WRITINGS
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text the cycle to which a particular year belongs. In the numeration of objects, as in the tribute-lists, higher numbers are expressed by special symbols. The Mexican numeral system was vigesimal, and hence the first special sign was that for 20, a religious banner. ,
Fig. 12.—Detail from the historical portion of the Telleriano-Remensis MS.
To the left, the date 7. tochtli, accompanied by glyphs expressing the death of Tizoc and the accession of Auitzotl. To the right, the date 8. acatl, with glyphs showing the dedication of the great temple to Uitzilopochtli, and the sacrifice of 20,000 prisoners.
or 400, was expressed by a tree; and by an incense-pouch (see Fig. 12). In certain portions of some manuscripts we find the lower numbers simplified by the employment of a bar to mean five. These MSS. present other features which are not typically Aztec in character, and it may at once be said that the use of the bar to express five was universal in the Maya
