d istancia d e l os d ias d el

T abla 3 b

p aso

d el

s ol p or e l c enit)

L os d ias d el p aso d el s ol p or e l c enit e ntre 1 5° y 2 3°N , s u d istancia y l as d esviaciones d e

L atitud N orte

1 5

o

1 6° 1 7

0

1 8° 1 9

0

P asos d el s ol p or e l c enit I I I

D istancia d ies

P eriodos d Imero

1 03

2x 5 2

m ayo 1

- a gosto 1 2

m ayo 4

- a gosto

9

m ayo 8

- a gosto

5

8 9

a gosto

1

8 1

2x 4 0 2x 3 6

m ayo 1 2

9 7

m ayo 1 6

J ulio

2 8

7 2

2 0°

m ayo 2 0

J ulio

2 3

6 4

2 0° 2 5'

m ayo 2 2

J ulio

2 1

6 0

2 1°

m ayo 2 5

J ulio

1 8

5 4

2 2°

j unio 1

J ulio

1 1

4 0

2 3°

j unio 1 0- J ulio

2 3° 2 6,5'

j unio 2 1

2

2 2 0

1 43

l a p uesta d el

L ugar

D esviaciem d e l a p uesta d el s ol ( acimut) + 1 5°3 3'

s ol

C op&n/Honduras

+ 1 6° 4 0 '

3x

2x 2 0

+ 1 7o 4 8'

M onte A lbän

+ 1 8° 5 8'

L a V enta

+ 2 0° 0 8 '

C holula

+ 2 1° 2 1 '

T ula

o5 1'

U xmal, C .Culiac 2 0 + 2 1ä n

+ 2 2o 3 4'

M erida

+ 2 3° 5 0'

A gUascalientes

+ 2 5o 0 7 ' + 2 5 °42 '

A lta V ista / JB/

J OHANNA B RODA

C iclos a gricolas e n e l c ulto: c alendario m exica

E ste

b reve

e studio

u n p roblema d e

a porta

d atos

s obre

l a c orrelaci6n d el

l a

c orrelaci6n

d el

c alendario m exica a nalizando l a i nterrelaci6n q ue e xistia e n e ste c alendario e ntre e l c lima y l os c iclos a gricolas p or u na p arte, y l os c iclos r ituales y miticos p or o tra . Las f uentes s on l a d ocumentaci6n e tnohist6rica d el a ltiplano c entral e n e l ü ltimo m omento a ntes d e l a c onquista y l a d ocumentaci6n a rqueol6gica d e l a r eciente

e xcavaci6n d el T emplo

M ayor d e T enochtitlan .

A e stas

f uentes s e l es a plica u n ä nalisis e n t erminos d e a ntropologia s ocial v inculando l a c uesti f t c alendärica c on l as a ctividades e con6micas y s ociales. N os h emos p reguntado a cerca d e l a f unci6n s ocial d el r itual c alendärico . E l c ulto m exica e ra , a demäs, e xpresiön d e l a c osmovisi6n ; a barcaba u n c onocimiento p räctico y u na f ilosofia d e l a n aturaleza . E n l a ü ltima p arte d e e ste t rabajo s ef ialarg c 6mo e l c iclo d e T laloc e n e l T emplo Mayor r eflejaba a t rav6s d el m ito u na c oncepci f t f ilos6fica s obre l os c iclos n aturales d e l a l luvia y d el m aiz. P resento

a qui

l as

c onclusiones

d e

u n e studio m onogräfico m äs

e xtenso s obre l os r itos a gricolas ( Ms .c), e l c ual, a s u v ez, f orma p arte d e u na S erie d e i nvestigaciones q ue h e l levado a c abo s obre l a f unci6n s ocial d el c ulto mexica .' E ste a nälisis h a m ostrado q ue e xistia, s in l ugar a d udas, u na c orrespondencia e ntre l os r itos, l os f en6menos c limatol6gicos y l a a gricultura . L as c r6n1cas d el s iglo X VI d an a bundante t estimonio a l r especto . H ay q ue c oncluir, p or l o t anto, q ue s i e xistia t al r elaci6n ( la f unci6n d el c ulto c onsistia p recisamente e n r eforzarla), e ntonces d ebe h aber e xistido a lgün m gtodo, a ün d esconocido, p ara m antener e l c alendario e n c oncordancia c on e l a rm s olar.

L a

c orrelaci6n P ara

e l

c orrelaci6n

d el c alendario m exica p resente

a nälisis,

f ija

n os

q ue

e s

p ermita

f undamental r elacionar

c ontar

l os

c on

d atos

u na

s obre

c eremonias y a ctividades e con6micas, c on f echas e xactas . O tro e lemento n ecesario p ara l levar a c abo e l a nälisis, s on c iertos c onocimientos

b äsicos

d el c lima,

d e l a e cologia y d e l os c iclos

agricolas e n e l a ltiplano c entral. A e ste r especto, l a c omparaci6n c on d atos e tnogräficos m odernos e s d e g ran u tilidad. 2 E s d e s uponer q ue l os f actores c limatol6gicos y e col6gicos h an mantenido u na c onstancia, a g randes r asgos, , l o c ual n os p ermite h acer t ales c omparaciones.'

1 45

d esde e l s iglo X VI,

C UADRO

C orrelaci6n d e

d el

1

c alendario m exica

o rientaciones

d e

. r e ‘ me

r

5 u 9eta

n o

°f op .

l os

u pper

c ia3

D

J apun

1 46

p re—hispänicos

c ent

c entro

' l of l ua

s egün T ichy y e squema

e dificios

0

, re i to

ouia‘

-

u04'

C LAVE D EL C UADRO

g regoriano p ara e l a eo

1

A -

C alendario

B -

L os d ias c on d irecciones a l c irculo C .

C -

D esviaci6n a xial d e l as p irämides c ontada a p artir d el E ; ängulos n egativos d e E a N i ndican l a s alida d el s ol e n l a mitad e stial; ängulos p ositivos d e E a S c orresponden a l a p arte i nvernal . P ara l a p uesta d el s ol s e a plican l os ä ngulos n egativos e n l a m itad e stial y l os ängulos p ositivos e n l a mitad i nvernal . p ara l a m ayoria d e

D -

d e

" Tonalpohualli f ijo",

C alendario

s alida

d el s ol

c orrespondientes

L a o rientaci6n h acia e l 0 e s d eterminante l as p irämides. o c alendario s olar d e 2 60 d ias + 1 00

d ias + 5 d ias n emontemi, E -

l a

1 975

y s us s ubdivisiones.

m exica c on 3 60 + 5 d ias .

1 8 p eriodos

d e 2 0 d ias +

5 n emontemi ( 19 .-23 .11.); m äs c omünmente , l os n emontemi s on c olocados a ntes d e I A tlacahualo q ue c omienza e l 1 2 d e f ebrero . E ste p rincipio d e a l l ( ) c oincide c on l os d atos d e S ahagün, c ambiados a f echas g regorianas . L os 6 p eriodos d e 6 0 d ias q ue s e r egistran e n e l c irculo c oncentrico e xterior , i ndican l os 6 r umbos d el u niverso ( E-N-O-S-Centro a lto y C entro b ajo). F -

T onalpohualli d e 2 60 d ias , v einte s emanas d e 1 3 d ias.

Ss y Sw C1 9

M -

Y

C2 0,5

D ias d e

d ividido e n 4 p eriodos

S olsticios d e v erano y d e -

P asos d el 2 0,5 ° N .

d e 6 5 d ias o

i nvierno.

s ol p or e l c enit e n l as l atitudes d e

l a m itad d el a eo,

1 9° y

m arzo 2 4 y s eptiembre 2 0.

C UADRO 1 , s egün T ichy, d iagrama 1 6 .2 .1977, b asado e n T ichy f ig.9; e l t exto c on l igeras m odificaciones d e l a a utora.

1 47

1 976,

E sta t area n o s e h abia e mprendido a nteriormente . N umerosos i nvestigadores h an n egado l a c orrespondencia e ntre e l c ulto m exica , l as e staciones y l a a gricultura . U n i nvestigador t an d estacado c omo K arl A nton N owotny q ue f igura e ntre l os m ejores c onocedores d e l as f iestas d el c alendario m exica , n egö, p or e jemplo , l a r elaciön e ntre l os s acrificios d e n igos y l os f en6menos c limatol6gicos, s uponiendo q ue e stos s acrificios, c on e l t ranscurso d e l os agos, s e habian i do p rolongando c ada v ez mäs d esde e l p rimer m es d e I A ticahualo h asta I V H uey t ozortli . S i e l a f to i ndigena p erdia c ada c uatro a gos u n d ia, e sta d iferencia s umaba 2 5 d ias e n 1 00 a gos . E s d ecir, e n 1 00 a gos e l c alendario s e hubiera d esfasado p or mäs d e u n m es i ndigena . N owotny r echazö r otundamente l a p osibilidad d e u na c orrespondencia e xacta e ntre l as f iestas y e l a go s olar d ebido a l a s upuesta a usencia d e m gtodos p ara c orregir e l c alendario ( 1968a , b ). Michel G raulich,

p artiendo

d e

l a m isma s uposiciön ,

p ropone

o tra h ipötesis d ificil d e c omprobar : q ue l os n ombres d e l os m eses mexica t uvieran s u o rigen e n e l a go 6 82 d .C., d urante l a g poca c lgsica, cuando hab a n c o rr e spond d o c on 1o s f en6menos c limatol6gicos, m ientras q ue e n e l m omento d e l a c onquista s e encon tr ab an a pr ox i ma damen t e 5 meses eur o p eo s f uera de c orrespondencia c on e l a go s olar . E l c iclo c alendärico m ayor e n e l q ue f iestas y f echas s olares h ubieran c oincidido n uevamente , s erian 1 460 a l los. G raulich hace u n a nälisis e structural d el c ontenido mitico d e l as f iestas , t omando c omo p unto d e r eferencia c orrespondencia p ara e l a ho 6 82 d .C. ( 1976, 1 980).

l a s upuesta

E l p resente t rabajo s e b asa e n l a c orrelaciön f ija e ntre m eses p rehis Onicos y f echas s olares q ue ha s ido p ropuesta p or F ranz Tichy.' N o p odemos explicar a qui e n d etalle l a c ompleja m etodologia a plicada p or T ichy p ara e laborar e sta c orrelaciön ; s edo s egalarg que e n ella s e c ombinan i nvestigaciones a rqueoa stronömicas, a rqueol6gicas, e tnohistöricas, d e e tnografia y g eografia c ultural m oderna . E l p unto d e p artida e s e l p rincipio d e o rientaciön d e p irämides y c entros c eremoniales p rehispänicos . E n l a ültima d gcada, A nthony F . Aveni, H orst H artung, T ichy y a lgunos o tros a utores h an e mprendido u n e studio s istgmatico d e l as d esviaciones d e l os p untos c ardinales e n l os e jes p rincipales d e e dificios y s itios a rqueolögicos .6 E n b ase a e stas m ediciones d e c ampo,

T ichy l ogrö e stablecer u n

s istema

d e ä ngulos

r ecurrentes

e n

l as d esviaciones, s istema q ue s e v incula a l m ismo t iempo c on c iertas s ubdivisiones b äsicas d el c alendario y c onduce a si a una c orrelaciön f ija d e g ste c on e l a go s olar. ( V ase C uadro 1 ) E l

p articular

i nter s

d e

e stas

i nvestigaciones

p ara

la

e tnohistoria c onsiste e n e l h echo d e que Tichy lleg6, ap artir d e datos obtenidos i ndependientemente d e l a documentaci6n e tnohistörica , a r econstruir l a e structura i nterna d el c alendario p rehispänico, y a e stablecer s u c orrelaciön f ija . E s d e n otar q ue e sta c orrelacien c omprueba , a demäs , l a e xactitud d e l as f echas que d io f ray B ernadino d e S ahagün p ara l os 1 8 m eses a ztecas e n e l L ibro I I d e s u H istoria G eneral . P or l o t anto , l a c orrelaciön d e T ichy q ue u samos e n e l s iguiente a nälisis, c oincide c on l as f echas d e S ahagün

( Tichy

1 980).

( Vgase

C uadro 2 )

1 48

C UADRO 2 C orrelaciön f ija d el c alendario m exica ( Segün

M ESES

S ahagün ,

L ibro I I ;

T ichy

P REHISPANICOS

1 976,

vase C uadro 1 )

C ALENDARIO C RISTIANO ( GREGORIANO)

A ticahualo

1 2.2. 4 .3.

-

3 .3.

I I

T lacaxipehualiztli

- 2 3.3.

I II

T ozortontli

2 4.3. - 1 2.4.

I V

H uey t ozortli

1 3.4.

V

T oxcatl

V I

-

2 .5.

3 .5.

- 2 2.5.

E tzalcualiztli

2 3.5.

- 1 1.6.

V II

T ecuilhuitontli

1 2.6.

-

V III

H uey t ecuilhuitl

I X

1 .7.

2 .7.

- 2 1.7.

T laxochimaco-Miccailhuitontli

2 2.7.

- 1 0.8.

X

X ocotlhuetzi-Huey m iccailhuitl

1 1.8.

- 3 0.8.

X I

O chpaniztli

3 1.8.

- 1 9.9.

X II

T eotleco

2 0.9.

-

X III

T epeilhuitl

1 0.10.- 2 9.10.

X IV

Q uecholli*

3 0.10.-

1 8.11.*

X V

P anquetzaliztli

1 9.11.-

8 .12.

X VI

A temortli

X VII

T ititl

2 9.12.- 1 7.1.

X VIII

I zcalli

1 8.1.

9 .10.

9 .12.- 2 8.12.

N emontemi

-

6 .2.

7 .2. - 1 1.2.

E n l a c orrelaciön d e T ichy ( Cuadro 1 ), s e i ntercalan a qui l os 5 n emontemi . E l p roblema d e l os n emontemi e stä l ejos d e e star r esuelto . s istema q ue

S ahagün l os c oloca e ntre X VIII s eguimos a qui p rovisionalmente.

1 49

I zcalli y I A ticahualo,

S abemos q ue l os a ntiguos m exicanos c onocfan d esde l a g poca c läsica v arios mgtodos q ue l es p ermitfan o bservar l a v erdadera d uraciOn d el a eo t ropical ( 365,25 d fas), c onocimiento q ue s e e ncuentra r eflejado e n i nscripciones j eroglfficas mayas d e C opän, P alenque, T ikal y Q uiriguä .7 E ntre l os m gtodos d e o bservaciOn d el a eo s olar f igura e l o bservatorio d e X ochicalco, o rientado h acia e l c enit y e l s olsticio d e v erano ( Broda, M s.b ., f ig. 1 8). L a v erdadera d uraciOn d el a eo t ambign s e p uede c onocer e n b ase a l a r ecurrencia d e l a p osiciOn d e c iertas e strellas . P arece q ue l os mexica r egistraban c on t al p rop6sito l a s alida helfaca d e l as P lgyades a f ines d e m ayo q ue o currfa p oco d espugs d el p rimer p aso d el s ol p or e l c enit . u na d oble v alidez e n l a Estos

mgtodos

T al c oincidencia c onferia a e stos f en6menos l atitud g eogräfica d e T enochtitlan. 8 p ermitfan

mantener

e l

calendario

e n

c orrespondencia c on e l a eo s olar, l as e staciones y l os c iclos a grfcolas . S in e mbargo, n o s e h a d escubierto h asta h oy e n d ia e l m gtodo e xacto c on e l c ual l os a ntiguos m exicanos h acian c oincidir l os f en6menos a stron6micos c on l os c iclos c alendäricos, l os c uales , c omo m ültiples d e 2 0 ( 260 d fas , 3 60 d fas; 5 2, 1 04 a eos, e tc .) n o a dmitfan l as i ntercalaciOn d e u n d fa s in q ue s e e stropeara l a a rmonia i nterna d el s istema . E l p resente e studio e tnohist6rico n o c ontribuye a s olucionar e ste p roblema d esde e l p unto d e v ista c alendärico-cronolOgico s ino q ue m s b ien a porta d atos s obre l a manera e n q ue s e f ijaba, r itual y s ocialmente, e n e l c alendario m exica l a r ecurrencia d e l os f enömenos c limatolOgicos y a gricolas . E l c ulto e ra e l p uente e ntre a stronomfa, c alendarios, c iclos n aturales, e conomfa y c osmovisi6n, f ormando u n t odo q ue e ra l egitimado p or m edio d e l a r eligion.

C iclos

s ido,

a gricolas y c ulto m exica

L a c aracteristica g eogräfica f undamental d e Mesoamgrica h a d esde s iempre , s u e norme v ariabilidad d e a lturas, c limas y

s uelos . E ste h echo y a f ue s enalado m uy p ertinentemente a f ines d el s iglo X VI p or e l c ronista f ray F rancisco d e l as Navas: " en e stas p artes d e l as I ndias h ay d iferentes c limas q ue c asi e n t odo e l a eo s e s iembra y c oje malz e n l as t ierras c älidas y t empladas y e n l as s erranfas"

( CFN

A p esar

d e

1 50) e stas

c ondiciones

e colOgicas

t an

d iversas

q ue

p erduran h asta h oy e n d ia , s e p ueden d istinguir , a g randes r asgos, d os c iclos e n e l a ltiplano c entral: e l d e r egadfo y e l d e t emporal . L os s istemas a grfcolas m esoamericanos h an m antenido u na c ontinuidad b äsica d esde l a @ poca p rehispänica h asta l a a ctualidad . E n e l c iclo d e r egadio s e s iembra e n e nero o f ebrero y s e c osecha e n j unio y j ulio; a l os d os m eses y a p uede h aber j ilotes . t emporal e xiste u na g ran v ariabilidad e n l a s iembra

E n e l c iclo d e s egf in l a a ltura

y l a c alidad d e l os t errenos, a ün e n l os q ue p ertenecen a u n m ismo p ueblo. N aturalmente, e sta v ariaciOn e s a ün m s g rande e ntre d iferentes

l ugares.

