xican method. Let us
refer now to the list of Mexican days. The first day of the first month
was Cipac. For the same reason as above set forth, this would be the
first day of every month of the year. The five extra days either were
not named at all, or at any rate they were not counted off in the table
of days. The consequence was that Cipac was the first day of every
month; for we have just seen that it was the first day of every month of
the first year. At the end of the eighteen months the five nameless
days would come in; but, as they did not form part of a month, were not
named. The first day of the first month of the next year would be named
as if they had not occurred.<72> But, when they came to name the years,
we find they proceeded on exactly the same principle as the Mayas. Thus
four of the twenty days, occurring just five days apart, were taken to
name the years. These days were Tecpatl, Calli, Tochtli, and Acatl.<73>

Mr. Bandelier, who made the valuable suggestion in regard to the origin
of the names of the days, has also suggested that, inasmuch as there are
four of the days more prominent than the others, they may signify
four original gentes, from which the others have come. It seem to us,
however, when we notice they are just five days apart, that the system
pursued by the Mayas in naming their years explains the whole matter.

Before we mention the longer periods of time in use among them we must
refer to another mode of reckoning time, and trace the influence of this
second method on the one already named. The method already explained
seems to have been a perfectly natural one--the second method is founded
on superstition. A large part of the duties of the priests, we remember,
was to determine lucky and unlucky days, and in soothsaying. For this
purpose they made a peculiar division of time, which we will now try and
explain.

For some cause or other, thirteen was a number continually recurring
in their calendar. We can perceive no reason why it should have been
chosen. It has been suggested that it was just about the time from the
appearance of a new moon to its full. Be that as it may, the number of
days thirteen comes very near to what we would call a week. Among the
Mexicans, and probably among the Mayas, these thirteen days were divided
into lucky, unlucky, and indifferent days, and were supposed to be under
the guidance of different gods. The priests had regularly painted lists
of them, with