central
divinity, corresponds exactly to that held by the Zunis of to-day and set
forth in the following account given by Mr. Frank H. Cushing and quoted in
Dr. Brinton's "Native Calendar of Central America and Mexico" (p. 8). In
quoting it I draw special attention to the numerical divisions given, as
this is absolutely essential for the understanding of the statements I
shall make, further on, concerning the origin of the native
Calendar-systems.

[Illustration.]

Figure 31.

"In the ceremonies of the Zunis the complete terrestrial sphere is
symbolized by pointing or blowing the smoke to the four cardinal points,
to the zenith and nadir, the individual himself making the seventh number.
When the celestial is also symbolized, only the six directions are added
to this seven, because the individual remains the same, so that the number
typifying the universe, terrestrial and celestial, becomes 13. When, on
the other hand, in their ceremonies, the rite requires the officiant to
typify the supra- and intra-terrestrial spheres, that is, the upper and
lower worlds [the Above and the Below], the same number 13 results, as it
is held that in each the sun stands for the individual, being in turn the
day sun and night sun, the light and dark sun, but ever the same and
therefore counts but once."

After having gained this knowledge of native speculative philosophy, let
us penetrate still further into their modes of thinking by studying, first
of all, a series of symbols of the earth-mother taken from one of the most
valuable of Mexican MSS., the Vienna Codex (fig. 31). In these the idea of
the vase, bowl or receptacle and of the serpent predominates. It is
instructive of native thought to find the vase represented as containing a
child (no. 1), an agave plant (no. 7), a fire, denoting warmth (no. 3), a
flower (no. 12), and a bunch of hair, the numerical symbol for
multiplicity=the number 400 (no. 5). In no. 2, the hollow between two
recurved peaks conveys the idea of a central vase; a band with eyes rests
upon the peaks and denotes the heaven. No. 4 shows a double vase, enclosed
in a similar representation of the nocturnal heaven--the idea to be
conveyed being evidently that of a receptacle hidden in darkness. No. 9
displays an open jaw, two claws, a human heart and a stream of blood
issuing from it. Nos. 10 and 11 present different shapes of the serpent's
jaw, the