Aztec Eternals

The setting sun is soaked in the vast world, and also soaked in the tequila in the ceramic cup, leaving the last brilliant color, just like the lost civilization.

Xiulot took a sip of the salt, and drank another glass of pure silver-white fermented wine. The slight bitterness made the tip of his tongue tingle, and a warm current rose from his stomach. The young man smiled, savored silently, and recalled it for a long time.

Ticaro added some tomatoes to the drink, added her own red mandala, then tasted the chili and gulped it down. The Mayan nobles were the oldest users of hallucinogenic plants. Soon, he turned his slender head, his eyes were slightly scattered, and he could not help but chant in a low voice.

"The life of a descendant of a god is like a base wine. He has endured so many tests from the gods, and tasted bitterness, bitterness, saltiness, and spicyness before he gets the taste of it. Then he drank all the wine, and went to the kingdom of God like a dream."

Hearing this, Xiulot laughed. When he was drunk, he asked the question that had been hidden for a long time.

"Tikalo, you Mayan nobles claim to be descendants of the gods, did you really inherit the knowledge of the gods?"

Ticaro looked proud. He opened his mouth without hesitation.

"Of course! Our corn gods are the most intelligent in the world."

Speaking of this, the Mayan businessman suddenly trembled in his heart. Only then did I realize that the person drinking in front of me was not the Mayan compatriots of the business group, but the ruler of Mexica who claimed to be a descendant of God. He hurriedly drank to shut up, and then changed his words calmly.

"We, the corn people, are the friendliest people in the world, and we are the eternal friends of the Mexica. We are good at mathematics and astronomy, we can revise the calendar of the moon, sun and Venus, and we can also help the Mexica build magnificent wonders."

Xiuluo nodded approvingly, and his thoughts flowed. The Mayan nobles, proud of the glory of their great ancestors, seemed extremely difficult to assimilate. He looked at Ti Carlo calmly, and patted him on the shoulder affectionately.

"In detail! I have heard about Mayan mathematics and calendars for a long time."

After thinking for a moment, Ticaro went straight to the treasure chest he brought today, and took out a shell, a handful of rubies, and three gold bars.

"Please look, Your Highness." He put the shell on the table first, and pointed with his finger, "This is 0, which means it does not exist, and it is also before the beginning of the era."

Shulot was slightly surprised. The Maya's understanding of "0" seems to be much earlier than the Europeans.

"In our Mayan mathematics, every 20 numbers is a bit. The minimum is 0, and the highest is 19."

As he spoke, Ticaro took out three gold bars and placed them vertically in front, then took out four rubies and arranged them neatly behind. Put out a "|||..."

"This is 19. At each digit, a '|' represents five, and a '.' represents one. Every five'.' is a '|'. Adding 1 to 19 gives the next Add a '.' to the bit, that is, carry 1."

Xiulot thought for a moment, this is the base 20 of 0-19. And 0-20 follows the carry method of Chinese abacus, so there must be a law of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division similar to that of abacus.

He thought for a while and asked.

"So the addition and subtraction of each digit is to deal with the '|' and '.' of each digit separately. The former accumulates 4 digits, and the latter accumulates 5 digits. Then you have a processing method for multiplying and dividing each digit Or a formula?"

Ticaro was a little surprised. He opened his eyes and looked at Shulot. Are the Mexica people so good at mathematics? Immediately, he nodded proudly.

"Within 20, we have 190 formulas for 19*19, and there are hundreds of formulas for divisions of 1-19. God-born nobles need to learn to memorize from an early age, and then directly recite the calculations within 800. In order to learn mathematics , I have been counting all day since I was six years old!"

Hearing this, Xiu Luote was sweating profusely, silently sympathizing with the Mayan schoolchildren for a few seconds.

The decimal 9*9 is only 45 multiplication sentences, and the abacus nine-return division method of 1-9 is only 61 sentences. With the difficulty of learning Mayan mathematics, it is no wonder that inheritance is extremely difficult. In the long Mayan civil war, it is unknown how much knowledge has been dated since then.

Next, Ticaro pulled out a ruby ​​and a shell. Form a ".,0".

"This is 20. There are two digits, the first digit is 1 and the second digit is 0. This is the number of days in the month."

Immediately, he took out two gold bars and two precious stones, pushed aside the shells, and arranged them like "..., ||...".

"This is 52. The same two digits, 40 in the front and 12 in the back. '|' will be the beginning of each digit. This is a small reincarnation of 52 years."

Then, the Mayan businessman took out four gems and laid them out one by one as "...."

He looked at the boy with a little complacency.

"Your Highness, what do you think this number is?"

"8421."

Xiulot counted the seconds and came to the result quickly.

Ticaro spared his head. He was surprised for a moment and decided to increase the difficulty. The Mayans never compromised in mathematics! He took out six more gems and divided them into two groups. Each group is ".,.,."

"Then, Your Highness, what do you think the multiplication of these two groups is?"

Xiulot was slightly taken aback, 421*421? He took out the obsidian knife and carved on the ground for a while before giving the answer.

"177241."

