As the remains of the Mound-Builders show clearly that they had
commercial intercourse with the Mexican and Central American countries,
and as it seems probable that they had otherwise a very close relation
to the people of those countries, it would be surprising to find no
mention of their country in the old books and traditions of the Central
Americans and Mexicans. If we could have the lost books, especially
those of the more ancient time, and learn to read them, it might be
possible to know something of the origin and history of the
Mound-Builders. It is believed that distinct reference to their country
has been found in the books still in existence, and there appears to be
reason for this belief. Brasseur de Bourbourg, one of the few
investigators who have explored them, says:
"Previous to the history of the Toltec domination in Mexico, we notice
in the annals of the country two facts of great importance, but equally
obscure in their details: first, the tradition concerning the landing of
a foreign race, conducted by an illustrious personage, who came from an
eastern country; and, second, the existence of an ancient empire known
as Huehue-Tlapalan, from which the Toltecs or Nahuas came to Mexico, in
consequence of a revolution or invasion, and from which they had a long
and toilsome migration to the Aztec plateau."
He believes that Huehue-Tlapalan was the country of the Mound-Builders
in the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. According to the native books he
has examined, it was somewhere at a distance in the northeast; and it is
constantly said that some of the Toltecs came by land and some by sea.
Sahagun learned from the old books and traditions, and stated in the
introduction to the first book of his history, that the Toltecs came
from that distant northeastern country; and he mentions a company that
came by sea, settled near the Tampico River, and built a town called
Panuco. Brasseur de Bourbourg finds that an account of this or another
company was preserved at Xilanco, an ancient city situated on the point
of an island between Lake Terminos and the sea, and famous for its
commerce, wealth, and intelligence. The company described in this
account came from the northeast in the same way, it is said, to the
Tampico River, and landed at Panuco. It consisted of twenty chiefs and a
numerous company of people. Torquemada found a record which describes
them as people of fine appearance. They went forward into the country
and were well received. He says they were industrious, orderly, and
intelligent, and that they worked metals, and were skillful artists and
lapidaries. All the accounts say the Toltecs came at different times, by
land and sea, mostly in small companies, and always from the northeast.
This can be explained only by supposing they came by sea from the mouth
of the Mississippi River or from the Gulf coast near it, and by land
through Texas. But the country from which they came was invariably
Huehue-Tlapalan.
Cabrera says Huehue-Tlapalan was the ancient country of the Toltecs. Its
simple name was Tlapalan, but they called it Huehue, old, to distinguish
it from three other Tlapalans which they founded in the districts of
their new kingdom. Torquemada says the same. We are not authorized to
reject a fact so distinctly stated and so constantly reported in the old
books. The most we can do against it with any show of reason is to
receive it with doubt. Therefore it seems not improbable that the "Old
Tlapalan" of Central American tradition was the country of our
Mound-Builders.
Another circumstance mentioned is not without significance. It is said,
in connection with this account of the Toltec migration, that
Huehue-Tlapalan was successfully invaded by Chichimecs, meaning
barbarous aboriginal tribes, who were united under one great leader.
Here is one statement (a little condensed) touching this point: "There
was a terrible struggle, but, after about thirteen years, the Toltecs,
no longer able to resist successfully, were obliged to abandon their
country to escape complete subjugation. Two chiefs guided the march of
the emigrating nation. At length they reached a region near the sea
named 'Tlapalan-Conco,' where they remained several years. But they
finally undertook another migration and reached Mexico, where they built
a town called 'Tollanzinco,' and later the city of Tullan, which became
the seat of their government."
This is substantially what is told of the defeat and migrations of the
Toltecs. The history of Ixtlilxochitl adds doubtful modifications and
particulars not found in the "Codex Chimalpopoca." (See Quatre Lettres,
etc.) This Chichimec invasion of Huehue-Tlapalan is placed at a period
which, in the chronology of the native books, was long previous to the
Christian era, and is mentioned to explain the beginning of the Toltec
movement toward Mexico; but the account of it is obscure.
To find a system of chronology in these old books is not surprising when
we consider that even the Aztecs of Montezuma's time knew enough of
astronomy to have a correct measure of the year. The Aztecs adopted the
methods of astronomy and chronology which were used by their
predecessors. They divided the year into eighteen months of twenty days
each; but, as this gave the year only three hundred and sixty days, five
supplementary days were added to each year, and a sixth day to every
fourth year. The bissextile is known to have been used by the Mayas,
Tzendals, and Quiches, and it was probably common.
We can not reasonably refuse to give some attention to their chronology,
even while doubting its value as a means of fixing dates and measuring
historical periods. Its method was to count by equal periods of years,
as we count by centuries, and their chronology presents a series of
periods which carries back their history to a very remote time in the
past. Brasseur de Bourbourg says: "In the histories written in the
Nahuatl language, the oldest certain date is nine hundred and fifty-five
years before Christ." This, he means, is the oldest date in the history
of the Nahuas or Toltecs which has been accurately determined. The
calculation by which it is found is quoted from the later portion of the
"Codex Chimalpopoca" as follows: "Six times 400 years plus 113 years"
previous to the year 1558 A.D. This is given as the date of a division
of the land by the Nahuas. The division was made 2513 years previous to
1558 A.D., or in 955 B.C. If this date could be accepted as authentic,
it would follow that the Nahuas or Toltecs left Huehue-Tlapalan more
than a thousand years previous to the Christian era, for they dwelt a
long time in the country of Xibalba as peaceable settlers before they
organized the civil war which raised them to power.