The remaining five days of the year, called Nemontemi, were regarded as extremely unfortunate. No work was done, and the people went out as little as possible, for an evil omen encountered during this period was regarded as doubly unlucky. In particular every attempt was made to avoid quarrelling and dispute, and the time was one of general inaction. The feasts of the solar calendar have been detailed at some length in order to give an idea of the nature of Mexican religious practice, and to show to what an extent religious observances entered into the life of the people. Those who desire fuller particulars will find them in Sahagun’s great work. Space forbids a description of the various ceremonies relating to certain individual days of the ritual calendar or tonalamatl, but that performed on the day 4. olin, sacred to Tonatiuh, deserves short mention. A prisoner, in merchant’s dress, was taken to the shrine called Quauhcalli and set upon a large stone carved with the image of the sun. Standing thus he declaimed a message to the god, with which he had been entrusted, and was forthwith stripped of his ornaments and sacrificed upon the stone itself. Seler conjectures that the famous so-called “calendar-stone” in the Mexican museum is the stone to which reference is made in this account. This magnificent specimen of the Mexican stone-mason’s art is figured on Pl. VIII, 1, and a schematic drawing is seen in Fig. 8. The outer band of decoration is formed by two fire-snakes, each with a human face in its mouth. At the top, in a square cartouche, is the glyph 13. acatl, the date of birth of the historical sun (see p. 51). The day-signs in order form an inner ornamental band, and in the centre is a large olin glyph, accompanied by the number 4, and with a sun-face in the middle. Within the arms of the olin are sculptured the calendrical names of the four previous suns, and in the interspaces are the glyphs 1. tecpatl, the sign used for the name of Montecuzoma, 1. quiauitl, and 7. ozomatli, the significance of which has not yet been satisfactorily explained. Outside the day-signs are seen the pointed emblems which typify the rays of the sun, which enter also into the glyph by which the Mexicans expressed the meaning “year” (Fig. 86, _l_; p. 356).