Hearing the correct answer, Ticaro was shocked. If you are prepared, you will not be able to use it! It took him a while before he answered.

"Okay, Your Highness calculated correctly. But the speed is too slow."

As he said, he multiplied the "1, 1, 1" gemstones on each of them, from the end to the beginning. The last accumulation is "1", the next accumulation is "2", and the next three are "3, 2, 1". In just a few seconds, you get "12321" in base 20, which is also "177241" in base 10.

Looking at the quick calculations of the Mayan merchant, Xiulot sighed in his heart, such a simple and efficient number system!

Maya's 20-base mathematics, the more it reaches the field of large numbers and astronomy, the more it can reflect the superiority of records and calculations. This kind of mathematical system should not appear in the ancient civilizations of the Stone Age, but is more suitable for the cosmic civilizations that travel through the starry sky.

"The great decline has taken away too many mysteries of the gods! I have no chance to accept the complete mysteries of the gods. It is said that in the golden age when the gods come and go, that is the peak of the glory of the corn people!

The three thousand pyramids in Tikal, the capital of the kingdom, observe every star in the sky. Thousands of priests calculated the trajectory of each star and mapped the star map for thousands of years. They judge the footsteps of the gods and wait for the return of the gods! "

Ticaro recited the poems of his ancestors sentimentally, describing the imaginary magnificent royal capital, and then decisively changed the subject.

"Your Highness, in fact, the Mexica calendar comes from our Mayan inheritance."

The round face of the Mayan trader smiled with genuine pride. Shulot listened quietly.

At this time, a guard came to report back. The boy nodded, and the guard left. After a while, "Monkey" Kuluka smiled respectfully. He came quickly and knelt down to salute from a long distance away.

"My lord, I have fulfilled all your orders!"

Shulot nodded majestically, and pointed to the seat beside him.

Kuluka was overwhelmed by the flattery, and it was another big gift, before carefully sitting beside the king, staggering half of his body.

"Monkey, there has been no war recently. I was planning to call you after the New Year."

Shulot smiled slightly.

"But you are proficient in calculations, you come from a commoner, and you understand practical matters. Now I have an important task for you. In the next few months, you will accompany the Mayan merchant Tikalo to handle the caravan's affairs. I need to As many Tarasco mines as possible!"

Kuluka nodded seriously. He looked at the long-headed Maya on the opposite side, and the Maya also looked at him with the sharp-mouthed monkey cheeks. Their eyes met and they smiled politely.

Then, Shulot signaled the Mayan merchant to continue.

The noble merchant Ticaro glanced at Kuluka lightly. The other party neither conforms to the Mayan aesthetics, but also is just an uneducated commoner. He spoke with pride.

"There are two kinds of Mayan calendars, the divine calendar and the solar calendar. Plus the long-term calendar that symbolizes the era."

"The Zoerjin divine calendar has 260 days, which is in line with the cycle of Venus and the rainy season, and is used to guide the planting of corn. The divine calendar has 13 months, with 20 days in each month, symbolizing different gods.

They are: 1 Alligator Day, 2 Wind Day, 3 Dark Day, Land of the Dead, 4 Corn Day, Corn God, 5 Snake Day, 6 Dead Day, 7 Deer Day, God of the Hunt, 8 Rabbit Day, Venus, 9 Water Day , Emerald, 10 dog days, death, guarding the sun. "

Having said that, Ticaro glanced at the young man quietly, and then chanted loudly.

"11 Monkey Day, God of Art and Knowledge, 12 Herb Day, Precipitation and Salvation, 13 Reed Day, Corn Growth, 14 Jaguar Day, Night Sun, 15 Eagle Day, Sage, 16 Owl Day, Bird of Death, 17 Earthquake Day, 18 Sword Day, Sacrificial Blade, 19 Storm Day, Rain, 20 Sun Day, Sun God.”

Shulot nodded knowingly. The Aztec calendar is derived from the Mayan calendar, with only changes in symbols, such as replacing the owl with a more common vulture on the plateau, and adding more meanings of war to the 20th.

"The first day of the divine calendar is the crocodile day in January, and the last day is the sun day in December. Each month is governed by different gods. Being born on the 'rainy day in July' is an auspicious day and is most loved by the gods. Sacrificial offerings, and those born on the 'February Rabbit Day' are unlucky days and should not be kept in the world."

Hearing this, Shulot shook his head slightly. The result of being born on an auspicious day is the same as being born on an unlucky day, which is a dead end. Fortunately, I am neither lucky nor unlucky.

"The Haab solar calendar has 365 days, 18 months, and 20 days in each month. There are five unlucky days at the end of the year. But there are differences between the solar calendar and the steps of the sun god, and the seasons overlap every 1101600 days. Therefore, the real The number of days is slightly more than 365, it should be um. That"

"365.242 days." Xiulot added with a smile.

"Yes, Your Highness is wise!" Ticaro finally showed his admiration. He is really a great "spiritual enlightener" who can compare with the corn man in mathematics!

"The divine calendar and the solar calendar coincide once every 52 years. The first circle of records is 1-13, and the second circle is rabbits, reeds, flints and houses. This year is the year of the three rabbits. No, the evil day has passed. It should be It is the year of 4 reeds."

