MS Hunter 242, insert fol.177-178: calendar wheel, 16th century (pen & ink on paper)

This calendar wheel was designed by an Indian governor of Tlaxcala, Antonio de Guevara. It shows, 18 months of the Mexican year and the five days without feasts of the 365 day year; the sign for each feast, an explanation of the sign and the name and the correlation with the months of the Christian calendar. A note explains how each month is divided into a 20-day period named after the moon, meztli, which is depicted in the centre of the wheel. Illustration from the codex History of Tlaxcala ('Historia de Tlaxcala' or Lienzo Tlaxcala ) written by Diego Munoz Camargo in the years leading up to 1585. This manuscript highlights the religious, cultural, and military history of the Tlaxcaltec people, in particular focusing on the post-conquest aspects. Tlaxcala became the center of evangelization and governance after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.(Diego Munoz Camargo was half Spanish half native - interpreter for the Spanish particularly for the Franciscans)