the preceding pages (_cf._ tulum, tulul, tuliz, tulacal), which
conveys the idea of something enclosed, entire, whole and universal
and will be reverted to. Cholol-lan seems to be connected with the
verb cholol-tia=to escape (like game from a snare or net) to fly, or
to spring away. According to this, Cholol-lan would mean "the place
of escape or flight" and it will be seen that this designation will
be found to agree with the native tradition concerning the purpose
of the pyramid, which will be cited presently. It is not impossible,
however, that Cholol-lan may be bilingual and also be a corrupt
rendering of the Maya _ho_ or _hool_=head, also capital. This
supposition receives a certain support from Padre Rios' statement
that "the inhabitants of Cholula, in their sacred festivals,
performed a solemn dance around the pyramid chanting a song which
began with the words Tulanian Hulaez." These, he states, "belonged
to none of the languages now spoken in Mexico" (Orozco y Berra _op.
cit._ p. 363). The name Tlachiuhaltepetl is translated by Orozcoy
Berra by "mountain made by hand," _i. e._ artificial mountain or
pyramid; from tlachiuhaliztli, the act of accomplishing some work
forming or creating something. As the origin of primitive symbolism
is a question of such deep interest I shall mention here some
curious data in connection with the pyramid. The word Tlachiuhale
was a title or name applied to the "Creator or Former of living
creatures." In order to express the sound of this word in the
picture-writings, it is obvious that a pyramid could have been
employed, since it graphically and phonetically conveyed the desired
sound tlachiual-tepetl. At the same time a complementary sign would
be necessary so as to obtain a symbol which would specially apply to
the Creator alone. The word tlachia=to look, see, watch, naturally
suggests itself, as a complement to the sound tlach; and to express,
in a cursive way, the action of seeing, an eye sufficed. We thus see
that an artificial mountain or pyramid and an eye formed a
hieroglyph which expressed the sound "Tlachiuale" and signified the
"Creator." As the eye by itself was the sign for star, and the idea
of a central star, as frequently depicted in the nahui-ollin sign,
was an emble