Xiuluo nodded. The 52 reincarnation calendar is similar to the Chinese stem and branch calendar. The first circle 1-13 is heavenly stems, and the second circle 4 symbols are earthly branches. 1483 is the year of the 4 reeds. When the 13 house years in 1505, the 52-year reincarnation ended, it was the time for large-scale sacrifices, which also meant the start of a mighty war dedicated to the gods.

The last 52 years ended in 1453, which also happened to be the fall of Constantinople and the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire in two thousand years. 1454 was the beginning of a new cycle, and the great Montezuma I officially ended the 13 years of farming and peace of the Union. Under the call of the calendar and the gods, the warriors of Mexica mobilized fanatically, taking war and death as their daily life, and a whole generation passed in battle.

The long war of conquest lasted from 1454 to 1469. It wasn't until the Vastec, Mixtec, and Zapotec people surrendered one after another, and the conqueror Montezuma I died during the southern expedition, that the Mexica warriors put away their weapons and turned their attention to Tarasco in the west. .

Shulot's eyes were deep. The calendar has such a profound impact on the beliefs, life and wars of Mesoamerican civilization. An important part of the Reformation was to redefine the symbolic meaning of the calendar.

"In addition to the divine and solar calendars, the sacred corn people also used the long-term calendar bestowed by the gods!"

Tikal showed deep nostalgia, but also distant longing.

"The world was created in the origin year of '0, 0, 0, 0, 0'. The last digit is the day number in decimal system, the penultimate digit is the month in decimal system, and the others are all years in decimal system. A The Long Era has 144,000 days. And when the world completes 13 Long Era, it will usher in the end of the entire era. Death will bring about the new era of the next era, and everything will change! Maybe the gods will return and rebuild God Dutical!"

Hearing this, Shulot shook his head slightly. We can't wait until 2012. With the introduction of European diseases, the end of America will come soon. All people will die, but the new life will not know where.

He secretly calculated and carved complicated formulas on the ground. Thirteen 144,000 days is 5,126 solar years. The end of the Maya was December 23, 2012. So, the Mayan world began on August 11, 3114 BC?

"What date was that? The first flames of civilization? The first arrival of alien spaceships?"

With hundreds of years of curiosity, the boy sighed and imagined the truth buried in history.

The three continued to drink. Xiulot maintained his restraint, with a smile on his face, and his thoughts were ethereal.

Kuluka and the Mayan businessman laughed and talked, frequently persuading them to drink. The two soon became brothers.

Tikalo revels in its old Mayan glory. He didn't refuse, and his face flushed after a while. Then, he chanted the sacrificial poems passed down loudly, praising the golden age of Mayan prosperity and praising the capital of the gods that gathered millions of people. Then, he prostrated himself on the ground again, weeping and sighing for the lost glory, mourning the tragic fate of the Holy Family, and swore allegiance to His Highness, to regain the glory of the ancestors!

Time passed away quietly like this, and before you knew it, it was late at night.

Shulot nodded in satisfaction. Talking a lot after drinking, the Mayan businessman seems to have almost explained it. The world of Maya was also taking shape in his mind.

So, the boy smiled and looked at Kuluka. He has other important arrangements for tomorrow.

Kuluka lowered his head. He bowed deeply to Shulot, then supported the drunk Tikalo, and staggered away.

"Brother Kuluka! From now on, we will be friends of life and death!"

Mayan merchants don't know whether they are really drunk or fake drunk. Not long after he walked out of the mansion, he held Kuluka's arm and said in a low voice with a smile.

"Gold and silver, spices and gems, fancy clothes and feather crowns, wine and beauties! Brother, I can give you whatever you want. As long as you stand with me and help each other. From now on, we brothers will be of one heart, and we will share happiness and hardships together. Together, we will serve His Highness together!"

Kuluka didn't answer. He let go of his hand and looked at Ti Carlo with a half-smile. The businessman also stood still and looked at him with a sincere smile.

After a while, Kuluka grinned like a happy ape.

"You are right. Let us cooperate and serve His Highness together!"

Then, he beckoned to the guards, asking for a tightly tied black cloth bag. Then he stuffed the cloth bag into Tikalo's hand.

"This is my meeting gift to you. I wish you sincerely and complete every task of Your Highness!"

After finishing speaking, Kuluka nodded to the businessman, turned and left.

Ticaro stood where he was, his smile slowly disappearing. He lowered his slender head and thought for a moment. Then he cut the cable tie with a bronze dagger, and a fresh bloody smell gushed out from the opening of the bag.

Under the bright moonlight, the Mayan merchant looked at the clay pots in the bag, and the vague shapes in the pots. He recognized the face for a while, then tied the bag again, and continued to raise his head, looking at the deep moonlight.

"Free sea turtles, after all, have to keep company with ferocious crocodiles."

Ticaro sighed.

"I hope that the soaring eagle can reign over the sky of Yucatan, and let the old turtle return to its hometown!"

After that, he shook his wise head and walked steadily towards Beicheng Market. Under his feet was an unpredictable starlight.