ur years, in the
first month of the year. Hence if the five days of a column (as of the
Manuscript Troano) are all taken from one side of the quadrilateral of
our scheme they will refer to years of one dominical sign only; if
alternately from opposite sides, then to the years of two dominical
signs, but if taken alternately from the four sides they would refer to
the four classes of years. This will reduce the number of dates in the
Manuscript Troano very considerably from the other supposition, but will
not in any way change the position of the Ahaues in the Grand Cycle.

As one further item of evidence in regard to this method of arranging
the twenty days of the month in four groups or columns, I call attention
to what is found on Plate 32 of the Dresden Codex. Here we find the four
columns of five days each, corresponding precisely with the arrangement
of the Maya days into four groups, as heretofore. I present here the
arrangement as found on this plate:

TABLE X.

_a._ _b._ _c._ _d._
Manik. Cib. Chicchan. Ix.
Chuen. Ahau. Muluc. Ezanab.
Men. Kan. Been. Ik.
Cauac. Lamat. Caban. Cimi.
Akbal. Eb. Ymix. Oc.

It will be seen by comparing this grouping with that in Table IV that
column _a_ of this plate contains the same days as column 3 of the
table; column _b_ the same as column 4; column _c_ the same as column 1,
and column _d_ the same as column 2.

But so far have found no entirely satisfactory explanation of the order
given in many of these columns and in three of the sides of the
quadrilateral of the Cortesian plate.

As this discussion is preliminary to a discussion of the assignment of
the symbols of the cardinal points, it becomes necessary, in order to
bring in all the evidence bearing upon the question, to examine certain
points of the Mexican calendar system, as given by various authors and
as exhibited in the Mexican Codices.

If we refer now to Plate 43 of the Borgian Codex, as found in
Kingsborough's "Mexican Antiquities," Vol. III, a photo-engraved copy of
which is presented in our Fig. 4, we shall, as I believe, not only find
additional confirmation of the views I have advanced in reference to the
peculiar arrangement of the days around the quadrilateral in the plate
of the Cortesian Codex, but also strong evidence of a common origin of
the Mexican and Central American calenda