Notes on Certain Maya and Mexican Manuscripts Part 5

2. Wind. House. Lizard. Snake. Death.

3. Dog. Monkey. Gra.s.s. Cane. Tiger.

4. Flint. Rain. Flower. Dragon. Wind.

5. Death. Deer. Rabbit. Water. Dog.

1. Rain. Flower. Dragon. Wind. House.

2. Deer. Rabbit. Water. Dog. Monkey.

3. Eagle. Vulture. Movement. Flint. Rain.

4. House. Lizard. Snake. Death. Deer.

5. Monkey. Gra.s.s. Cane. Tiger. Eagle.

1. Lizard. Snake. Death. Deer. Rabbit.

2. Gra.s.s. Cane. Tiger. Eagle. Vulture.

3. Flower. Dragon. Wind. House. Lizard.

4. Rabbit. Water. Dog. Monkey. Gra.s.s.

5. Vulture. Movement. Flint. Rain. Flower.

1. Water. Dog. Monkey. Gra.s.s. Cane.

2. Movement. Flint. Rain. Flower. Dragon.

3. Snake. Death. Deer. Rabbit. Water.

4. Cane. Tiger. Eagle. Vulture. Movement.

5. Dragon. Wind. House. Lizard. Snake.

1. Tiger. Eagle. Vulture. Movement. Flint.

2. Wind. House. Lizard. Snake. Death.

3. Dog. Monkey. Gra.s.s. Cane. Tiger.

4. Flint. Rain. Flower. Dragon. Wind.

5. Death. Deer. Rabbit. Water. Dog.

1. Rain. Flower. Dragon. Wind. House.

2. Deer. Rabbit. Water. Dog. Monkey.

3. Eagle. Vulture. Movement. Flint. Rain.

4. House. Lizard. Snake. Death. Deer.

5. Monkey. Gra.s.s. Cane. Tiger. Eagle.

1. Lizard. Snake. Death. Deer. Rabbit.

2. Gra.s.s. Cane. Tiger. Eagle. Vulture.

3. Flower. Dragon. Wind. House. Lizard.

4. Rabbit. Water. Dog. Monkey. Gra.s.s.

5. Vulture. Movement. Flint. Rain. Flower.

1. Water. Dog. Monkey. Gra.s.s. Cane.

2. Movement. Flint. Rain. Flower. Dragon.

3. Snake. Death. Deer. Rabbit. Water.

4. Cane. Tiger. Eagle. Vulture. Movement.

5. Dragon. Wind. House. Lizard. Snake.

1. Tiger.[13] Eagle. Vulture. Movement. Flint.

2. Wind. House. Lizard. Snake. Death.

3. Dog. Monkey. Gra.s.s. Cane. Tiger.

4. Flint. Rain. Flower. Dragon. Wind.

5. Death. Deer. Rabbit. Water. Dog.

1. Rain. Flower.

2. Deer. Rabbit.

3. Eagle. Vulture.

4. House. Lizard.

5. Monkey. Gra.s.s.

If we examine the columns of this list, we see that each one contains the days of some one of the four columns of the arrangement heretofore given; not always in precisely the same order, but the same days.

Without stopping to attempt a further explanation of this calendar or _Tonalamatl_, which is not within the scope of our present purpose, I merely remark that it is evidently a representation of the Mexican "cycle of two hundred and sixty days," or thirteen months, the common multiple of 4, 5, 13, and 20, and hence a cycle, at the completion of which the day, numeral, &c. (except the month), will be the same as at the beginning.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Published in 1882, as a memoir of the Societe d'Ethnographie of Paris.

[2] Rosny says by mistake "Planche VII-VIII."

[3] A study of the Ma.n.u.script Troano.

[4] As the reduction of the cut prevents the insertion of the names of the days, letters have been subst.i.tuted for them in the quadrilateral or inner ring as follows:

_In the top line._--Ymix, _a_; Chicchan, _b_; Muluc, _c_; Been, _d_, and Caban, _e_.

_In the left column._--Cimi, _f_; Ik, _g_; Oc, _h_; Ix, _i_, and Ezanab, _j_.

_In the bottom line._--Akbal, _k_; Manik, _l_; Chuen, _m_; Men, _n_, and Cauac, _o_.

_In the right column._--Kan, _p_; Lamat, _q_; Eb, _r_; Ahau, _s_, and Cib, _t_.

[5] Study of the Ma.n.u.script Troano, p. 11.

[6] It is worthy of note that the numerals on the plate apply only to the years 1 Cauac, 1 Kan, 1 Muluc, and 1 Ix, the first years of an Indication or week of years.

[1][TN-7] _Ma.n.u.scrit dit Mexicain No. 2._--The Bureau of Ethnology has had the good fortune to obtain a copy of Duruy's photographic reproduction of this Ma.n.u.script, of which, according to Leclerc (Bibliotheca Americana), only ten copies were issued, though Bra.s.seur in his Bibliotheque Mexico-Guatemalienne (p. 95) affirms that the edition consisted of fifty copies. The full t.i.tle is as follows: "_Ma.n.u.scrit dit Mexicain No. 2 de la Bibliotheque Imperiale Photographie (sans reduction). Par ordre de S. E. M. Duruy, Ministre de l'Instruction publique, President de la Commission scientifique du Mexique._ Paris, 1864."

Rosny has given a _fac-simile_ copy from the two plates here referred to in Plate XVI of his _Essai sur le Dechiffrement de l'Ecriture Hieratique_.

[8] An ill.u.s.tration can be seen, on pp. 36-40, Study Ma.n.u.script Troano.

[9] Study Ma.n.u.script Troano, p. 86.

[10] Possibly each serpent represents one indication of thirteen years, but the proper answer to this question is not important in the present investigation.

[11] In order to accommodate the list to the paging it is divided into sections, the second section to follow to the right of the first; the third to the right of the second, and so on to the last, as though extended continuously to the right. Those numbered 1 would then form one continuous transverse line, as would also those numbered 2,3, 4 and 5 respectively.

[12] In the original, _Deer_, certainly an error.