L a

s iembra

s e

h ace

h oy

d fa

e ntre

m arzo y

j unio . P ara l a g poca p rehispänica i nforma D urän q ue l a s iembra d e l os m ontes s e i niciaba y a e n f ebrero, p orque a lli empezaban l os a guaceros a ntes q ue b ajaran a l os l lanos: " y s embräbanlos t an t emprano a c ausa d e l a humedad d e l os montes, q ue, s eggn e llos

1 50

d icen, s iempre e mpi2zan p or a lli l os e uaceros m uchos q ue b ajen a l os l lanos" ( 1967 I : 2 92). ‚

d ias p rimero

L o m äs g eneral e ra q ue s e s embrara e ntre f ines d e a bril y p rincipios d e j unio, y l a c osecha t enia l ugar e ntre f ines d e o ctubre, n oviembre y d iciembre . V eamos l a c orrespondencia e ntre e stos c iclos y l os r itos d e l os m eses m exica . T odos l os d atos q ue a qui s e p resentan d e m anera r esumida s e b asan e n c itas d etalladas d e l as c r6nicas d el s iglo X VI y s u i nterpretaci6n s e c ombina c on d atos e tnogräficos a ctuales. lo

E l

c iclo d e

r egadio

E l c iclo d e

r egadio

t enia l ugar e n T enochtitlan e ntre l os m eses

X VIII I zcalli/I A ticahualo y V I E tzalcualiztli ( enero/febrero h asta j unio) . E l p rimer m es d el a eo, s egün S ahagün, I A ticahualo, t enia u na s erie d e v ariantes d e s u n ombre: s e l lamaba t ambi6n A tlmotzacuaya-Quahuitlehua-Xilomanaliztli. A ticahualo

" se

d etiene

e l a gua"

A tlmotzacuaya

" se a taja e l a gua"

Q uahuitlehua

" levantamiento

X ilomanaliztli

" ofrenda d e

d e l os

p ostes"

j ilotes" 1 1

L os t res p rimeros n ombres c on s us r itos

c orrespondientes

s e

r eferian a l h echo d e l a f alta d e a gua e n e sta g poca d el a eo, ya r itos mä gic os p ar a atr aer l a 1l uv ia . E l ültimo no mbre X ilomanaliztli, c ontenia u na r eferencia a l c omienzo d el c iclo a gricola d e

r egadio,

p uesto

q ue

y a

s e h acian o frendas

d e

p rimicias

d e j ilotes o mäs b ien, s e p edia q ue g stos s alieran p ronto. A l mismo t iempo empezaban l os s acrificios d e n ieos. E stos n ieos r epresentaban a l os t laloque, Tlaloc, y s e i dentificaban

l os p equeeos s ervidores d el d ios c on c erros e specificos e n l os

a lrededores d e T enochtitlan . S e t rata d e r itos m ägicos p ara a traer l a l luvia e n l a g poca d el m äximo e stio q ue c omienza e n f ebrero y s e p rolongarä hasta mayo. A l m ismo t iempo, e stos s acrificios s e r elacionaban c on e l c iclo d e r egadio a t ravgs d e l a e dad d e l os n ieos q ue i ba a umentando c onforme c recia e l m aiz ( Motolinia 1 967: 6 4, 6 5) . T enian l ugar e ntre I A ticahualo ( a meses i ndigenas a ntes) y I V Huey t ozortli;

v eces e mpezaban u nos e n e ste ü ltimo m es,

c orrespondiente a a bril, c ulminaban e n l a g ran f iesta d e e l c erro d el m ismo n ombre y e n e l r emolino d e l a l aguna , ( Broda E l

1 971: c iclo

T laloc e n P antitlan

2 72-81). d e

r egadio

t erminaba e n T enochtitlan c on

V I E tzalcualiztli ( 23 .5 .-11.6 .) .1 2 p reparaba e n s us c asas l a c omida

A l a m itad d e d el e tzalli q ue

l a

f iesta d e

e ste m es l a g ente e ran " unos b olitos

d e masa d e maiz g uisados c on f rijoles" . D urän i nforma q ue e n e sta gpoca d el a no l os e lotes e ran y a b astante g randes y , d ebido a q ue e l a eo o frecia b uenas p erspectivas, s e d aba p ermiso g eneral p ara c omer e l e tzalli ( 1967 I : 2 59). E sta c omida d enotaba a bundancia y l a r ecibian t ambign u nos l imosneros q ue a ndaban d e c asa e n c asa,

1 51

b ailando " el b aile d el e tzalli" e n r epresentaciön d el d ios T laloc . E stos l imosneros t raian p rosperidad a l as c asas d onde e ntraban . S egün e l c ronista J uan d e T ovar: E n e stos d ias, l os l abradores hab I an y a l abrado l a t ierra y s alian e n e l häbito ... ( de T laloc)-. d iciendo a l p ueblo p ugs p or l os l abradores g ozarian d e t al s emilla d e p an c omo e l m aiz c uya i nsignia t raian, q ue e ra r azön s e l o g ratificasen y a si t odos l es e chaban e n l as o llas m uchas c osas d e c omida, e specialmente d e g sta d e f rijoles y maiz .y a si t odos s e h olgaban e stos d ias p orque e n e llos d escansaban d e h aber l abrado y c ultivado E n

e sta

f iesta

l a t ierra.

o bservamos

( Kubler y G ibson 1 951:

o tro

f enömeno

c osecha d el c iclo d e r egadio s e e ncuentra r itos r eferentes a l c iclo d e t emporal,

2 5)

i nteresante:

l a

i ntimamente mezclada c on p uesto q ue e n l a m isma

f iesta s e c elebraba l a t erminaciön d e l a s iembra d e t emporal ( o d e l as p rimeras l abores), y s e h acian r itos p ara q ue d escansaran l os i nstrumentos d e t rabajo. E l c iclo d e r egadio hasta a parece s ubordinado a l s imbolismo p rincipal d e E tzalcualiztli. L as o frendas d e matas v erdes d e maiz, d e j ilotes, d e e lotes y l a c omida d e e tzalli-p rocedentes t odos e llos d el c iclo d e r egadio-s ervian c omo a nalogia m ägica m ediante l a c ual s e q ueria p rovocar u n i gual d esarrollo d e l a s iembra d e t emporal. A si l a c omida d el e tzalli d enotaba a bundancia y p ronosticaba u n f eliz c recimiento d el maiz d el t emporal q ue a penas s e habia s embrado. E stas c ircunstancias s ef ialan a n ivel s imbölico q ue, d e hecho, s e a tribuia m ayor i mportancia e conömica a l c iclo d e t emporal, c iclo d e r egadio e ra c onsiderado c omo s ecundario.

yq ue e l

O tro hecho s umamente r elevante t enfa l ugar d urante e l m es d e E tzalcualiztli . E ra e l c omienzo p leno d e l a e staciön d e l luvias . Aunque s olian o currir t emporales e sporädicos d urante l os m eses a nteriores, s tos n o s e h acian v erdaderamente a bundantes h asta e ste m es . E ste a contecimiento e ra c elebrado m ediante e l s acrificio d el d ios T laloc y d e s u e sposa C halchiuhtlicue e n e l T emplo Mayor , e l d ia ü ltimo d el m es; s acrificio q ue d enotaba l a c ulminaciön d e l os r itos d e l a e staciön s eca, p rincipalmente d e l os s acrificios d e n if tos p or m edio d e l os c uales s e h abia p edido e l a gua . L os e jercicios r ituales q ue l os s acerdotes d e T laloc h acian a l o l argo d e E tzalcualiztli, t enian a simismo l a f inalidad d e p rovocar p or medios mägicos, e l d eseado c omienzo d e l as l luvias ( Broda 1 971: 2 83-86, 2 90-91). N os r eferiremos mäs a delante a l a i mportante c uestiön d e l a d ivisiön d el a ho e n e staciön s eca y g poca d e l luvias .

E l c iclo d e E n

t emporal

c uanto

a l

c iclo

d e

t emporal

h emos

v isto

que

hasta

l a

a ctualidad, l a f echa d e l a s iembra d epende d e f actores d e a ltura y d el m icroclima e n t errenos e specificos; s e i nicia , p or l o g eneral, c uando han c aido l as p rimeras l luvias. E n e l c ulto mexica p ueden d etectar a l o l argo d e l os m eses I A ticahualo hasta E tzalcualiztli ( febrero-junio), r itos c uya f inalidad e ra l a f omentar e l b uen d esenlace d el c iclo a gricola d e t emporal . f iesta p ropriamente d icha que i niciaba r itualmente l a s iembra

1 52

s e V I d e La d e

t emporal, e ra I V H uey t ozortli ( 13 .4 .-2.5 .); e n e lla s e u saban l as m atas v erdes d el m aiz d e r egadio , p ara a traer l a f ertilidad p ara e l c iclo d e t emporal . L a f iesta g iraba a lrededor d e l a b endiciön d el m aiz p ara l a s iembra ( in c intli , x inachtli i ez) . E stas m azorcas s e h abian g uardado e n manojos d e a s iete d esde l a c osecha d el a eo p asado ; t ales m anojos s e l lamaban o cholli , p ero t ambign l levaban e l n ombre d e " dios mazorca", c intli o c inteotl. A dornados c on p apel r ojo g oteado d e u lli l iquido, e stas mazorcas e ran l levadas p or l as d oncellas ( ichpopochtin) a l t emplo d e C hicomecoatl, e l C inteopan . " Alli g stas .— s e c onvertian e n c orazones, e n l os c orazones d el g ranero— . e n m aiz p ara l a s iembra" ( CF I I : 6 0-62) . A l v olver a s us c asas, l a g ente l as p onia d entro d e l a t roje, c onvirtiendo a si e l d emäs m aiz a lmacenado e n m aiz p ara l a s iembra l a c ual i ba a t ener l ugar p ronto . C on r especto a e sta f iesta, l a c omparaciön c on d atos e tnogräficos m odernos e s s umamente r elevante : l a f iesta d e l a S anta C ruz q ue s e c elebra h oy e n e l d ia 2 d e m ayo e n l as r egiones i ndigenas d e M exico y G uatemala , e s j unto c on e l d ia d e l os m uertos a quella f iesta c at6lica q ue h a r ecogido mäs e lementos d e l a t radiciön p rehispänica . S e t rata p recisamente d e u na f iesta d e l a b endiciön d el m aiz p ara l a s iembra y d el i nicio d el c iclo a gricola d e t emporal, e n l a q ue s e i nvoca , a demäs d e l a d eidad d el m aiz, a l a t ierra y a l as l luvias . L a d iosa p rehispänica d el m aiz, C hicomecoatl, merge c on l a d eidad d e l a t ierra y ambas l legan a s er p ersonificadas e n e l s imbolo c atölico d e l a S anta C ruz ( sin embargo,

g eneralmente

s e

a doran

c uatro

c ruces y s u

s imbolismo

d ista mucho d el c at6lico). L os l ugares d e c ulto s on f uentes y r ios, s obre t odo, l o a lto d e c iertos c erros d onde l os r itos m s i mportantes t ienen l ugar d urante l a n oche o a l a manecer. 13 E s

d e n otar q ue

t erminaba

e n

e l

mes

p rehispänico

t ambign e l c iclo d e l os

s acrificios

d e

I V H uey

t otortli

d e n ieos q ue s e h abian

h echo d esde f ebrero h asta a bril " para q ue l os t laloque d iesen a gua" ( CF I I: 5 ). Aunque h emos v isto q ue l os s acrificios d e n ieos c orrespondian p or u na p arte a l as f ases d e c recimiento d e l as s ementeras d e r egadio , p or o tra p roducian l a l luvia n ecesaria p ara e l i n ci o d e l a s iembra d e t emporal. E sto e s t ambign l a e xplicaciön p orque t erminaban j usto e n e l mes d e l a s iembra d e t emporal, a unque e n e sta gpoca t odavia n o p lenamente l a c aida d e l as l luvias.

s e h abia

g arantizado

C ur i os amente , s eggn l os d atos e tnogräficos a ctuales d e C itlala , s e h acen e n l a f iesta d e l a S anta C ruz o frendas d e r opa d e m iniatura p or l os n ihos q ue h an m uerto e n e l p ueblo d esde l a f iesta d el a ho a nterior . " No d ebe f altar n inguno, p or q ue e llos s on ' acompat iantes ' d e l a S anta V irgen d e l a C ruz ', y a si l e a yudarän a h acer q ue l lueva p ronto ; l os n ihos muertos ' ya h an a limentado a l a t ierra ', e stän c erca d e e lla" ( Olivera 1 979: 1 54). D e m anera s orprendente e ncontramos a qui l a s obrevivencia d e l os d os e lementos b äsicos d el c ulto d e l os n i f los m uertos ( "sacrificios d e n ihos", e n l a

g poca

p rehispänica):

s u

r elaciön

c on

l a

l luvia

y c on

l a

a gricultura. Durante 2 2 .5 .),

e l

s iguiente

c ontinuaban

l as

m es

s üplicas

p rehispänico, y l os

1 53

r itos

d e

V T oxcatl

m ägicos

p or

( 3.-

a traer

l a

l luvia q ue c ulminaban, c omo h emos v isto, e n l a f iesta d el d ios T laloc, e n V I E tzalcualiztli . Hasta e ntonces y a s e h abia s embrado, g arantizada.

y

l a

e ntrada

d e

l as

l luvias

e staba

p lenamente

A ctualmente , l os c ampesinos d e H uexoyucan , e n e l a ltiplano d e T laxcala , c onciben e l a no a gricola ( de t emporal) d ividido e n t res c iclos d e t rabajo, p rimer

c iclo

l abra,

e s

la

d e a proximadamente t res m eses c ada u no .

e l

d e

s egunda

a proximadamente) . d el t rabajo

l a

d e

E l

s iembra

e i ncluye

l abra

y

s egundo

e l

c iclo

l a

s iembra ,

a terrado

s upone

t res

c ampesinos

t ienen t iempo p ara d edicarse a o tras t emporal

t rabajo

t iempo,

n o

s ignifica

t res

y m igratorio .

exige

una

m eses

d e

t odas l as actividades amogotar, l a p izca, b arbecho y l a v i a, h asta d iciembre. 1' 4 D e

a cuerdo

a ctualidad, a gricola

d e

t rabajo

obra d el

m isma

s olar,

y c omo

a l

s e

f uerte .

s ecuencia

s iguiente

p redominante

r elaciön

l abores,

q ue

s egundo

d escanso

E l

c iclo

h oy d ia e s

e jecuta e n e ste t ercer

c iclo

a gricola ,

o s ea

r elacionadas c on l a c osecha i ncluyendo e l l a s eca, l a l impia, e l a lmacenaje, e l

e ra

f iesta

X I

h ijo

a bundante

d e

n ace

c iclos

q ue

p rehispänica

O chpaniztli

c elebraba e l c asamiento r itual d e d ios

d obla

d e

E n e sta g poca l os

que a barcan d e f ines d e s eptiembre o o ctubre

a l a

l a

mano

L a

E l

p rimera

( abril-junio

m eses

l a t ierra ( julio-septiembre).

e l

l a

l a

u n

C inteotl,

e l

a gricola

d e

E n

l a

e lla

s e

t ierra c on e l

d ios

mazorca .

y d e

l a

c ontenido

( 31.8 .-19.9.).

d iosa m adre

s imbolismo

e xiste e n

d e

l a

E n

f ertilidad

p resente e n O chpaniztli ( ofrendas d e p rimicias d e maiz y d e o tros e lementos), f iesta d e l a

numerosos a utores han c osecha p rehispäncica .

s ugerido que S in e mbargo,

f ue e l p rimero e n p roponer e sta i nterpretaciön, a nalogia e quivocada c on l as c ondiciones c limäticas l a

c osecha

s e

d a

l a

e fectivamente t iene

c osecha

e jemplo), p ero c osechas t engan

e n

t ierras

s e t rate d e l a E . S eler q uien s e b asa e uropeas,

l ugar e n e sta e poca .

c alientes

( actual

e do .

E n d e

e n u na d onde

M exico s ölo

M orelos,

p or

f altan a proximadamente d os meses p ara que l ab l ugar e n l as c ondiciones c limäticas d el a ltiplano

c entral. S e v in

l o

a nteriores, a cabados

g racias

p rincipal d e

l os

que

a l os

f unciön

f enömenos

a traer l as r egadio.

hemos

v isto,

e n

e n e l c ulto m exica n o d e

d ioses

l os

p or

r itos

d eseados .

s e

r elaciön

h aberlos

e ra

l a

A si,

c on

l as

c elebraban t anto c oncedido,

d e p rovocar u n

l os

l os

s acrificios

f iestas f enömenos

s ino b uen

d e

q ue

l a

d esenlace

n inos

d ebian

l luvias y g arantizar e l c recimiento d e l as s ementeras I V Huey t ozortli e ra l a f iesta e n p reparaciön d e

d e l a

s iembra d onde l as mazorcas s ecas e ran t ransformadas mediante l os r itos s e

e n

m aiz

c elebraba

p ara

l a

s iembra .

e l c omienzo

d e

E n E tzalcualiztli

h emos

l a c osecha d e r egadio y a l

s ignificaba e l d esenlace d e l a e staciön d e l luvias.

v isto q ue

m ismo

t iempo

D e l a m isma

manera , X I O chpaniztli n o e ra l a f iesta d e l a c osecha , s ino q ue s u p ropösito e ra e l d e c onjurar, mediante l os r itos, e l b uen c umplimiento d e l a maduraci f t d el maiz,

mientras que l a c osecha

s ölo t enia l ugar u nos d os meses d espugs, Q uecholli ( noviembre) resp e c t i va me nte .

y X V

c orrespondientes a X IV

P anquetzaliztli

En c ontramos

i nterpretaciön e n e l h echo

d e q ue

u na e n

1 51 1

( noviembre/diciembre)

c omprobaci ön

e sta

ültima

gpoca

d e

e sta

y a n o

s e

h acia n inguna f iesta d e l a c osecha p ropiamente d icha , a d iferencia d e l a c oncepciOn c atOlica d e e xpresar mediante e l c ulto e l a gradecimiento a d ios p or h aber c oncedido l os f rutos a gricolas. C on e sto p asamos a l t ercero y ültimo s ub-ciclo a gricola, e l c orrespondiente a l os m eses d e o ctubre y d iciembre y l a t erminaci f t d el c iclo d e t emporal. E sta p arte d el a r io, a partir d e o ctubre, c orresponde t ambi6n c limäticamente a l f inal d e l a e staciOn d e l luvias . E s c uando s e h acian e n T enochtitlan l as c eremonias a l os c erros y a l os d ioses d el p ulque. Q uizäs, s e p uede e xplicar e l c ulto d e l os t laloque e n s u a specto d e c erros e n e l s iguiente s entido. C uando e mpezaba l a e staciOn s eca, e l c ulto d e l os c erros s ignificaba q ue a hora e stos e staban r eteniendo e l a gua p ara l uego s oltarlo c uando e mpezaban d e n uevo l os s acrificios d e n iF ios . A demäs d e e sto, l os c erros t enian u na r elaciOn p articular c on v arias a ctividades q ue s e i niciaban e n e sta g poca d el A° c omo e ra l a c aza , e l c ortar madera p ara l a c onstrucci f t , e l d esmonte T odas e stas a ctividades s e d erivaban d e h echo d e l os c erros.

e tc .

