Aztec mythology; Indian mythology -- Mexico; Mexico -- Religion
But the most important pictures in Codex Borgia relating to Tlaloc are
those on sheet 27, which illustrate the cycle of fifty-two years, and
show in the four corner compartments the four days which form the
initial days of the four quarters of the cycle. They do not, however,
commence with ce acatl, “one reed,” ce tecpatl, “one flint,” ce calli,
“one house,” ce tochtli, “one rabbit,” as might be expected, [252] but
with ce cipactli, “one earth-beast,” ce miquiztli, “one death,” ce
ozomatli, “one monkey,” and ce cozcaquauhtli, “one vulture,” for the
reason that the tonalamatl signs here shown are hieroglyphic of the
four quarters of the heavens, rather than allusive to the dates of the
grand cycle of fifty-two years. The middle or fifth region, which is
without a hieroglyph, is ascribed to the central figure. The lower to
the right represents the east. To it belongs the first division of the
calendar, as well as the first day of the great cycle. Tlaloc in this
picture is painted a dark colour, and wears the cipactli head of the
first calendar division as a helmet-mask. The sky above him is
figuratively drawn to represent a cloudy firmament holding rain about
to fall, and he stands upon the cipactli, or earth-beast, which
symbolizes the fruitful earth, from whose body springs the maize-plant,
represented as a tiny head or mask, on each side of which sprout
leaves. The god empties his jar upon the soil, and its contents are
seen to be a renewed supply of maize-ears, indicating the bounteous
nature of the eastern Tlaloc.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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