L os c erros e staban t ambien e specificamente r elacionados c on e l c ultivo d el m aguey a l c ual l os c ampesinos s e d edican s obre t odo e n l a e poca s eca . N o s olo s e d a e l mejor p ulque e n l a e staciOn s eca , s ino q ue t ambign e s c uando s e t rasplantan l os m agueyes y d espu6s d e l as c osechas s e a rreglan l os b ordes d e l os t errenos t erraceados d onde e stän p lantados l os m agueyes . E l m aguey t iene u n s entido m uy u nido a l a a gricultura d e t emporal, s obre t odo a l c ultivo c on t erraceria d onde s e p lanta p ara e vitar l a e rosion d el s uelo .1 5 A l mismo t iempo, b ien c onocidos

e l maguey s irve p ara l a p roducciOn d el p ulque y s on l os u sos m ültiples d e e sta p lanta m esoamericana q ue

l a h a c onvertido e n e l s imbolo a bsoluto d e l a f ertilidad. L as b orracheras r ituales q ue t enian l ugar e n e stos m eses p rehispänicos, s e v inculaban c on e l c ulto d e l os c erros, y e n e ste a specto e ran u na e xpresiOn d e l a c osecha . L os d ioses d el p ulque e ran a l m ismo t iempo d ioses d el d esmonte ( 11evaban e l hacha d e c arpintero e n l a mano) y e staban i ntimamente r elacionados c on l os d ioses d e l a l luvia y d e l os c erros; ambos e ran d ioses p atrones d e l ugares c oncretos q ue c ompartian v arios r asgos i conogräficos. E stos d ioses s e f estejaban e n l a gpoca d el an ( ) apropiada p ara l a s erie d e a ctividades q up r epresentaban ( XII P achtontli y X III H uey p achtliT epeilhuit1). 1 ° E n e l m es s iguiente, X IV Q uecholli ( 30 .10 .-18 .11.), e mpezaban l as c azas d e v enados, j abalies, a nsares, g rullas y p atos, y s e hacian c eremonias a l d ios d e l a c aza q ue c ulminaban e n l a g ran f iesta d e Mixcoatl-Camaxtli ( CFN : 1 67-69) . E sta f iesta d emuestra l a i mportancia q ue a ün t enia l a c aza e n l a v ida y m entalidad d e l os mexica . O ctubre-noviembre e fectivamente s on l os m eses c uando l os animales d e c aza y a n o t ienen c ria, h abiendo p rocrea4o e n g poca c aliente; p or l o t anto e s c uando s e l es p uede c azar. 1 1 A demäs, l legan e n e sta g poca l os p äjaros m igratorios d el N orte ( la F lorida e tc.), e ntre l os q ue s e mencionan l os a nsares, l as g rullas y l os p atos s ilvestres, y s obre t odo e l f lamenco c uyo n ombre e n n ahuatl, q uecholli o t lauhquechol, h a d ado e l n ombre a l d ecimocuarto mes ( Torquemada

1 975-80,

t .3,

L ibro X :

1 55

4 03,

4 26 y 4 27).

P or o tra p arte , e ste y e l s iguiente m es d e X V P anquetzaliztli ( 19 .11.-8 .12 .) e ran l a e poca a propiada p ara i niciar l as g uerras q ue s eguian h asta XVII T ititl y X VIII I zcalli ( Kubler y G ibson 1 951: 3 2) . E l h echo d e q ue s e h icieran l as c ampahas m ilitares d espues d e h aber t erminado l as c osechas y l os t rabajos a gricolas, d emuestra q ue l a e conomia d el M exico p rehispänico e staba t odavia d eterminada p or l a a gricultura. E n X V P anquetzaliztli s e c elebraba l a f iesta d el p atrön d el g rupo e tnico m exica, H uitzilopochtli, c on u n d estacado s ignificado p olitico y g uerrero, c onectado c on e l c ulto s olar . E l s olsticio d e i nvierno t enia l ugar u nos d ias d espues, d urante e l mes d e X VI A temortli ( 9 .-28 .12.), q ue e n t erminos m iticos s ignificaba e l c ulto d el s ol e n s u p aso p or e l r io d el i nframundo ( Cfr . 5 7) . E n e ste ü ltimo m es s e e nlazaba e l s imbolismo

C arrasco 1 979: s olar c on e l d e

l a l luvia y d e l os c erros . C uando c aian l os p rimeros a guaceros e n l os m ontes, T laloc r ecordaba a l os h ombres q ue e mpezaran a p edir l a l luvia mediante l os s acrificios d e n ihos, i niciändose d e e sta manera d e n uevo e l c iclo d e r itos q ue s e e xtenderia a l o l argo d e t oda l a e staciön s eca ( Broda 1 971: 3 12 y 3 13). En l a s iguiente f iesta, d e XVII T ititl ( 29.12.-17.1.), e ncontramos c iertos r asgos q ue p arecen s imbolizar a l m aiz " viejo" e n l a

e poca

f ria y s eca d el

X iuhtecutli-Huehueteotl, c omo a I lamatecuhtli,

i nvierno .

S e d aba c ulto

e l m es a nciano d e l a " sei lora v ieja'

t odos q ue,

a l

d ios

d el f uego

l os d ioses , a si e n c ierto m odo,

r epresentaba a l m aiz v iejo y a l b arbecho . S e h acian u nas e xtragas c eremonias c on s u " troje d e m aiz ' a l a c ual s e p rendia f uego ( CF I I: 1 44 y 1 45). E s d e n otar q ue e n e sta epoca d el a l° s e l impian a ctualmente l os t rojes, s e s aca e l m aiz v iejo ( del a no a nterior) y s e mete e l c osechas. 1 8

maiz

nuevo

que

acaba

d e

s ecarse

despu6s

d e

l as

E n XVIII I zcalli ( 18.1.-6.2.), mes c uyo n ombre q uiere d ecir " crecimiento", s e hacian r itos p ara e l c recimiento d e l os n ihos, e stirändoles s us e xtremidades p ara q ue c recieran . C abe p ensar e n l a p osibilidad d e q ue e xistia u n c ierto p aralelo e ntre l os n i f los y l as s ementeras d e r egadio q ue s e e mpezaban a c ultivar e n e ste m omento . E l s iguiente m es d e IA ticahualo, m arcaba n o s olamente l a s iembra d e r egadio y e l i nicio d e l os s acrificios d e n if ios a g ran e scala, d el a ho

s ino q ue, a demäs, p ara T enochtitlan, e ra e l p rincipio c ivil y c ronol6gico, s egün i nforma S ahagün ( CF I I: 1 ).

A demäs, p equehos

e ra u n m es d e b orracheras g eneralizadas; h asta a l os n ihos s e l es h acia t omar p ulque ( CF I I: 1 48-53).

C ulto,

c osmovisiön y " filosofia

F inalmente,

d e

l a n aturaleza"

q uisiera a nadir o tra

r eflexiön s obre

e l

c ontenido

mitico d el c iclo a nual d e f iestas. D e a cuerdo c on l os f enömenos c limatolögicos, l a d ivision b äsica d el a im s e h acia e n X opan , l it . " tiempo v erde"-l a e staciön d e l luvkas-y t onalco, " tiempo d e s ol, y c alor"-l a e staci f t s eca .'' T laloc c omo e l d ios d e l as l luvias, d el a gua y d e l a f ertilidad e n g eneral, p residia s obre l a mitad d el a ho q ue s e i niciaba c on l a f iesta d e V I E tzalcualiztli. E ra

l a

e staciön

d e

l luvias,

l a

" epoca

1 56

o scura"

d el

a ho

r elacionada

c on l a n oche , l a l una, c on V enus y l as e strellas ( incluyendo a l as P lgyades), a si c omo c on l os muertos y e l i nframundo . F ue d urante e sta 6 poca q ue l a p lanta d el m alz c recla y m aduraba , y e ste p roceso e n s u c omplicada m itologia f ue r epresentado e n e l c ulto d urante l os m eses d e V II T ecuilhuitontli-XI O chpaniztli ( junio-septiembre) . L a m aduraciOn d el m alz p arece h aber s ido e quiparada , a n ivel m itico, c on e l v iaje d el s ol p or e l i nframundo . N octurno", s fmbolo d e T laloc. 2U

E sta e ra l a

6 poca d el " Sol

F or o tra p arte, l a m itad d el a n( ) l lamada t onalco q ue s e i niciaba c on X V P anquetzaliztli, e ra p residida p or e l s ol c omo d eidad d el c ielo d iurno. E sa d eidad e ra H uitzilopochtli y s u n acimiento e n e l c erro C oatepec e ra c elebrado e n l os r itos d e P anquetzaliztli. L a t erminaciOn d e l a c osecha d e t emporal p ertenecia a e sta p arte d el a no tonalco, e l c alor d el s ol. 2 1 E sta d ivisiOn m ftica d el a no t iene u n p articular i ntergs y a q ue

s e v e

r epresentada m ediante n umerosos s fmbolos e n e l d ualismo d el T emplo M ayor, f enOmenos q ue p ueden s er a nalizados e n l os h allazgos d e l a r eciente e xcavaciOn d e e ste t emplo . E n o tro t rabajo e xploro c on m ayor d etalle e ste s imbolismo ( Ms .a), l o c ual m e h a p ermitido c oncluir q ue e sta d ivisiOn d el a eo, e n e staciOn s eca y d e l luvias, y s u i nterrelaciOn c on e l c iclo a gricola d el m afz d el t emporal, imprimieron s u huella profunda a l a cos movisi6n mexica, r eflejändose n o s olo e n l a e structuraciOn m isma d el c iclo a nual d e f iestas, s ino t ambign e n l a a rquitectura, l as e sculturas y l as o frendas

d el T emplo M ayor.

A l a e staciOn s eca p ertenecfa e l c ulto d e l os

t laloque c omo

d ioses d e l os c erros . L os c erros q ue r etenfan e l a gua e n s u i nterior , p ara s oltarlo d e n uevo e n t iempo d e l luvias . L os c erros t enian t ambign u na r elaciOn mäs p rofunda c on e l mafz, y a q ue 6 ste e ra g uardado e n s u i nterior . L os t laloque e ran l os d ueeos o riginales d el maiz y a ste ültimo r enfa q ue s er a dquirido p or l os h ombres m ediante u n c ontrato p ara c on l os d ioses d e l a l luvia . E ste c ontrato p or e xcelencia e ran l os s acrificios d e n ieos, n extlahualli, " la d euda p agada", y e ilos t enian l ugar p recisamente e n l a 6poca mäs s eca d el & l c ) ( Cfr . B roda 1 971: 2 72-76). L os a spectos mencionados muestran u na c oherencia i nterna e ntre o bservaciOn d e l a n aturaleza , a ctividades e conOmicas y s ociales , y l a s uperestructura r eligiosa . E n c ierto m odo, c onfiguraban l o q ue p odriamos l lamar " la f ilosofia m exica d e l a n aturaleza" . E n a l as a ctividades s ociales y e conOmicas, e l c alendario mostraba u na p laneaciOn t an d etallada q ue e n 6 1 c ada c osa a ctividad t enfan s u m omento a propiado c uando d ebfan l levarse f ielmente . v ida

s ocial,

S Olo s i

e ra s e

p osible u saba

e sta

c oordinaciOn

a lgün m 6todo

e n c orrespondencia c on e l a n ( )

d e

l os

r itos

p ara m antener e l

c uanto m exica y c ada a c abo c on l a

c alendario

s olar.

L a a portaciOn d e e ste b reve t rabajo n o h a s ido l a d e d errocar l a modalidad d e c 6mo s e h acian e stas c orreciones p eri6dicas d el c alendario s ino q ue mäs b ien l a d e l lamar l a a tenciOn s obre l a e structura

i nterna

d el

c ulto

e n

s u

r elaciOn

r ecurrentes d el c lima y d e l a a gricultura . d e l os r itos t ambign d ebe s er t or nado e n c uestiOn c ronolOgica d el c alendario m exica.

1 57

c on

l os

c iclos

E l t ema d el c ontenido c uenta a l a bordar l a

N OTAS

1

B roda

1 971;

1 978;

1 979;

1 982a,

b ;

M s.a,

b .

2 L os d atos e tnogräficos q ue u se p ara l a c omparact ön p rovienen d e l a r egiön d hinampera d el V alle d e M exico ( San L uis T laxialtemalco , X ochimilco) ( Pena 1 978), c on u na a gricultura d e i rrigaciön , y d el a ltiplano d e T laxcala ( San M ateo H uexoyucan) ( Bilbao M s .), d onde e l c ultivo e s d e t emporal . L os d atos c omparativos s obre l a F iesta d e S anta C ruz ( v ase a delante) s e d erivan d e m s l ejos, d e C itlala, G uerrero, una r egiön n ahua d onde s e h a c onservado u na c ultura i ndigena muy t radicional. ( Cfr. O livera 1 979; S epülveda 1 973; S uärez 1 978).

3 C on e sto n o q uiero d ecir, d e n inguna m anera, q ue e n o tros c ampos d e l a e conomfa y e structura s ocial y p olitica l os c ambios q ue o currieron a p artir d e l a c onquista, no h ayan t en i do u na t rascendencia f undamental . M äs a ün q ue e stamos h ablando d e M exico, c entro d el e stado m exicano m odern°.

d el V alle

4 Los nümeros r omanos s e r efieren a l a s ecuencia d e l os meses s egün S ahagün ( HG y C F), e n l a c ual e l a no e mpieza c on I A ticahualo ( cfr. C uadro 2 ).

5

T ichy 1 976a,

6 A veni B uckingham

b ;

1 978;

M s.

e d . 1 975, 1 977; Aveni 1 980; 1 978; A veni, H artung y K elley

1 977; T ichy c fr. nota 5 , B roda M s.b.

7

1 980;

C fr. A veni 1 980:

Aveni, H artung y 1 982; H artung 1 975,

y l a b ibliograffa c itada e n Aveni 1 980 y

1 70-73.

S e han e ncontrado r eferencias q ue

r eflejan t ales c onocimientos, s in e mbargo, n o s e c onoce h asta e l momento n ingün r egistro c arente d e ambiguedad q ue d emuestre l a p räctica p eri6dica d e c orrecciones d el c alendario s olar.

8 C fr . B roda 1 982b . L a o bservaciön d e l a s alida h eliaca d e l as P leyades e n c ombinaciön c on e l p rimer p aso d el s ol p or e l c enit, p ar ece haber s ido impor tant e d e sd e l a epoca t eotihuacana. A lrededor d el a no 1 50 d .C ., ambos f en f tenos c oincidfan e n l a misma f echa e n l a l atitud g eogräfica d e T eotihuacän ( 19 ° 4 2 ': 1 8 d e m ayo) ( Aveni

1 980:

2 25).

1 58

9 H asta h oy e n d ia, e n l a t an d estruida e cologia d el V alle d e M 6xico, s e c onservan marcadas d iferencias c limatol6gicas . E n l as l omas d e l a s ierra d el A jusco, p or e jemplo l os p ueblos d e A jusco , C ontreras e tc., s uelen c aer a guaceros d urante l os meses d e d iciembre y e nero d ada l a d iferencia d e e levaci f t d e u nos 2 00-400m . c on l as p artes c entrales d el V alle.

1 0 S egr in h e i ndicado a rriba, e sta p onencia p resenta s 6lo u na s intesis d e u n e studio m s e xtenso q ue e stoy p reparando p ara s u p ublicacibn ( Ms .c) . L a i nterpretaci f t g eneral q ue s e m aneja d e l as f iestas d e l os meses mexica s e b asa, naturalmente, e n t oda u na s erie d e e studios p revios q ue m e h an p ermitido l ograr e sta c omprensi6n g lobal. ( Cfr . B roda 1 971; 1 978; 1 979; 1 982a, b ; M s.a, b ).

1 1 L as n ota 1 8.

f uentes

s e

c itan e n B roda

1 969:

1 9,

2 0 ;

y 1 971:

2 69ss .,

1 2 P ara u na d escripci f t d etallada d e e sta f iesta b asada e n l as f uentes, v ase B roda 1 971: 2 82-98 y M s.c.

1 3

P ara e sta

S anta

C ruz,

i nterpretacig in d el m e

b aso

e n

d atos

p rovenientes d e C itlala, S epülveda 1 973 y S uärez 1 978) d e m ayo

s imbolismo d e

l a

d e

r egi6n

l a

f iesta a ctual

nahua

d e

d e

G uerrero,

O stotempa ( Olivera 1 979; t ambign y Ameyaltepec ( observaci6n p ropia , 2

1 980).

1 4 L os d atos d e S an M ateo H uexoyucan , n otas d e c ampo d e J on A nder B ilbao, e xpresar m i a gradecimiento a B ilbao,

T laxcala , p roceden d e l as 1 978-79 ( Ms.). Q uisiera p rofundo c onocedor d e l a

e cologia y l a a gricultura t radicional d e e sta r egibn d el a ltiplano, p or s us v aliosas i nformaciones a si c omo p or s us c omentarios a m i t rabajo.

1 5

I nformaci f t p roporcionada p or J .A.

B ilbao

( Ms.).

1 6 P ara u na d escripci6n d etallada d e e stos r itos, v ganse B roda 1 971: 3 01-312, y 1 979 . E n a quellos t rabajos a nalizo t ambien l a p articipaci6n

d e l os

g rupos

s ociales e n e stas

1 7

I nformaci f t p roporcionada p or J .A.

1 8

S an M ateo H uexoyucan,

n otas

1 9

M olina 1 970;

1 979:

C arrasco

B ilbao.

d e c ampo

5 3.

1 59

f iestas.

d e J .A .

B ilbao

( Ms.).

2 0 C fr. B roda M s.a . E n c uanto a l a i conograffa d e T laloc c omo S ol N octurno, c fr. P asztory 1 974 y K lein 1 980.

2 1

M ientras

q ue

e l

c iclo

d e

c ultivo

d e

t emporal

e mpezaba a f ines

d e l a e staci6n s eca y s e p rolongaba a t ravgs d e l a e staci6n d e l luvias p ara t erminar c on l as c osechas a p rincipios d e l a g poca l lamada t onalco; e l c iclo d el c ultivo d e r iego p ertenecia e xclusivamente a e sta ü ltima p arte d el a eo. E s d e n otar q ue l os c ultivos d e h umedad s e s uelen l lamar hasta hoy e n d ia, t onamil, " milpas d e e stl e ( Cfr . C arrasco 1 979: 5 6) . A demäs, e l m aiz d e r egadfo s e l lama t onalcentli, s egün i ndica M olina.

1 6o

B IBLIOGRAFIA

A veni,

A nthony F .

( ed.)

A rchaeoastronomy i n P recolumbian A merica . o f T exas P ress.

Native American A stronomy . P ress. ( 1977) A veni,

A ustin:

U niversity

A nthony F .,

M exico .

A ustin :

U niversity

o f

T exas

o f

T exas

H orst H artung y B eth B uckingham

" The P ecked C ross S ymbol i n A ncient Mesoamerica ' ", 2 02, 2 67-79. ( 1978) A veni,

U niversity

A nthony F .

S kywatchers o f A ncient P ress. ( 1980) A veni,

A ustin :

( 1975)

A nthony F .,

H orst H artung y J .

S cience,

C harles K elley

" Alta V ista ( Chalchihuites): A stronomical Implications o f a Mesoamerican C eremonial O utpost a t t he T ropic o f C ancer". American A ntiquity, 4 7, 2 , 3 16-35. ( 1982) B ilbao,

J on A nder

" Notas d e c ampo d e S . M ateo H uexoyucan : u na e conomia c ampesina t radicional e n e l a ltiplano d e T laxcala" . I nvestigaciön r ealizada p ara l a U niversidad I beroamericana , D epartamento d e A ntropolgia S ocial, B roda,

M äxico,

1 978-79.

( Ms.)

J ohanna

T he

Mexican

V iena.

C alendar .

A cta

E thnologica

e t

L inguistica .

( 1969)

" Las f iestas a ztecas d e l os d ioses d e l a l luvia", E spaf iola d e A ntropologia Americana ( Madrid), 6 ,

R evista 2 45-74.

( 1971) " Relaciones d e

u na

p ägs.

p oliticas

i deologia",

2 19-54.

r itualizadas : e n

C arrasco,

e l r itual c omo e xpresiön P edro

B roda,

1 978:

( 1978)

" Estratificaci f t s ocial y r itual mexica", 5 , 4 5-82. ( 1979) " Astronomy, Mesoamerica",

y J .

I ndiana ( Berlin),

C osmovision a nd I deology i n P re-Hispanic e n Aveni, A nthony F . y G ary U rton ( ed .),

1 61

E thnoastronomy a nd A rchaeoastronomy i n t he A merican T ropics . A nnals o f t he American A cademy o f S ciences ( Nueva Y ork : T he N ew Y ork A cademy o f

S ciences),

3 85,

p ägs.

8 1-110.

( 1982a)

" La f iesta a zteca d el F uego N uevo y e l c ulto d e l as P leyades", e n T ichy, F ranz ( ed.), S pace a nd T ime i n t he C osmovision o f M esoamerica . L ateinamerika-Studien, 1 0 ( Munchen: Wilhelm F ink V erlag), p ägs. 1 29-58. ( 1982b) " The

T emplo

M ayor

a s

R itual

S pace",

e n

Matos,

Eduardo,

J ohanna B roda y D avid C arrasco, T he G reat T emple o f A ztec M exico: C enter a nd P eriphery . U niversity o f C alifornia P ress ( en p rensa). ( Ms.a) " Arqueoastronomia y d esarrollo d e l as c iencias e n e l M exico prehispänico", e n Moreno, Marco A ., H istoria d e l a As tr onom ia e n Mexico. Mexico: UNAM: I ns ti tuto d e A stronomia-Instituto ( Ms. b )

d e

I nvestigaciones H istöricas

( en

p rensa) .

" Ciclos a gricolas y c iclos r ituales d e l a l luvia y d el m aiz" ( ms. i nedito). ( Ms.c) C F,

\ T ease

S ahagün.

C FN C alendario d e F rancisco d e l as N avas C alendario d e f ray F rancisco d e l as N avas,

d e D . Antonio d e

G uevara y An6nimo T laxcalteca . C olecciön A ntigua d el M useo N acional d e A ntropologia e H istoria, 2 10. ( Colecciön R amirez : O püsculos H istöricos, 2 1) . M exico: M useo N acional d e A ntropologia e H istoria, C arrasco,

p igs.

9 3-203.

( Ms.)

P edro

" Las f iestas d e l os m eses m exicanos", e n D ahlgren, B arbro ( ed.), Mesoamerica. H omenaje a l d octor P aul K irchhoff . M exico: S EP-INAH, p ags. 5 1-60. ( 1979) C arrasco,

P edro y J ohanna B roda

E conJMia p olitica e i deologia e n e l M exico: N ueva I magen-CISINAH . ( 1978) D urän,

Mexico

p rehispänico.

f ray D iego

H istoria d e ( ed.). G raulich, " Les

M exico:

P orrüa.

Angel M a.

G aribay

( 1967)

M ichel o rigines

B oletin d e 2 0,

l as I ndias d e N ueva E spana .

2 t omos.

3 -16.

c lassiques

E studios

d u

c alendrier

L atinoamericanos

( 1976)

1 62

d el

r ituel C aribe

mexicain". ( Amsterdam),

" La s tructure d u c alendrier a gricole d es a nciens mexicains", e n L ateinamerika-Studien , 6 ( München : W ilhelm F ink V erlag ), p igs. 9 9-114. ( 1980) H artung,

H orst

" A S cheme

o f

P robable A stronomical P rojections

A rchitecture" , 2 04. ( 1975)

e n A veni ,

A nthony F .

( ed .),

i n M esoamerican

1 975 :

p igs .

1 91-

" Ancient Maya A rchitecture a nd P lanning:

P ossibilities a nd

L imitations

A veni ,

( ed.), K lein,

f or

1 977:

A stronomical

p ägs.

S tudies" ,

e n

A nthony

F .

1 11-29.

C ecilia

"Who Was T laloc?" 1 55-204. K ubler,

J ournal o f L atin American L ore,

6 ,

2 ,

( 1980)

G eorge y C harles G ibson

T he T ovar C alendar . a nd S ciences, M olina,

1 1

f ray A lonso

M emoirs o f

( New H aven,

t he C onnecticut A cademy o f A rts C onnecticut).

( 1951)

d e

V ocabulario e n l engua c astellana y m exicana .

M exico:

P orrüa .

( 1970) M otolinia,

F ray T oribio d e

Memoriales. A vina L evy . N owotny, " Die

B enavente

G arcia P imentel, L uis ( ed .). ( Ediciön f acsimilar d e l a d e 1 903)

a ztekischen

F estkreise".

9 3,

1 y 2 ,

Z eitschrift f ür

8 4-106.

" Zu d en a ztekischen F estkreisen".

O livera,

E d .

K arl A nton

( Braunschweig),

1 7,

Mexico: ( 1967)

3 1-39.

E thnologie

( 1968a) T ribus ( Linden-Museum),

( 1968b)

M ercedes

" Huemitl d e Mayo e n C itlala: para l a S anta Cruz?", Mesoamerica : H omenaje a l I NAH, P asztory,

p ägs.

1 43-58.

z ofrenda p ara C hicomecoatl o

e n Dahl g ren , B arbro ( ed.), d octor P aul K irchhoff ( Mexico: S EP-

( 1979)

E sther

" The I conography o f t he T eotihuacan T lalo e . S tudies i n P reC olumbian A rt a nd A rchaeology ( Dumbarton Oaks: Washington, D .C.).

( 1974)

1 63

P ena H aaz, E l

E lsa

t rabajo

a gricola

e n

u n

p ueblo

c hinampero:

T laxialtemalco . T esis p rofesional p resentada N acional d e A ntropologia, M exico. ( 1978) S ahagün,

f ray B ernadino

e n

S an

L uis

l a E scuela

d e

C F ( C6dice F lorentino) : F lorentine C odex: G eneral H istory o f t he T hings o f N ew S pain . A nderson, J .O . y C harles E . Dibble ( trad .) . S anta F e, N uevo M exico: U niversity o f U tah a nd t he S chool o f A merican R esearch. ( 1950-69) H G :

H istoria

A ngel M a. S eler,

G eneral

( ed.).

d e

l as

4 t omos.

c osas d e N ueva E spana . M exico:

P orrüa.

G aribay,

( 1956)

E duard

G A :

G esammelte A bhandlungen

S epülveda,

M a.

4 t omos.

B erlin .

( 1902-24)

T eresa

" Petici6n d e l luvias e n O stotempa". B oletin I NAH ( Mexico I nstituto N acional d e A ntropologia e H istoria), E poca I I , 4 , 9 -20. ( 1973) S uärez J äcome, " Petici6n

C ruz d e

l luvia

e n Z itlala,

G uerrero".

A ntropologia e

H istoria: B oletin d el I NAH ( Mexico: I nstituto N acional d e A ntropologia e H istoria), E poca I II, 2 2, 3 -13. ( 1978) T ichy,

F ranz

" 0r dnung

u nd

Z uordnung

v on

Raum

u nd

A ltamerikas, Mythos o der W irklichkeit?" A rchiv ( Berlin), N .F., 2 , 2 , 1 13-54.

Z eit

im

Weltbild

I bero-amerikanisches ( 1976a)

" Orientaci6n d e l as p irämides e i glesias e n e l a ltiplano m exicano". S uplemento C omunicaciones ( Puebla: F undaci6n A lemana p ara l a I nvestigaci6n C ientifica, P royecto PueblaT laxcala), 4 . ( 1976b) " El

c alendario

s olar

c omo

p rincipio

d e

o rdenaciön

d el

e spacio

p ara p oblaciones y l ugares s agrados" . C omunicaciones ( Puebla : S imposio d e l a F undaci6n A lemana p ara l a I nvestigaci f t C ientifica, P royecto P uebla-Tlaxcala), 1 5, 1 53-64. ( 1978) " Der F estkalender S ahaguns . E in e chter S onnenkalender?" , e n W irtschaft u nd g esellschaftliches B ewusstsein i n Mexico s eit d er K olonialzeit, F ink V erlag), 6 ,

L ateinamerika-Studien 1 15-37. ( 1980)

( München :

W ilhelm

" Sonnenbeobachtungen u nd A grarkalendar i n Mesoamerika", H omenaje a G erdt K utscher ( Berlin: G ebr . Mann V erlag, p rensa). ( Ms.)

1 64

e n e n

T orquemada,

f ray J uan d e

Monarquia I ndiana .

6t omos.

I nvestigaciones H istbricas.

Mgxico: ( 1975-80)

1 65

U NAM:

I nstitut° d e

G ORDON B ROTHERSTON

T he Y ear 3 113 B C a nd t he F ifth S un o f M esoamerica: a n o rthodox r eading o f t he T epexic A nnals ( Codex V indobonensis o bverse).

T he c laim a nnounced i n t his t itle i s t hat t he G oodman-MartinezT hompson b ase d ate o f 3 113 B C1 ( 3114 B C f or h istorians) e xtends b eyond t he t un c alendar a nd h ieroglyphics o f t he Maya l owlands, b eing l ikewise o bserved i n t exts written i n t he " Mixtec-Aztec" o r i conographic s cript o f M esoamerica ; a nd t hat a s t he y ear " 13 R eed" e ngraved o n t he A ztec S unstone i t b egins a 5 200-year s pan e quivalent t o t he 5 200-tun E ra o f t he l owland M aya ( Plate 1 ) . F urthering t he a rgument s et o ut i n A K ey t o t he Mesoamerican R eckoning o f T ime ( Brotherston 1 982) a nd " Astronomical N orms i n Mesoamerican T imeR eckoning" ( Brotherston 1 982a), t he p aper c oncentrates o n t he V indobonensis o bverse a nd r elated i conographic t exts w hich C aso a nd N owotny h ave a ttributed a s a g roup t o n orthwest O axaca a nd t he u pper P apaloapan d rainage, t he a rea n amed A nahuac i n t he C uauhtitlan A nnals ( cf . y ears 1 064 a nd 1 446 A D) a nd i n t he F lorentine C odex B ook 1 0. A means i s f ound o f c orrelating t hese t exts w ith t hose o f T enochtitlan a nd T ilantongo, a nd with c ertain h ieroglyphic n arratives, which r eveals t heir b ase-date t o b e 1 3 R eed 3 113 B C. T his r emarkable t ime s pan i s s pelt o ut b y s uccessive y ear d ates i n t he V indobonensis while e lsewhere i t i s c overed b y m eans o f y ear multiples, c hiefly t he 5 2-year ( Calendar) R ound a nd t he 4 00-year t zontli o r " Head" . O ur c apacity t o r ead y ear-narratives i n g eneral i s much i mproved w ith t he p roper r ecognition o f h ow s uch multiples f unction i conographically.

t he

T hroughout, w ith i ts c haracteristic s olar d esign ( originally R ain-god 's h eaddress a t M onte A lban) a nd w ith i ts N umber-plus-

S eries

S ign

( Fig.

2 a),

t he

y ear

i n q uestion

i s

t aken t o

b e

s easonal p eriod o f a gricultural t ribute , i .e . t o b e o f 1 8 w eeks " Fasts" o f 2 0 d ays p lus e pagomenal d ays, n ot t he u nvarying

t he o r o r

m etric 3 65-day y ear o f t he h ieroglyphic i nscriptions . T his l ast p oint h as b een a rgued s eparately, o n s everal c ounts , w hich t ie i n with p roofs s et o ut e lsewhere i n t his v olume b y B roda, T ichy a nd o thers

( Brotherston 1 982:

9 -16).

2

T he A nahuac t radition S ome

o f

t he

l ater

s tudies

c ompleted b y A lfonso

C aso

( 1954,

1 958, 1 961, 1 964) f ocused o n t he t oponyms, e vents a nd r ulers c ommon t o t he " lienzos" o r M aps o f I huitlan , T lalpitepec ( Antonio d e L e6n), C oixtlahuaca a nd o ther t owns i n t he A nahuac a rea . S howing t he p arallels b etween t hem, h e f urther r elated t hem t o t he S elden R oll, t he G 6mez d e O rozco f ragment , t he B aranda C odex a nd a bove a ll t he V indobonensis s creenfold ( obverse) . W hile i ndicating

1 67

F ig.

a

1

T epexic a nd

s urrounding

t owns

GuLf c D f

M ap o

Me? : ( .co

h ol t ac t T opeac c k . Cue t u • tx t -t o -n

Nacoch

C oatz t :Aco\\ „ TE t› E x i c ,

1 v -es

oTehus tcan

\

1 : eot i .t ( c i -n •

c a tlam If 1 0

4 3 . ° e 4

+ 1 1

I c et e n

k a -t i cu t c ao .

° Taantongoo K l ict iv eongo

O axaca ,

°

I

1 9 evi

b

T oponyms i n n ative s cript

( centre)

T epexic

( east)

( Apoala)

Upper r ow :

( south)

( north)

( Mictlantongo)

T epeaca

T epexic A nnals p p.32,

M endoza p .42,

3 5,

T ilantongo A nnals p .15,

1 68

3 9,

( west)

C oatzinco

4 3,

4 8;

S elden p .6.

Nacochtlan

l ower r ow:

F ig. c

1 T epexic a nd

s urrounding

t owns

D iagram o f A ubin m s 2 0

5 X VI 1 2 R l ess 5 I II

2 h eptad

5 X VIII

8 05 A D

l eaves

1 416 A D

( 611)

T ehuacan

T epexic

d ots:

1 16

M ercury:

8 8(-1)

m oons:

d

D eer

2 1

1 37

M ictlantongo

E ight

s ynodic s idereal 2 1

s idereal

5 I V

5 V III C oixtlahuaca

-) 5 X X

5 X II

1 09 = 2 46

5

4

9

T ribute-town c iphers T epexic headt owns

a ll t owns

c entre

6

e ast s outh

7 , 5

n orth west

T ilantongo

1 2 5 2 9

h eadt owns

8 8 2 1

c entre

2

west

5

s outh

1 16

n orth

2 1

6 1 1

e ast

7

2 46

2 9 T enochtitlan

h eadt owns

g obernadores

P etlacalcatl

1 23

c entre

a ll t owns

9

1 3

A totonilco

4 6

w est

7

T lachco

6 9

s outh

7

C halco

8 2

e ast

7

6

C uauhtochco

4 5

n orth

8

7

3 65

6 1 0

1 0 7

2 6

1 6

2 6

7

1 0

7

9 . 1 24

1 3

1 2

6

2

1

.

1 4

1 2

1 3

8

6

6

.

7 0

2 2

1 1

1 1

3

8

.

8 3

1 1

7

=

4 6

6

7

2 2 2

5

1

2 9

T epexic A p p.32,35,39,43,48;

4 7

2 46 A ubin m s 2 0. Z ouche r everse p p.12-27.

M endoza p p.22-55

1 69

a r elative J aguar

t ime-depth

and

Two

D og,

f or

s uch

which

3

f igures a ppear

a s

i n

F our

A lligator,

F our

s ources,

C aso

t hese

n onetheless mostly r efrained f rom t ranslating i nto t he C hristian c alendar t he S eries I II y ear-dates a ttaching t o t hem, i ntimating r ather t hat t hese t exts m ight have t o b e d ated e n b loc, v ia a hitherto u nnoticed C hristian y ears. T o o n

t his

d egree

t he A nahuac

c ommentary

u ncontentious

t exts h as

o n

c orrelation

a nd

c ompleted

b etween

a ccepted,

s tudies

t he V indobonensis

p ossibly

Mesoamerican

t his

w ork

b y N owotny,

b y

and

C aso

n otably h is

( 1948) a nd h is T lacuilolli ( 1961) .

R emarking o n t he t oponym s equence c ommon t o t he V indobonensis , t he Aubin ms 2 0, a nd t he S eries I I a nnals o f n earby C uicatlan ( Codex P orfirio D iaz),

N owotny i nterpreted i t i n t erms o f

a h istorical

s elf-validation o n t he p art o f t he r uling c lass and p riesthood o f t hat a rea. G iving a dvice u nfortunately i gnored b y s uch r ecent c ommentators

a s

J ill

F urst

i n

h er

b asically

s ynchronic

r eading

o f

t he V indobonensis ( 1978), N owotny s tressed t hat h owever r itualized and t o t hat e xtent " mythic" t he e vents d epicted i n s ome o f t he A nahuac

t exts

m ight

a ppear

t hey

s hould n onetheless

b e

have a f irm b asis i n e conomic a nd material h istory, b eing o f c onsiderable l ength a nd c osmic h istoricity

o f

t he V indobonensis h as

n ow

i n

i ts

b een

r ecognized

t o

t his h istory

b eginnings .

f urther

The

v indicated

b y

Melgarejo V ivanco ( 1980), w ho r eveals i ts c onnections n ot j ust with t he " Mixtec" c apital T ilantongo b ut w ith t he Gulf C oast, v ia t he P apaloapan .

A lso,

i n

t ranscribing

t he V indobonensis

o bverse d ates

Melgarejo V ivanco u ses t he T enochtitlan c orrelation r ather t han t he T ilantongo c orrelation k nown t o b e v alid f or t he g enealogy o n t he r everse

o f

t he

s ame

C ontinuing i n

t he

f irst

s creenfold.

t his

a pproach

i nstance

t o

f urther

t he

A nahuac

e xplore

t heir

o f

t exts w e

may

g eography .

g roup

A m ain

a id

t o t his e nd a re t he s ets o f t oponyms w hich a ccompany f ive o f t he t en f ire-kindlings r eported i n t he V indcbonensis, f or t hey c learly r epresent

a t ribute a rrangement o f head-towns ( cabeceras) i n t he

c entre a nd t he f our s urrounding " fields" o r quarters ( pp . 3 2, 3 5, 3 9, 4 3 and 4 8; c f. F ig. 3 a). T he s ame s tandard a rrangement i s f ound f or T enochtitlan i n t he Mendoza a nd f or T ilantongo i n t he Z ouche

( reverse

c abeceras e xactly

i s

t he

p p .

5 4-68),

where

c onventionally V indobonensis

made

t o

t otal:

m oreover e qual i n

t he

t he

t otal

l unar

" ritual"

o f

c ipher

t exts

l ike

t he 2 9, t he

F 6j6rväry map ( p . 1 ) and t he B orgia t ribute s equence ( pp . 4 9-52), t his s ame t otal i s e soterically a chieved b y m eans o f f our Q uecholli o r

f eeding

t ree .4 a nd a nd

b irds,

T he

o ne

c onsistency

t o o f

e ach

quarter

t he

with

V indobonensis

i ts

c haracteristic

w ith

t his

c onvention

i ts o verlap i n d etail w ith t he a lphabetically-glossed t oponyms t ribute c ommodities i n t he M endoza , a nd w ith o ther s ources l ike

t he T ilantongo Annals ( Zouche o bverse) a nd t he S elden, s urely

t o

i dentify

t he 5 2-page

t ext

i ts

c entral

w ith

a s

T epexic

t he " Tepexic Annals" ( Fig.

not o nly t he c abecera t owns f ields f all i nto p lace b ut T epexic

t oponym

i ts c ane-work ( p .

i n s o

1 ).

e nable u s

a nd h ence t o name I n t his r eading

t he c entre a nd t he f our t ribute d oes t heir r espective t ribute:

3 2);

A poala

i n t he e ast,

t he s ource

o f c acao ( p . 3 5); Mictlantongo t o t he s outh, t he s hrine o f lady N ine T ooth ( p . 3 9); T epeaca w ith i ts h igh mountains t o t he north ( p.

4 3);

a nd N acochtlan a nd C oatzinco

1 70

t o

t he w est

( p.

4 8).

S uch a g eographical a rrangement i s f urther c onfirmed b y, a nd i tself c onfirms, t hat f ound i n o ther A nahuac t exts . I n A ubin m s 2 0 ( Culte r endu a u s oleil), w hose e ffaced c entral t oponym m ay f airly b e r econstructed a s C oixtlahuaca, Tepexic s tands a ppropriately t o t he n ortheast ( top l eft) o pposite w hat i s p ossibly T ehuacan ( top r ight); b elow we a gain f ind M ictlantongo, t o t he s outheast ( bottom r ight), m atched w ith a t oponym w hose d esignation " Eight D eer D efeated" must p oint t o T ilantongo, i n t he s outhwest ( bottom l eft; F ig . 10 . S uccinct i n c onveying w hat a ppears t o b e t he l iteral d ominance o f T epexic o ver T ilantongo , t he A ubin m s 2 0 might i n f act b e m ore i nformatively r eferred t o a s t he " Anahuac Map" . F inally, i n t he c ase o f t he S elden R oll t here s eems t o b e n o r eason n ot t o r ead i ts t erminal t oponym a s " Ihuitlan", g iven i ts r esemblance t o o ther v ersions o f t hat t own 's g lyph ; s tanding o n t he l ine b etween T epexic a nd C oixtlahuaca , t his p lace i s t he s cene o f a f ire-kindling o rchestrated b y t he c haracter T wo D og, a lso f eatured a t a n ear-contemporary k indling i n t he T epexic A nnals ( p . 4 3; F ig . 3 a,

6 c). T hus

i ntegrating t he T epexic A nnals m ore f ully i nto t he A nahuac

g roup o f t exts o n f irmly g eographical a nd e conomic t erms o pens t he w ay t o a b etter u nderstanding o f j ust t hat m aterial h istory i nsisted u pon b y N owotny a nd C aso, i n c ontradistinction t o i dealist a nd s ynchronic r eadings i n t he s tyle o f t he s tructuralists . I ndeed t he 1 80 y ear d ates r ecorded s uccessively , i n b oustrophedon , o ver t he 5 2 p ages o f t hese a nnals m ay f or t he f irst t ime b e a cknowledged f or w hat t hey a re: m oments i n s equential t ime . T hey may b e a ccepted a s n o d ifferent f rom e xactly a nalogous d ates f ound i n t exts o f i dentical

f ormat

( cf.

Plate

1 0)

l ike

t he

g enealogy

o n

t he

V indobonensis r everse, o r t he o bverse a nd r everse o f t he Z ouche ( here c alled t he " Tilantongo A nnals" a nd t he " Bachelorhood o f E ight D eer") w hose h istoricity h as n ever b een d oubted.

Y ear c orrelations S till i n i ts i nfancy, t he whole q uestion o f c orrelating Mesoamerican a nnals o r y ear-calendar t exts h as b een h ampered f rom t he s tart b y t wo p rejudices . I nstead o f a llowing f or e ven t he notion o f s elf-awareness o n t he p art o f native s cribes a nd historians, w ithin t he i conographic s cript t radition which t hey s hare , t oo o ften w e h ave i solated t his o r t hat l ocal c onvention o f s tyle a ttempting t o m atch i t s eriatim w ith t he C hristian c alendar . Then, i nstead o f r especting t he i ntegrity o f native s ources, e specially t hose t hat h ave s urvived i n i conographic s cript , w e h ave d eferred t o t he o ften p artial v iew o f t he c onquering S panish . T he c ase

f or

t he

s everal

S eries

I II

c orrelations

p roposed

a nd D avies ( 1977) w ould u ndoubtedly b e s tronger f or t he i dea o f n ative c alendrical c ompetence.

i f

i t

b y

K irchhoff

a llowed

m ore

S o f ar, o nly t hree c orrelations b etween Mesoamerican a nd C hristian y ears c an b e a ccepted a s f irm, a ll t hree having b een d ecoded f rom n ative s cript . O ne , i n S eries I I , i s r estricted t o T lapa a nd t he f ew t exts e xtant f rom t hat a rea ( cf. T oscano 1 943). The o ther t wo a re b oth major S eries I II c orrelations: t he o ne i nvolves l arge a reas o f t he A ztec empire c entred o n T enochtitlan;

1 71

F ig.

a

A lligator W ind

V I V II

I II

H ouse

I V

L izard

V

S nake

c

Y ear S eries

a nd

c orrelations

T he Twenty S igns a rranged i n t he f ive year S eries I t o V

I I I

b

2

D eath D eer

X I X II

M onkey T ooth

XVI XVII

Vulture Q uake

V III

R abbit

I X

W ater

X III

R eed

XVIII

F lint

X IV

J aguar

X IX

X

D og

R ain

X V

E agle

X X

F lower

P rogress t hrough t he year S eries I t o V ( Borgia p p.39-40) X I

X VI

I

V I

X I

X VI

I

V I

X II

X VII

I I

V II

X II

XVII

I I

V II

X III

X VIII

I II

V III

X III

X VIII

I II

V III

X IV

X IX

I V I V

I X I X

X IV X V

X IX X X

V

X

S ample correlations of R eed years C :C

S ign N os.

A D

S ource

a

1 :10 X III

1 :10 1 015

b

1 :11 X III

6 :

c 1 0:

1 X III

9 :13

d 1 1:

1 X III

9 :12 1 423

e 1 1:10 X III f 1 1112 X III q 1 2 11 X III

7 :

T lalpitepec M ap

3 1 339 T epexic A nnals p .49 1 047 Zouche r everse p .35 R ios p .106

6 1 499 A cuecuexatl S tone

1 1:12 1 347 C uauhtitlan A nnals f .24 3 :

2 1 455 H uichapan A nnals p .29

a e d irectly equate t he t wo year n ames, e xpected a nd a lien ; d f g i nterject t he a lien n ame ; b c i nvoke i t ( the C hichimec New Fire year a t C holula,

d

a nd t he E ra year,

r espectively).

Two c orrelations i nvolving S eries I II C l

00000 00000

00 00 0 0 00

1 R eed t winned with 1 0 R eed

1 035 A D,

9 R eed o usted by 1 2 R eed 1 423 A D,

T lalpitepec M ;

R ios

1 72

t he

o ther

T excoco .

T ilantongo, A ccording

t o

N ahua-speaking T ecamachalco , t he

f ormer

c orrelation ,

1 516

a nd " Colhua" A D

w as a y ear

1 1 F lint, i n t he R ound o f 5 2 y ears; a ccording t o t he l atter 1 516 A D was a y ear 1 0 F lint ( cf . C aso 1 967 ; J imgnez M oreno 1 940) . F or c onvenience t hey a re r eferred t o h ere a s S eries I II " C11" a nd " C10" r espectively, a fter t he e xample q uoted . A t t he s ame t ime i t i s c lear t hat t hese w ere n ot t he s ole c orrelations t o h ave e xisted, i f o nly b ecause o thers c an b e s een t o b e a lluded t o i f n ot d ecoded i n s uch t exts a s t he V indobonensis r everse ( p . 6 ), t he f amous g old p endant f rom Monte A lbän a nalysed b y C aso, a nd s everal s telae a t X ochicalco. I n t he f irst c ase a n a berrant y ear S ign ( 13 Owl) i ntrudes i nto a n o therwise r egular s equence o f S eries I II d ates, whose e quivalent v alue i n S eries I II c an b y t hat t oken b e n umerically d educed ( 13 H ouse); t his m ight b e t ermed a n " ousting" d evice, w ith a n u nexpected y ear-date r eplacing t he e xpected o ne . I n t he s econd c ase, o n t he P endant ( cf. C aso 1 960: 3 5), S eries I I a nd S eries I II y ears a re e quated t hrough t he a natomical i mage o f l ungs b reathing i n t ime w ith e ach o ther, 1 0 W ind with 1 1 House; t his m ight b e t ermed a " twinning" d evice . I n t hese m atchings b etween l ocal v arieties o f t he Mesoamerican y ear c alendar , t he y ears s ubstantially r eferred t o m atter l ess f or t he m oment t han t he f act t hat t hey e xist, a s i nternal c orrelations , i n n ative s cript , a nd t hat t hey e xemplify t wo d istinct y et r eadily u nderstandable p rinciples o f c orrelation, " ousting" a nd " twinning". T aking i nto a ccount t he c onsiderable r ange o f y ear-calendar t exts i n native s cript a nd t heir a lphabetic t ranscriptions a nd g losses i n N ahua ( occasionally O tomi), t he f ollowing a ppears t o b e t he c ase . S everal o ther a berrant y ear d ates , d ismissed h itherto a s c onsequences o f t he " scribal e rror" w e s o f reely a ttribute t o n ative America , c an m ore a ppropriately b e r ead a s e xamples o f t he o usting a nd t winning n oted a bove, a nd h ence a s f urther e xamples o f i nternal y ear c orrelations . e lsewhere ( Brotherston 1 982:

T hese have b een d iscussed a t l ength 1 7-20). W ithin S eries I II, t hey

e ither c onfirm t he existing C ll a nd C 10,

a s i n t he twinning o f 7

R eed w ith 6 R eed ( 1499 A D) o n t he A cuecuexatl S tone a nd t he o usting o f 1 3 R abbit b y 1 2 R abbit ( 1414 A D) i n t he X olotl Maps ( cf . D ibble 1 951: 1 19); o r t hey s uggest t wo f urther c orrelations e quivalent t o C l a nd C 12, i .e . 1 516 A D a s 1 F lint o r 1 2 F lint ( Fig . 2 c). Most important, i n a ll c ases t hese c orrelations r einforce e ach o ther r eciprocally , w hile b eing c onfined t o j ust t hese f our p ossibilities i n S eries I II: C I, C 10, C ll and C 12; a nd a ll f our a re d istinguished b y t he f act t hat t hey r etain t he s ame S ign f or a g iven y ear ( e .g . F lint) while c hanging t he q ualifying n umber ( 1, 1 0, 1 1 a nd

1 2),

a " rule"

F our

i s

t he

i ndependently e stablished b y D avies. l imit

o f

t he

g reat

" usages"

( . 7

p ower

( ueue

t lamanitilztli , u eue t latolloyan) a cknowledged b y T enochtitlan: T oltec, C hichimec, C olhua a nd T epanec ( Lehmann 1 949: 1 05), a n a rrangement e choed i n C himalpahin 's M emorial b reve . T wo o f t hese r eadily c orrespond t o t wo o f t he f our c alendrical c orrelations i dentified above: C 11 a s C hichimec, a nd C 10 a s C olhua . r easons f or i dentifying t he C 12 c onvention w ith t he T epanec ,

G ood w ho d o

n ot immediately c oncern u s h ere, c an b e f ound i n t he o usting o f C hichimec o r A ztec C ll y ears b y C 12 y ears i n t exts f rom t he T epanec a rea ,

l ike

t he H uichapan A nnals

( 1455 a s 3 R eed r ather

1 73

t han 2 R eed)

a nd t he T echialoyan B ooks o f Mimiahuapan a nd T izayuca ( 1544 a nd 1 596 a s 1 F lint r ather t han 1 3 F lint), a nd i n t he C uauhtitlan A nnals, w ith r eference t o t he T epanec h ero T ezozomoc ( 1347 a s 1 2 R eed r ather t han 1 1 R eed). T his l eaves, t hen, o nly o ne o f t he f our c orrelations i n q uestion, C l, a nd t he p ossibility o f i ts b eing t hought o ther t hree.

" Toltec" a nd h ence o lder a nd

more

a ugust

t han

t he

C lear e xamples o f i nternal c orrelations b etween C hichimec C 11 a nd " Toltec" C l y ears o ccur i n t he C uauhtinchan H istory w here 3 R eed o usts 1 3 R eed ( 1427 A D), i n R ios where 1 2 R eed o usts 9 R eed ( 1423 A D ; F ig . 2 d), a nd o n t he M octezuma S tone w hich t wins 4 R abbit w ith 1 R abbit ( 1506 A D). I n t he C uauhtinchan H istory t he c oncern t o r econcile T oltec with C hichimec u sage i s a nnounced i n t he v ery s ubtitle o f t he w ork, " Historia t olteca-chichimeca"; a nd i n R ios c oncern with t he a ncient T oltecs a nd t heir t radition i s q uite e vident i n t he o pening c hapter , w hich i s s trikingly a bsent f rom t he c losely-related T elleriano R emensis v ersion o f t he s ame C hichimec h istory, a long w ith t he 1 423 A D 1 2 R eed e quals 9 R eed c orrelation . T he s ame r espect f or a v enerable " Toltec" a ntecedent t o t he C hichimecs a nd A ztecs s eems i mplicit i n y et o ther C ll t exts i nsofar a s t hey s pell o ut t he 1 6-year g ap w hich f ormally s eparates t heir o wn f rom C l y ear n ames i n t he 5 2-year R ound ( e.g . i n C l 1F lint e quals 1 516; i n C 11 i t e quals 1 532). T his g ap i s a ccounted f or i n t he p air o f N epopualco Maps, t he o ne i nvoking t he f irst R ound y ear 1 F lint

i n C l a s 6 32 A D a nd t he o ther

i nvoking

i t

i n

C 11

a s

6 48

A D

( see b elow a nd P late 5 ); i t a ppears a lso o n t he M endoza t itle p age , b etween t he 5 1 n amed y ears a round t he m argin ( 1325-1375 A D) a nd t he 6 7 y ear-leaves i n t he q uarters ( i .e . 1 309-1375 A D) w hich t hemselves i ncorporate t he t oponym T ula o r T oltec ( Plate 3 ). F or t heir p art t he C uauhtitlan A nnals o ffer t o l ocate t his T oltec t radition i n A nahuac s ince i n e xalting C oixtlahuaca a s t he c apital o f t hat r egion a nd t he k ey t o t he whole t ribute w ealth o f t he e ast t hey i dentify i ts d ynasty a s b oth a ncient a nd T oltec ; e ven m ore s traightforwardly t he C uauhtinchan H istory a nnounces t he a rea a s t he T oltec e nclave . I f t he " Toltec" C l c orrelation r evealed i n t he C uauhtinchan H istory a nd R ios i s i n f act a pplied t o t he Anahuac g roup o f t exts t hen i t c an i mmediately b e c onfirmed a s c orrect , b oth b y r eciprocal c orrelation d evices w ithin t he Mesoamerican s ystem a nd t hrough t ranslation i nto d ates A D .

I n d escribing t he c onquests o f

F our

J aguar , t he T lalpitepec M ap t wins i ts o wn y ear n ame f or 1 035 A D, 1 Reed i n C l, with t he name f or t he s ame y ear i n T ilantongo 's C 10, i .e . 1 0 R eed ( Fig. 2 d); t he s ignificance o f t his c an b e d educed f rom t he T ilantongo t exts, i nstance , w hich s hows t he b etween

t his

h ero

t he " Bachelorhood o f E ight D eer" f or i ntense m ilitary a nd p olitical c ontact

a nd A nahuac's

F our J aguar

a t

j ust

t his

p eriod

( Zouche p p . 5 2-79, 1 045-47 A D), p ace Smith ( 1973: 7 4, 1 24), w ho f ancies F our J aguar n ever e xisted . F or i ts p art t he B aranda C odex , a ssociated b y C aso w ith t he A nahuac g roup, a lso c orroborates t he validity o f C l. F or i f r ead i n t hat c orrelation i t e nds d evoutly with t he 1 6th C hristian c entury, t o t he y ear ( 6 F lint o r 1 600); a nd i n t he y ear 1 H ouse o r 1 529 i t s hows a c hurch a nd C ortgs c oming t o t erms with a n ative l eader whom an 1 8th-century n ative i nterpreter f irmly i dentified a s C osiobi o f T ehuantepec, o f t he Z apotec

l ine

d riven

f rom

Z aachila

1 74

b y

t he

M ixtecs

( Caso

1 958 ).

I t

w as i n t hat v ery y ear t hat t he D ominicans b egan w ork i n O axaca a nd t hat C ortgs b ecame Marquis o f t he Valley, t aking t he r oyal l ine f rom C osiobi o n t he d eath o f C osiobi's f ather C osihuesa. A pplying t he " Toltec" C l

t o t he A nahuac t exts

m akes

p ossible a n

e xtended c hronological c omparison b etween t hem, a n e ssential c ounterpart t o t he c omplex g enealogical s equences t hat t hey c ontain ; a nd b etween t hem a nd t he o ther t wo m ajor S eries I II t raditions, o f T ilantongo a nd T enochtitlan . T his w ork w ould c ontinue t hat o f C aso a nd N owotny, e nhancing o ur o verall v iew o f t he M esoamerican y ear c alendar. A bove a ll i t e nables u s f urther t o l ink t his l ast w ith t he M aya t un c alendar, w ith which i t o therwise h as s o much i n c ommon , i n n omenclature , s tructure a nd s heer m echanics . F or i t i s g enerally a greed t hat i n t he t un c alendar t he E ra l asts 5 200 t uns a nd h as i ts s tart d ate i n t he y ear 3 113 B C . T hough l ittle h as b een m ade o f t he f act , i n t he y ear c alendar t he E ra i s c learly s tated t o b e 5 200 y ears i n l ength ( Rios p . 8 ; c f. a lso die 2 088 A D o r 5 200y ear d ate i n t he T izimin , E dmonson 1 982: 1 97), J w hile t he S eries I II y ear with which i t b egins i s j ust a s c learly s tated t o b e 1 3 R eed ( Cuauhtitlan A nnals; A ztec S unstone, P late 1 ). I n t he T oltec C l, w orking b ack t hrough t he c enturies , 3 113 B C i s i n f act a y ear 1 3 R eed ( which o f c ourse i t t herefore c ould n ever b e i n o ther S eries I II c orrelations l ike C 10 o r C 11); a t t he s ame t ime T ula, f rom w hich t he t erm T oltec d erives , s tands a s t he i naugural c ity o f Mesoamerica e verywhere a ssociated w ith t he b eginnings o f t he o f t he 5 200-year E ra s pan ( cf. B rothers t on 1 983). I ndeed " Toltec" o r C l t exts l ike t he T epexic A nnals c an b e s hown t o n arrate a n E ra h istory e xactly c ommensurate w ith t hat f ound i n t he t un t exts o f t he l owland M aya. MN,

T ime d epth I f t he T epexic Annals a re r ead c ontinuously f rom e nd t o e nd, s trictly a ccording t o t he n orms t hat p ertain t o t he b oustrophedon narratives o f M esoamerica, t hen t here i s n o way t hat t hey c an b e s een n ot t o c over s everal t housand y ears ( Fig . 3 b) . O pening w ith a w ell-known f ormula w hich i ntegrates t he t onalpoualli w ith t he y ear ( 7 x 2 60 = 5 x 3 65 l ess 5 d ays) a nd which h ere i ssues i nto t he f irst y ear d ate, 5 F lint ( p . 3 ), t he f irst c hapter a lone c overs 3 451 y ears, c ulminating t he f ire-kindling i n t he y ear 6 R abbit ( p . 2 1) . O ne s ingle i rregularity i n t he b oustrophedon r eading o ccurs o n p . 6 where t he r eading s tream d ivides, t he u pper p art c overing two R ounds l ess t han t he l ower ; t hese h owever a re s upplied b y t he u pper t ributary s tream f rom t he p revious p age . S imilarly , t he n arrative c ontinues q uite r egularly t hrough t he r emaining n ine c hapters a nd f ire-kindlings, o ver a f urther t housand y ears . T hen , a fter t he t enth a nd f inal k indling, t he r eading s tream i s f ully b locked o r s taunched b y a u nique 2 House d ate i nset i nto what will l ater b e s hown t o b e a c ommemorative m arker o f y ear m ultiples ( 14 R ounds; p . 5 0). T his s uggests t hat t he r emaining d ates i n t he t ext p roject i nto t he f uture, i n t he f ashion o f c ertain t un n arratives . Arithmetically, t his a dditional s pan, o f 3 31 y ears, h as t he e ffect

o f

c ompleting

4 800 y ears,

t he

c alendrically

s ignificant

f rom t he f irst y ear d ate 5 F lint

1 75

t o t he

o verall

t otal o f

l ast,

8 F lint.

F ig.

a

3

A nalysis o f

O verview o f t he t en c hapters

t he T epexic A nnals

( R = R ound)

P age: 1 -22 1

c hapter 1 w omb o f h eaven w ith f our p airs e ach r epresentative o f a S un i n d escending o rder o f t ime

2 -3 4 -6

a ncestral a nd t roglodyte p airs b earing d ay d ates f rom 1 D eer 3 0 M arch 3 113 B C t o t he f irst n amed y ear 5 F lint 3 108 B C ' Beget a nd b ear'

b irth

b etween s un a nd m oon, 7 -15 1 5-18

s equence o f N ine W ind,

h is d escent

a nd h is r aising o f t he s ky i n

2 843 B C t oponym h istory o f t he e arly p eriod 5 H ouse R 8 t o 1 3 ( 2679 B C t o 4 6 A D)

1 0 H ouse R 5, R abbit R 60

1 9-22

T ree-birth p resided o ver b y N ine W ind; a ppearance o f b ald- a nd e gg-head p air, T en D eath, E ight W ind e tc. 1 st o r ' Classic ' k indling, b y N ine W ind 6 R abbit R 66, 3 38 A D

2 3-32

c hapter 2

2 3-26 2 7-29

p review o f k indlers l uxuries o f m aize, p ulque a nd m ushrooms R 68-70 2 -4

i n P alenque T rilogy p anel a nd r estoration,

1 ,

( cf.

2 9-30

' hiatus '

3 1 3 1-32

s tart o f ' dropped l eap d ay ' s equence R 74 t o R 79 2 nd k indling, a t T epexic w ith i ts c ane-work t ribute ; D og J aguar C law,

3 3-39

R 71-R73,

i n 5 H ouse R 75,

t opics

8 .19.0 t o 9 .0.0.) 6 th-7th c enturies A D b y T wo

8 05 A D

c hapters 3 -6

3 3-34

3 rd k indling,

1 3

3 5-36

4 th k indling,

7F lint R 76,

R abbit R 75,

8 26 A D

3 6-38 3 8-39

s even t oponyms i nc. A poala; c ocoa t ribute 5 th k indling, 5 H ouse R 77, 9 09 A D 6 th k indling, 1 R eed R 77, 9 31 A D. S outhern e uartet,

8 72 A D,

t oponyms i nc. M ictlantongo, w ith

b y X olotl.

E astern q uarter,

f ive

l ady N ine G rass

4 0-52

c hapters 7 -10

( kindlings m easured a s R ounds)

4 0-41 4 1-42 4 3-47

7 th k indling, 8 th k indling, 9 th k indling,

7 R eed R 79, 1 015 A D, w ith F our A lligator 5 F lint R 81, 1 104 A D 7 R eed R 82, 1 171 A D, w ith T wo D og. N orthern

4 8-52

q uarter, t welve t oponyms i nc. ? Tepeaca 1 0th k indling ( drill unused), 5 H ouse R 84, 1 273 A D. Western q uarter, f ive t oponyms i nc. N acochtlan, C oatzinco, ? Tepexochocan

4 9

E agle a nd J aguar w arriors a t V enus t emple 6 R eed-6 R eed,

5 0

1 287-1339 A D b oustrophedon r eading f low s taunched a t 2H ouse 1 361 A D, t he l ikely d ate o f c omposition , i n R 86, 1 4 R ounds ( mouths) f rom

5 2

R 72 a nd b efore R 100 f inal p rojected d ate 8 F lint R 92, o r 1 2 H eads f rom 3 108

( p.3).

1 76

1 692 A D,

e xactly 4 800 y ears

F ig.

b

3

A nalysis

1 VII 1V II 1I I ( 30 M arch 3 113 B C )

( 3)

7 X IX

7X V

7 I I

5X VIII

1 2 I I 0 .5

B C 3 108 5 .21 2 832

( 7)

t he T epexic

A nnals

T ranscription o f t he year-date s equence

( 2)

( 6)

o f

( 5)

1 3 I I

0 .42

1 .39

2 971

2 922

6 .19 2 782

7 .19 2 730

4 V

7V ( 4)

4 I

1 1 I I

1 .40

2 .18

3 .10

4 .10

2 921

2 891

2 847

2 895

4 .19

5 .10

5 .49

6 .5

6 .20

7 .5

7 .44

2 886

2 843

L 2 804

2 796

2 781

2 744

2 705

8 .18

8 .20

8 .35

8 .40

9 .18

9 .35

9 .37

9 .43

1 0.17 1 0.20

2 679

2 677

2 662

2 657

2 627

2 610

2 608

2 602

2 576

2 573

( 8)

1 0.39 1 0.40 1 1.39 1 2.34 1 2.39 1 3.16 1 4.16 1 4,40 1 5.35 1 6.27 1 6.42 1 7.20 1 8.19 2 554 2 503 2 502 2 455 2 450 2 421 2 369 2 345 2 298 2 254 2 239 2 209 2 158

( 9)

1 8.25

1 9.10 1 9.41 2 0.16 2 0.32 2 0.44 2 1.36 2 2.20 2 2.25 2 3.20 2 3.40 2 4.40

2 152

2 115

2 084

2 057

2 031

2 029

1 985

1 949

1 944

1 897

1 877

1 825

( 10)

2 5.40 2 5.42 2 6.40 2 7.4 1 773 1 771 1 721 1 705

2 7.20 2 7.28 2 8.20 2 9.18 2 9.39 3 0.5 1 689 1 681 1 637 1 587 1 566 1 548

( 11)

3 2.11 3 2.20 3 2.27 3 3.4 1 438 1 429 1 422 1 393

3 3.27 3 3.33 3 4.27 3 5.10 3 5.20 3 6.10 3 6.47 3 7.47 1 370 1 364 1 318 1 283 1 273 1 231 1 194 1 142

( 12)

3 8.8

3 8.19 3 9.6

3 9.28 4 0.25 4 0.33 4 0.40 4 1.11 4 1.43 4 2.6

4 2.8

4 2.40

1 129

1 118

1 057

9 21

8 89

( 13)

1 079

1 008

1 000

9 93

9 70

4 3.20 4 4.20 4 4.39 4 5.8

4 5.34 4 6.8

4 6.20 4 6.43 4 7.34 4 7.40 4 8.8

4 8.17 4 8.28

7 39

7 01

6 09

6 00

5 5.5 2 48

5 5.40 5 6.20 2 13 1 81

8 05

7 86

7 65

7 13

6 78

4 9.20 4 9.45 4 9.46 5 0.21 5 1.8 5 45 5 20 5 19 4 92 4 53

( 15)

5 7.18 5 7.28 5 7.35 5 8.20 5 8.21 5 9.21 5 9.39 A D 1 31 1 21 1 14 7 7 7 6 2 4 6

( 20)

6 3.10 6 3.39 6 4.20 6 4.39 1 73 2 02 2 35 2 54

( 21)

6 7.42 6 8.35 6 8.39 6 8.44

( 28)

4 13 ( 31)

9 23

8 57 ( 14)

( 26)

9 38

3 0.18 3 0.40 3 1.27 1 535 1 513 1 474

4 58

4 62

7 4.39 7 74

( 32)

( 37)

7 7.18 9 09

( 38)

( 43)

8 1.20 8 2.20 8 2.40 1 119 1 171 1 191

( 50)

8 6.2 1 361

4 67

7 5.18 8 05

( 33)

7 7.35 9 26

( 39)

6 29

5 1.20 5 1.40 5 2.40 5 3.20 5 4.5 4 41 4 21 3 69 3 37 3 00

6 5.39 6 6.19 3 06 3 38 6 9.35

( 29)

5 10 7 5.34 8 21

( 34)

7 7.40 9 31

( 40)

( 48) 8 3.18 8 4.18 1 221 1 273

8 6.40 8 7.10 8 7.40 1 399 1 421 1 451

6 35

( 23)

6 0.39 4 6

( 18)

7 0.8

7 1.5

7 2.5

5 84

6 36

( 35)

7 8.20 9 63

( 41)

6 1.39 6 2.21 6 2.35 9 8 1 32 1 46

6 6.35 6 6.39 6 6.44 3 54 3 58 3 63

5 35 7 5.39 8 26

5 89

( 30)

7 3.5 6 88

7 6.16 7 6.33 8 55 8 72

( 36 )

7 9.20 8 0.5 1 015 1 052

( 42) 8 1.5 1 104

7 3.39 7 22

7 6.49 8 88

( 49) 8 4.32 8 5.32 8 5.36 8 5.40 1 287 1 339 1 343 1 347

( 51) 8 8.33 8 9.18 8 9.27 9 0.4 1 496 1 534 1 543 1 572

( 52) 9 0.27 9 0.47 9 1.39 9 2.21 1 595 1 615 1 659 1 692

( 2) e tc. 1 VII e tc. 0 .5 e tc.

p age n umber . o pening d ay

= R ound

s equence

( = 7 x 2 60 = 5 x 3 65

l ess 5 d ays)

i n t he E ra a nd year i n t he R ound with 1 F lint a s t he

f irst y ear o f t he R ound

1 77

F ig.

c

3

A nalysis

o f

t he T epexic A nnals

R itually s ignificant d ata T otal o f p ages: 5 2,

years o f t he R ound

T otal o f y ear-dates u sed: 1 80,

d ays b etween t he e quinoxes

( 9x20)

T otal o f t oponyms i n t he q uarters: 2 9,

n ights i n t he m oon

M axima o f y ear-dates p er p age : 1 2 o r 1 1, m oons i n t he year O verall y ear 4 800,

s pan:

1 2/11 of t he E ra

M axima o f year-dates u sed w ithin t he R ound,

b y S eries S ign:

7 ,

o rifices o f t he h ead,

S igns H ouse a nd R abbit

9 ,

o rifices of t he b ody,

S igns R eed a nd F lint

3 2,

t eeth,

a ll S igns,

i .e.

2 0,

d igits, unused, i .e. 5 2 - 2 (7+9); ( pp.1-8): 5 x 5 2 = 2 (7 2 + 92 ) .

2 (7+9) c f.

t he C ospi f ormula

M ost f requently u sed d ates: 7 R eed

( 0.20),

t he 2 0-ycar F lag w ithin t he R ound;

d esignated

b y m outh m arkers o ver 5 -Round i ntervals a t R ounds 1 7, a nd 3 2 1 R eed

( 0.40),

t he R ound,

2 7

t he 4 0-year C ross E agle o r a ctive l ife w ithin a s with t he h eroes O ne R eed a nd E ight D eer ;

designated b y m outh m arkers o ver a 1 0-Round R ounds 1 4 a nd 2 4 D ecimal

2 2,

( 11x20=260=5x52).

i nterval a t

( 13x40=520=10x52)

f eatures:

1 0 c hapters 1 0 k indlings 1 0 c haracters n amed T wo D og D ominant R ound

i nterval,

( Sign X )

of n ine R ounds,

m arked b y a )

t he y ear-

a nd-day d ate 2 R eed 2 R eed a nd b ) H ero 9 ( Quetzal-snake N ine W ind): a ) a t R ound 2 7 o r 9 x3 R ounds ( 27.28, t he s idereal-year s pan) b )

a t R ounds 3 9,

4 8 a nd 5 7

a t R ounds 6 6,

7 5 a nd 8 4

( kindlings 1 ,

1 78

2 a nd

1 0).

T his c onsiderable t ime d epth h as n ever b een f ully a cknowledged i n t he T epexic A nnals . F or h is p art N owotny c ontrived t o d eny i t b y s uggesting t hat t hough h istorical i n o rigin t he y ear d ates g iven h ad b een a bsorbed i nto " timeless" r itual p atterns ; i n a ddition , h e d ispensed a ltogether w ith p p . 6 -15 o f c hapter 1 . T hese p ages, which a lone c over o ver 5 2 R ounds ( 52 x 5 2 y ears), h e d emotes t o b eing a s ubsection ( Unterabschnitt), a r ecapitulation o f t he n arrative b efore a nd a fterwards ( "Rekapitulation d er g anzen B ilderfolge . - v or u nd n ach"; 1 961: 4 7, 2 56). O n f ormal a nd a ll o ther g rounds t here i s a bsolutely n o j ustification f or t reating t he n arrative i n t his w ay : t he p ages i n q uestion a re w holly c ontinuous with t he g eneral r eading s tream a nd n ot s eparated o ff a t a ll, s o t hat t he v ery u se o f t he t erm ( Unter)abschnitt o r " cut" i s t echnically i ncorrect .6 F ormally s peaking, t here i s n o o rthodox a lternative t o t he t housands o f y ears s ketched o ut a bove . I t m ight s till b e o bjected t hat N owotny c ould b e r ight i n r efusing t o r ecognize s uch a v ast t ime-span i n t he T epexic A nnals, s ince i t i s a pparently a nomalous among y ear n arratives e xtant . A s a g roup t he C 11 t exts n ever s tart b efore t he m id 7 th c entury A D while t he C 10 t exts, l ike I xtlilxochitl 's S egunda r elaci6n o r t he T ilantongo Annals, g o b ack o nly a f ew c enturies b efore t hat . Y et t his s ituation i s more a pparent t han r eal. F ar f rom b eing a nomalous, t he T epexic A nnals u pon e xamination p rovide t he k ey t o t he E ra c hronology o f t he w hole y ear c alendar , o n t he c osmo-historical s cale c learly d etailed b y e arly c ommentators l ike G arcia ( 1729). T his t ext p roves t o b e t he y ardstick f or t he A nahuac C l t radition g enerally, o ther t exts i n i t l ikewise t aking t he s ame e arly s tarting d ate, t hough c ounting f orward f rom i t b y means o f y ear multiples ( see b elow a nd F igs. 5 , 6 ) r ather t han b y t he c ontinuous y ear d ates f ound i n t he A nnals . A nd i t i s t he c hief g uide t o t he s tory e xamined e lsewhere ( Brotherston 1 983) o f t he g reat T ulaN onohualco o n t he G ulf C oast with i ts c acao a nd c otton a nd r ubber a nd a n e conomic h istory t estified t o i n a w ide v ariety o f s ources f rom west a nd e ast M esoamerica a s b eing l ong p rior t o T eotihuacan a nd

t o

t he C hichimec i nvasions.

T o b egin w ith a nd p urely i n t erms o f i nternal c onsistency, i f t he T epexic n arrative i s i ndeed r ead f rom t he E ra d ate 1 3 R eed 3 113 B C t hen i t y ields a n e xcellent s elf-dating t hrough t he e nding y ear 2 H ouse ( p . 5 0) . F or c ounted o ut r egularly f rom t he f irst d ay-dates i n 3 113 B C a nd f rom t he f irst y ear d ate 5 F lint 3 108 B C, 8 6 R ounds a re s pelt o ut i n t he t ext b efore t his 2 h ouse d ate i s r eached, w hich m eans i t m ust e qual 1 361 A D : t hat i s w holly c onsistent w ith t he d ating a ttributed t o t he t ext o n o ther g rounds , i ncluding t he m id-fourteenth c entury e nding o f t he C 10 g enealogy o n i ts r everse , a lready d eciphered b y C aso . S imilarly , c ounted o ut f rom t he 3 113 B C b ase t he n arrative a ppropriately p inpoints t wo m ajor f igures i n A nahuac h istory , 4 A lligator a nd 2 D og , p residents o f t he s eventh a nd n inth k indlings i n 1 015 a nd 1 171 A D r espectively ( pp . 4 1, 4 3): t hese d ates, c orroborated i n o ther C l t exts d iscussed b elow, c oncord w ell w ith t he r elative t ime-depth a ttributed t o t hese f igures b y C aso ( cf . F ig . 3 a). B eyond t his, when r ead o ff f rom t he s ame E ra b ase, whole s ets o f d ate-events i n t he t ext may b e s hown t o c oincide c hronologically w ith t heir C l t exts, i n o ther y ear-calendar t exts, h ieroglyphic

t exts ,

c ounterparts i n o ther a nd e ven i n t un o r

w hich a re k nown t o b e c ommensurate w ith t he E ra .

1 79

O ut o f t he v ast a nd l argely u nedited c orpus o f h ieroglyphic i nscriptions, t exts f rom P alenque , t he C lassic Maya c ity c losest t o A nahuac, h ave a lready s uggested c ertain p arallels w ith t he y earc alendar t radition . I n p articular, a ttention has b een d rawn t o t he g od-like N ine W ind a s a p residing p atron i n b oth t he T epexic A nnals a nd t he T rilogy o f p anels a t P alenque u sually n amed " Cross", " Sun" a nd " Foliated C ross" a fter t heir c entral d esigns . I n f act t he s o-called C ross o f t he f irst p anel i s r eally a n a nthropomorphic t ree ; a nd b eside i t t o t he r ight a t iny b aby-like c reature i s b eing r egally h eld ( the i dea o f b irth i s f urther s uggested b y t he " Euripos" a rrangement o f t he s even p lanetary s ymbols a t t he b ase o f t he t ree). 7 i ntegrate t he

T his d etail i s d oubly i mportant. I t h elps t o f irst p anel i nto t he l ogic o f t he t hree a nd t he s tory

o f C lassic P alenque's o rigins a s i t p ertains t o h er r uling e lite, h er w arriors a nd h er maize f armers . A nd i t o pens t he w ay t o t he f irst d ated c omparison w ith t he T epexic A nnals v ersion o f t he s ame e arly h istory ( Fig . 4 ) . F or o n t his f irst p anel, s tanding b etween t he h ieroglyphic c olumns t o l eft a nd r ight, t he t ree s cene a s a whole i s p laced b y t hem a t a bout t he t ime o f C hrist. C ounted o ut y ear b y y ear f rom 3 113 B C, t his i s e xactly t he t ime o f t he f amous t ree-birth i n t he T epexic A nnals ( p . 1 6), R ounds 5 9 t o 6 1 o f t he Era, where s upervised b y N ine Wind t he n ew-born r uling c lass a ctually e merges f rom a n a nthropomorphic t ree . S imilarly, N ine Wind 's f irst k indling i n t he T epexic A nnals, t he c limax o f t he f irst c hapter i n t he e arly 4 th c entury A D ( 6 R abbit R ound 6 6, 3 38 A D, p . 2 1), c orresponds t o t he s pread o f t he h ieroglyphic s telae c ult i n t he l owland c ities a nd t he s tart o f t he C lassic . A gain, a fter t he much d iscussed " hiatus" i n t he h ieroglyphic i nscriptions i n t he l ate 6 th c entury, which i s matched c hronologically i n t he A nnals b y a r evolutionary w heel ( 5 F lint R ound 7 1, 5 84 A D , p . 2 9), t he P alenque p anels c elebrate t he r estoration o f o rder i n two s uccessive " split s un" emblems ( 640 t o 6 90 A D); °t his s ame p air o f emblems r ecurs a t s imilar d ates i n t he A nnals ( 636 t o 6 88 A D), b eing e ntirely a bsent f rom e ither n arrative a t a ny o ther p oint ( Fig . 4 b). T hen j ust a s t he f irst k indling p ointed t o t he r ise o f t he C lassic a nd h ieroglyphic s telae c ult , s o t he s econd , a t t he e nd o f t he s econd c hapter ( 5 H ouse R ound 7 5, 8 05 AD, p . 3 2), p oints t o t heir d ecline a nd t o t he r ise o f t owns l ike T epexic, t he s cene o f t his k indling, u nder t he a uspices o f T wo D og J aguar C law. T ouching

o n

major

e vents

v erifiable

i n

t urn

b y

a rcheology,

t hese p arallels o ver a lmost a m illennium s trongly b ear o ut t he o rthodox r eading o f t he T epexic A nnals p roposed above, a nd t he n otion t hat i ts s pan i s i ndeed c ommensurate w ith t hat o f t he t un c alendar: t hey c ertainly c ould n ot b e e xplained s tatistically a s c oincidence . A nd t hey c ould b e f urther e xtended, t o o ther h ieroglyphic t exts, a s w ell a s w ithin t he T rilogy . F or e xample , t he t ilth i sland o f R ound 1 4 i n t he T epexic A nnals r ecalls s imilarly d ated a gricultural g lyphs i n t he M aize p anel . M oreover , w hile o nce t hought " mythical", t hese r emote e vents a re n ow b eing s hown a rcheologically t o b e v ery much p art o f t he material history o f M esoamerica W ithin

( cf. t he

H ammond y ear

1 982).

c alendar

a s imilar

a nd

y et

m ore

d etailed

s equence o f p arallels may b e d rawn , i n t he f irst i nstance w ith t he 4 2-page T ilantongo Annals ( Zouche o bverse), t o which t he T epexic

1 80

A nna L i a re f orr _ Ly c lose.t a mong n ative h isto des e xtant . S o f ar t ranslations 0 1 . , n .: w ork h ave m ainly f ocused o n t he d ense g enealogy b eginning i n t he y ear 1 ; H ouse 7 89 A D, p . 2 3, a" new s tart" w hich i n d ate a nd f ormat c orresponJ, t o t he e nd o f t he s econd c hapter k indling i n t he T epexic A nnals ( 805 A D) . R ead o nce a gain s trictly a ccording t o b oustrophedon n orms, t he e arlier p ages l ikewise c losely e cho t hose o f T epexic , a t l east f rom t he t ime o f t he t reeb irth 1 5 R ounds p reviously ( Round 6 0 o f t he E ra). T he v ery f irst p ages o f t he T ilantongo A nnals a re a dmittedly h ard t o d ate b y o rthodox m eans s ince t he b oustrophedon i s l acking o n t he f irst t wo ( where s equence d epends r ather o n t he l ogic o f t hree s uccessivly m ore c omplex m ethods o f r aising t ribute), while o n t he t hird ( which r ecords t he d efeat o f t he " Stone m en" ) s ome o f t he y ear d ates u ncharacteristically a re d evoid o f d ependent d ays i n t he y ear . A fter t his, h owever, t he r eading p roceeds n ormally a nd t he v ery c hapter d ivision r eflects t hat o f t he T epexic A nnals a nd h ence m ore b roadly t he i dea o f t he C lassic: t he c losing d ate o f c he f irst c hapter w hich a nnounces t he C lassic , 2 F lint 3 12 A D , i n t his s ense r ecalls i ts T epexic e quivalent, 6R abbit 3 38 A D. I ndeed, w hen t hey a re l aid o ut l ength f or l ength, t he p arallels b etween t he T epexic a nd T ilantongo h istories d o n o l ess t han l eap t o t he e ye ( Fig. 4 ) . T he f irst p arallel a rises f rom t he t ree-birth i tself a t a round t he t ime o f C hrist o r R ound 6 0 , s ince a t t he c orresponding m oment i n t he T ilantongo A nnals ( 12 F lint - 6 Rabbit - 1 3 R abbit, 1 6 B C - 3 0 A D - 5 0 A D, p . 4 ), which c onstitutes t he s tart o f t he n arrative p roper i n t hat s ource , t he f irst b orn a lso i nclude a n u nmistakable a nd d istinctive b ald- a nd e gg-head p air ( Fig . 4 c), a long w ith c ompanions w hose n ames a nd c haracteristics a re i n m any c ases i dentical w ith t hose g iven b y T epexic: T en D eath, c oloured g rey a nd b lack; S even F lower; E leven A lligator; t he l ady E ight M onkey, b lue i n t he f ace; a nd l ast i n t he l ist E ight W ind w ith h is e agle h eaddress, t o w hom T ilantongo d evotes a b rief b iography ( 5 F lint t o 8 F lint , 6 8 t o 1 12 A D, p p . 5 -8) . S everal o f t hese n ames a ppear a t t he s tart o f t he B odley a nd o ther g enealogies i n t he T ilantongo t radition, a long w ith t he t ree-birth , l eaving l ittle d oubt t hat , a s N owotny n oted ( 1961: 2 57), t hey b elong t o t he s ame e vent a s t hat s hown i n t he T epexic A nnals a nd t hat t his e vent i ndeed m arked t he b eginnings o f a p owerful a nd f ar-flung r uling c lass . W hat h ad b een u ncertain w as t he d ate o f t he o ccasion: n ow, t otally o rthodox r eadings o f t he y ear-date s equences i n t he T epexic a nd T ilantongo A nnals c orroborate e ach o ther i n p lacing i t a t t he t ime o f C hrist , R ound 6 0 ( to o btain a ny o ther d ate w ould m ean a dopting s ome s ort o f u northodox r eading). I n p articular, t he T ilantongo A nnals v ersion o f t he e vent h elps u s t o a ppreciate i ts c omplex i nternational n ature , s omething a lluded t o i n s uch S panish s orces a s B urgoa, a nd h ence t he d ifference i n p rinciple b etween t he a ngles o f T ilantongo a nd T epexic o n what i s a w hole s eries o f major h appenings p rior t o a nd t hroughout t he C lassic . F or c elebrated b y T epexic a nd P alenque a like a s t he g lorious t riumph o f N ine W ind 's c ause , t he t ree-birth i s e xposed b y T ilantongo a s t he c limax o f o utright a nd b loody o ppression o f t he p ossibly O tomanguan S tone-men, whose " fall" i s o nly b riefly a lluded t o i n t he T epexic A nnals ( p . 1 5). T his d ifferent v iew i s i n k eeping w ith T ila r ttongo 's a nnouncement o f t he

1 81

F ig 4 a

P arallels

i n a ccounts

o f

t he C lassic

p eriod

O verview

AD 3000

i b l en e fu e T r iI o 5y

K

F ENc A nf l a t s

K

-

500

2 4 -00

0 3 ,c 9

t I@aree

1 000 A

-

1

[

[ 100 2 ,q9 ,0 5

I.n

p are 1 ,. 9 1 ) /ph

0

t

1

[ 1 33

]

8

1 6

V

2 9 3 0

32

T il e n t . . A nn

re S e

H 33

4

1 4

2 0 2 1

22

P9 e

J 9

x s t ar t o ft h eE r a ,3 11 3S C 0 t

[ [ 1 3 1

MO i 22

top ic

t r e e b i r th s t a rt o ft h e C lass ic h i at us ' s p l it -sun e mb lem C l as s ic d e c l ine ; r i s eo fw es tern d yna 5 t ie s

b T he s plit-sun e mblem

P alenque T rilogy

B orgia p .26

T epexic A nnals p p.29-30

T ilantongo A nnals p .21

c T he b ald- a nd e gg-head p air

T epexic Annals p .16

T ilantongo Annals p .4

1 82

C lassic, a lone b ut

t hree c enturies l ater, n ot a s N ine W ind's a chievement t he r esult o f a t riple a lliance o f w hich t he s ame S tone-

m en c onstitute o ne p arty ( 2 R eed - 2 F lint, 2 99 - 3 12 A D, p p . 1 11 3); a nd i t c oncords t oo with t he a ttention p aid p rior t o t he h iatus n ot t o N ine W ind i n h is r ole a s k ing-maker b ut t o a l ine o f l ocal m atriarchs n amed T hree F lint ( 7 R eed t o 5 R eed , 3 43 - 5 75 A D , p p . 1 4-20; c f. P late 8 ). And when t he h iatus a rrives i n R ound 7 1 o f

t he E ra ,

l ate

6 th

c entury

A D ,

T ilantongo

r eveals

i t

p lainly

t o

b e t he r esult o f a m assive u prising o f t he S tone-men , i nspired b y o ne o f t he l adies T hree F lint , a gainst N ine W ind 's e gg-head e lite ( 3 R eed, 5 99 A D, p . 2 0): t his much e xpands t he m ere h int o f r evolution a nd u nrest g iven i n t he T epexic A nnals a t t he s ame c hronological j uncture ( 5 F lint, 5 84 A D, p . 2 9). Moreover w ith t he r estoration i n R ound 7 2, m arked f or T ilantongo a s f or T epexic a nd f or P alenque b y t he p air o f d istinctive " split-sun" emblems which l ikewise a ppears o nly a t t his p oint i n t he e ntire n arrative ( 12 F lint - 1 R eed, 6 60 - 6 75 A D, p . 2 1; F ig. 4 b), w e s ee N ine W ind s trutting m ercilessly among t he c orpses o f t he a gain d efeated S tone-men , w ho f rom t his p oint o n d isappear a s a m ilitary p resence . O verall, t here c an b e l ittle d oubt a bout t his c ontinuity o f e choes n ot j ust b etween t he T epexic A nnals a nd t he P alenque T rilogy, b ut b etween b oth a nd t he T ilantongo A nnals, a f act which f urther j ustifies e xtending t he t un b ase d ate o f 3 113 B C t o t he y ear c alendar,

i n p articular t he

T urning n ow t o

" Toltec" C l c onvention o f A nahuac.

t he C 11 o r C hichimec c onvention ,

w e s ee t hat i t

f urther c orroborates t he h ypothesis . H ere, t he most i mportant s ingle p arallel s tems f rom t he f act t hat , j ust a s t he R ound o f t he t ree-birth ( 60) o perates a s a k ind o f s econdary b ase f or T ilantongo , s o f or " Chichimec" t owns l ike T enochtitlan t he r estoration o f R ound 7 2 ( mid 7 th c entury A D) a ssumes t he s ame f unction . T his i s t he R ound i nvoked a s a b ase b y t he N epopualco Maps, where i t i s r eferred t o a s " yncalco c hichimeca" ( the C hichimec b ase ; P late 5 ); b y C himalpahin 's M emorial b reve w ith i ts s tart i n t he y ear 1 0 R abbit 6 70 AD ; b y I xtlilxochtli's R elaci6n s ucinta; b y t he Z acatlan H istory c ollected b y T orquemada; a nd b y t he C uauhtitlan A nnals, w hich make t heir s tart i n t he y ear 1 R eed 6 87 A D a nd c ount o ut e very s ingle y ear b etween t hat d ate a nd C ortes's a rrival i n l 'Reed 1 519 A D, exactly 1 6 R ounds ( 832 y ears) l ater . I n h is d ay H umboldt ( 1810: 2 5) n oted h ow c onsistently t he m id-seventh c entury w as o bserved a s a b ase d ate i n n ative t exts a nd r eferred s pecifically t o t he y ear 6 48 A D, t he f irst o f R ound 7 2 ( 1 F lint C 11). E lsewhere t his R ound 7 2 b ase i s i nvoked a s s uch , i n t he E ra, i n c ounts i nvolving y ear m ultiples, d iscussed b elow ( also c f . F ig. 7 ). T he most e soteric o f t hese y ear-multiple c ounts i s embedded i n t he awesome f igure w ho i naugurates t he C uauhitlan A nnals a nd o ther Chichimec t exts: Obsidian Butterfly. For her name may b e n umerically t ranscribed a s R ound 7 2, f rom 2 ( iztli o r o bsidian, s econd

o f

t he N ine

F igures)

p lus 7 0

( papalotl

o r

B utterfly ,

s eventh

o f t he U , Q uecholli, w ho m ay c arry t heir n umber v alue i n l ots o f t en R ounds). 2 Also w e may note a p articular p arallel b etween t he C hichimec C uauhtinchan H istory a nd t he T epexic A nnals i n t he m atter o f t he c eremonial d efeat o f Q uetzal s nake a t C holula o ver t he R ound 1 287 t o 1 339 A D ( dated 3 R eed C ll i n t he f ormer a nd , R eed t o 6 R eed C l i n t he l atter, p . 4 9). A c onfirmation ,

h owever ,

o f

t he w hole E ra s cheme

1 83

a pparently, 6 q uite s pecial

i s p rovided w ithin

t he C ll o r C hichimec c onvention b y t he M exicanus o f T enochtitlan, p age 9 o f which i s worth exarining i n d etail, s ince i t o penly a nnounces i tself a s a c hronological k ey ( Plate 4 ). T he d ual wheel d esign o n t his p age j uxtaposes C hristian w ith M esoamerican y ears . O f t he f ormer t here a re 2 8 o r a s olar c ycle , i dentified b y t he 4 x 7 S unday o r D ominical l etters ( a - g ) ; o f t he l atter t here a re 5 2 o r a R ound , i dentified b y t he T hirteen N umbers a nd F our S igns o f a S eries I II R ound . I n t he p osition s hown , t he " b" y ear 1 558 o f t he C hristian wheel, s eventeen y ears b efore t he " b" y ear 1 575 ( glossed a s s uch i n a rabic n umerals, P rem 1 978 : 2 75), i s j ust t ouching t he f irst o f t he R abbit y ears o n t he M esoamerican wheel , u nder t he r abbit 's n ose : i n t he T enochtitlan C ll c onvention 1 558 was i n f act a y ear 1 R abbit, t he l ast o f t he l ast A ztec f ir? k indling R ounds c ompleted b efore t he Mexicanus was written . H ence , t he w heels n ot o nly a re j uxtaposed b ut m esh . I n t he c entre o f t he C hristian wheel S t P eter h olds a t riple-pronged k ey i n his r ight h and a nd i n h is l eft a b ook o n whose p ages f ive u nits ( dots) h ave b een r evealed; a bove h is h ead a c ross o ccupies a n extra d ivision o f t he s olar c ycle w heel, r aising f rom 2 8 t o 2 9 t he t otal o f t he d ivisions t hat m esh w ith t he 5 2 M esoamerican y ears , s hould t he

w heels

b e

t urned

f urther

i n e ither d irection .

I n t he p osition

g iven, t o a lter o r b reak t he C hristian c ycle i n t his way s eems t o p oint t o t he m ajor c alendrical e vent t hat o ccurred s hortly a fter t he l ast l etter r ecorded, " e" o r 1 578, i .e. t he G regorian R eform o f 1 582

o therwise

a lluded

t o

i n

t he

M exicanus ,

w hich d id

e ffectively

c ause a b reak i n t he 2 8-year S unday-letter s equence . A t t he s ame t ime, w ithin t he M esoamerican s ystem t his a lteration i ngeniously p oints t o t he r easons b ehind t he R eform i n q uestion, t hat i s t he i mperfect J ulian m easurement o f t he s easonal y ear a nd h ence o f t he n eed f or l eap-year d ays, i nsofar a s t his l ast was c alculated i n Mesoamerica a ccording t o a f ormula i nvolving t he n umber 2 9 ( rather t han 2 8). This f ormula, also f ound i n t he tun c alendar, s pecifies t hat o ver 2 9 R ounds o r 1 508 y ears t he d ifference b etween t he metric y ear o f 3 65 d ays ( i .e . w ithout l eap-days) a nd t he s lightly l onger s easonal y ear i tself a mounts t o a y ear ( Brotherston 1 982a : 1 22): a nd t his i s e xactly t he t otal o f y ears p roduced b y t he o peration o f t he t wo w heels i n q uestion , s ince 1 508 i s t he l owest c ommon multiple o f 2 9 a nd 5 2. C omplex e nough i n i tself, t his s till l eaves u nexplained t he r emaining n umerical d ata i n t he d esign , v iz t he b ook.

t hree

p rongs

o f

S t

P eter's k ey a nd

t he

f ive

d ots

o n

h is

I n C hristian c alendrics t he 2 8-year s olar c ycle h as b een c ommonly u sed t o p roduce l arger s pans, i n c onjunction w ith t he Metonic a nd I ndiction p eriods f or e xample , w hich g ives t he J ulian C ycle b eginning i n 4 713 B C , o r a lone , t o p roduce U sher 's c reation d ate o f 4 004 B C ( North 1 977) . H ere i n t he M exicanus , t aking i nto a ccount S t P eter 's n umerical c lues , t he emended 2 9-year c ycle c an b e s een t o p roduce t he d istance b etween t he s tart o f t he f irst R ound o f t he Mesoamerican E ra i n 1F lint ( Cl) 3 112 B C a nd t he e nd o f t he l ast A ztec R ound i n 1 R abbit ( C11) 1 558 A D, t hus l inking a nd c onfirming t he t wo s eparate d ecodings , o f d ate a nd c ycle , f ar. F or f ully t urned t hrice t hrough a ll c ombinations, l ock imagery o f t he k ey s uggests t hat t hey s hould b e,

1 84

m ade s o a s t he

t he wheels

p roduce 4 524 o r 3x 1 508 y ears a nd t he d ate 1 412 A D, t o which m ay t hen b e a dded f ive t urns o f t he C hristian wheel o r 1 45 y ears, t he i nterval t o t he g oal o f 1 558 A D . O n t he A ztec s ide t his s ubsidiary t otal i s e quivalent t o t he i nterval ( exclusive) f rom 1 F lint C l 1 412 A D t o 1F lint C 11 1 428 A D, p lus t wo R ounds o r 1 04 y ears t o 1F lint 1 532 A D, p lus t he h alf-Round o r 2 6 y ears t o 1R abbit 1 558 A D . I f n ovel , t his r eading o f M exicanus p . 9v iolates n one o f t he r ules o f Mesoamerican c alendrics a nd a ccounts s atisfactorily f or a ll t he n umerical d ata s upplied i n t he t ext. A long w ith t he e vidence f rom P alenque a nd T ilantongo, t his a pparent E ra c hronology i n a t ext f rom T enochtitlan s trengthens t he a rgument t hat t he 1 3 R eed o n t he A ztec S unstone i s i ndeed 3 113 B C a nd t he s tart d ate o f t he T epexic A nnals . A s a r esult , t he T oltec C l c onvention o bserved i n t hose A nnals o ffers a u nique m eans o f i nterlocking t he f irmest o f t he c alendrical c orrelations s o f ar m ade, i ndependently o f e ach o ther, i n M esoamerican s tudies . T hese a re t he 3 113 B C b ase e stablished f or t he t un c alendar b y T hompson ; t he T ilantongo S eries I II C 10 p roposed b y C aso ; a nd t he T enochtitlan S eries I II C ll k nown s ince C ortes . T his e vidence b ecomes s tronger a gain o nce t he f unction o f y ear multiples i n t he M esoamerican c alendar i s e xamined a nd t aken i nto a ccount.

Y ear m ultiples a nd t ime-structuring C ounting o ut t ime b y m eans o f y ear multiples m ay b e d eemed f undamental t o t he v ery n otion o f t he M esoamerican y ear c alendar , s uch m ultiples b eing o f t hree m ain k inds . T he f irst d erives f rom t ribute a rithmetic a nd i ncludes t he 4 00-year t zontli ( Head) o r i huitl ( Feather) a long w ith s uch f actors o f t he H ead a s t he 2 0-year p antli ( Flag); i n t he t un c alendar t hese h ave o bvious a nalogies w ith t he 4 00-tun b aktun a nd t he 2 0-tun k atun . T he s econd d erives f rom t he c ycles f ormally p roduced b y t he s hamanist a nd r itual m echanisms u sed t o n ame t ime, s aliently t he t onalamatl o f 9 F igures , 1 3 N umbers a nd 2 0 S igns , t he s ource o f t he 5 2-year R ound ( 13 N umbers x 4 S igns); a gain a n a nalogy m ay b e f ound i n t he t un c alendar o f t he K atun C ount ( 13 N umbers w ith t he k atun-ending S ign X X o r A hau) . T he t hird, l ess e xplored, d erives f rom t he s heer measurement o f t ime c ycles p erceived i n e arth a nd s ky, i ndependently o f t ribute o r r itual a rithmetic , a nd i t i ncludes t he 2 9-Round l eap-day c ycle n oted a bove , t he M etonic " Rain" ( Sign X IX ) o f 1 9 y ears, a nd t he 1 1-year Monkey ( Sign X I), a lso l unar-solar , which e quals i n y ears what t he e pact i s i n d ays. I mportant i n p rinciple ( Brotherston 1 982a) , t his t hird k ind o f m ultiple d oes n ot m aterially i mpinge o n t he a rgument a t t his s tage , w hich r eturns u s t o t he f irst t wo ( Fig. 5 ). While t he e xistence a nd u se o f t he t wo m ain k inds o f y ear multiple , t ypified b y t he H ead a nd t he R ound , s tand q uite b eyond d oubt, what i s l ess c lear i s h ow m any a nd v arious s uch multiples a re a nd , a bove a ll , h ow t hey a re r epresented i n i conographic s cript ( Fig. 5 a , b ) . 1 1 T his u nsureness h as m uch h ampered t he d ecoding o f y ear-calendar t exts . I t may b e a scribed i n p art t o t he n ature o f i conographic s cript , w hich u nlike h ieroglyphic m akes n o n ecessary s eparation b etween a rithmetic, s cript a nd p icture . Y et more

1 85

F ig.

5

S ources

a nd m arkers

f or y ear m ultiples

a T ribute a rithmetic

2 0

4

8 0

F lag

S tone

4 00

J ade

F eather,

H ead

b T he 5 2-year R ound

) 1 S tar-eye

L ips,

m outh

B reath-scroll,

T ie

f lame

d T he s evenfold p attern o f t he

c T he N ine F igures o r E nnead

E nnead a s year g uardians b egin1

F ire o r Year L ord

n ing w ith t he 1 st a nd 1 F lint; B orbonicus p p.21-2

2

O bsidian

3

E mbryo S un

4

M aize God

1

7

5

2

9

6

3

5

H ell L ord

1

7

5

2

8

6

3

6

J ade S kirt

1

7

4

2

8

6

3

7

C loth Goddess

9

7

4

2

8

5

3

8

H ill H eart

9

7

4

1

8

5

3

9

R ain

9 9

6 6

4 4

1 1

8 8

5 5

3 2

9

6

4

e T he t hirteen Q uecholli o r F liers 1

Hummingbird

2

"

( blue)

8

E agle

9

T urkey

( st riped)

H awk

1 0

E ared O wl

4

Q uail

1 1

M acaw

5

E agle

1 2

Q uetzal

6

O wl

1 3

P arrot

7

B utterfly

3

1 86

F ig.

a

J ade,

6

E xamples

3 F lint t o 5 F lint,

1 144-1224

A D;

o f

y ear m ultiples

b

J ade-Round

B oturini p .13

( 80 x 5 2 years),

3 113 BC t o 1 047 A D;

Z ouche

r everse p .35

n a L co ( 6 v / T z

c T en F eathers l ess t wo s tnnes ( 10 x 4 00 l ess 2 x 4 years), 3 113

BC t o

1 R eed 8 79 A D;

I huitlan M ap

C ross E agle,

1 3 R eed

( to 2 R eed),

1 219-1259

t o 1 R eed ( -1299);

C uauhtinchan H istory

e T hree d ouble R ound s crolls, R ios

h T hree c a.

1 195-1507;

s tar-eye Rounds,

1 220;

g Seven C aves;

f L ip R ound;

L aud p .21

C uauhtinchan H istory

1 063-

i S ix s tar-eye R ounds e quated w ith

V ienna r everse p .9

6 6 i n b ars and d ots;

4 5 1 87

S elden p .1

2 1

e

t elling h as b een t he l ack o f t he E ra f ramework, w ith i ts s econdary b ases , w ithin w hich t he w hole y ear c alendar o perates . A lso t here h as b een a r eluctance t o a dmit m uch n ative s ophistication o utside h ieroglyphic i n t he h andling o f n umbers, when i n f act t hey a re r epeatedly d istinguished, i n s hamanist f ashion, a s o dd o r e ven , p rime o r d ivisible , s quared o r t o t he p ower , a s r atios o r " sigma" t otals ( e .g . s igma 5 = 1 +2+3+4+5 o r 1 5), a nd a s c iphers b y w hich t o s hift b etween d imensions o f t ime ( days , y ears , R ou e) o r a ccording t o n umber-base ( decimal a s w ell a s v igesimal); 14 a nd a ll t his w ithin a nd b eyond t he E ra w hich i tself i s t he l owest c ommon m ultiple o f t he H ead a nd t he R ound ( 52x100 = 1 3x400 = 5 200). O ften u sed a fter C ortgs t o r egister l ots o f 4 00 y ears i n t he C hristian c alendar, i n t he n ative t radition t he H ead o r F eather a ppears p referentially i n t he Maps o f t he C hichimec o r C 11 c onvention, l ike t hose o f Q uinatzin, X olotl, M etlatoyuca a nd N epopualco ( Plate 5 ), where t wo t ogether ( 800 y ears) g enerally p oint b ack t o t he s eventh c entury a nd t he R ound 7 2 b ase ; i t i s a lso u sed i n t he T lateloco A nnals ( Figs . 5 a, 7 ). I n t he T oltec o r C l c onvention i t i s i mplicit i n t he 4 800-year o r 1 2-Head s pan o f t he T epexic A nnals , w hile i n e stablishing t he T oltec b eginnings o f t he E ra , R ios u ses t he H ead t o g ive n ot j ust i ts f ull l ength , 1 3 H eads o r 5 200 y ears, b ut t hat o f p revious a ges a s well. T his l ast e xample i s f urther n otable f or b ringing o ut b oth t he i mportance o f r atio i n t hese l arger c alculations and t he f lexibility o f i conographic s cript i tself, s ince i n R ios t he f irst i nstalments o f t hese 4 00-year p eriods a re s hown a s a ctual f eathered w ater d rops, f orming a nd f alling f rom t he " suckling t ree" i nto t he m ouths o f m en s till i nnocent o f a griculture - t he t heme o f t he c hapter a s a w hole . T he o verall t otal t hus g ained i s n otionally j ust u nder 2 6000 y ears , i n t he f ollowing s equence: 4 00(