Read Ebook: Notes on Certain Maya and Mexican Manuscripts Third Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution 1881-82 Government Printing Office Washington 1884 pages 3-66 by Thomas Cyrus

Font size: 10 px 15 px 20 px 25 px 30 px 35 px

Background color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Text color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Apply/Save settings

Ebook has 213 lines and 37466 words, and 5 pages

Page. Tableau des Bacab 7 Plate 43 of the Borgian Codex 23 Plate 44 of the Fejervary Codex 30 Symbols of the cardinal points 36

FIG. 1.--The four cardinal symbols 8 2.--Scheme of the Tableau des Bacab 13 3.--Copy from Plates 18 and 19, Codex Peresianus 19 4.--Copy of Plate 43, Borgian Codex 24 5.--Copy of Plates 51 and 52, Vatican Codex, B 27 6.--Scheme of Plate 44, Fejervary Codex 34 7.--Symbols of the four cardinal points 36 8.--Calendar wheel, as given by Duran 44 9.--Calendar wheel, from book of Chilan Balam 59 10.--Engraved shells 61 11.--Withdrawn

BY CYRUS THOMAS.

"TABLEAU DES BACAB."

Before entering upon the discussion of this plate I will insert here Rosny's comment, that the reader may have an opportunity of comparing his view of its signification with the opinion I shall advance.

In the four compartments of the Tablet appear the same cyclic signs again in two series. I will not stop to dwell upon them, not having discovered the system of their arrangement.

These four katounic groups are here in fact arranged in the following manner:

Now, not only do these groups include, as I have explained, several of the phonetic elements of Maya words known to designate the four cardinal points, but they occupy, besides, the place which is necessary to them in the arrangement , to wit:

West. S N o o u r t t h h . . East.

We see from this quotation, that Rosny was unable to give any explanation of the day characters, dots, and L-shaped symbols in the outer space; also that he was unable to suggest any reason for the peculiar arrangement of the day symbols in the intermediate circle or quadrilateral. His suggestions are limited to the four characters placed opposite the four sides, and which, he believes, and I think correctly, to be the symbols of the four cardinal points. Whether his conclusion as to the points they respectively refer to be correct or not, is one of the questions I propose to discuss in this paper. But before entering upon this, the most important question regarding the plate, I desire first to offer what I believe will be admitted to be a correct explanation of the object and uses of the day symbols, dots, &c., in the outer space, and the intermediate circle of day characters.

As explained in my former paper, although there were twenty days in each Maya month, each day with its own particular name, and always following each other in the same order, so that each month would begin with the same day the year commenced with, yet it was the custom to number the days up to 13 and then commence again with 1, 2, 3, and so on, thus dividing the year into weeks of thirteen days each.

For a full explanation of this complicated calendar system I must refer the reader to my former paper. But at present we shall need only an understanding of the tables here given. I shall, as I proceed, refer to Table I, leaving the reader who prefers to do so to refer to the list of days marked Table II, as they are precisely the same thing, only differing in form.

Now, let us follow around this outer circle comparing it with our calendar , or list of days , which, as before stated, are for the Cauac year only.

In this we commence with Kan, numbered 1, in the top row, moving thence toward the left as already indicated, following the course shown by the numbers.

As there are four different series of years in the Maya calendar, the Cauac years, Kan years, Muluc years, and Ix years, it is necessary that we have four different tables, similar to that given for the Cauac years, to represent them, or to combine all in one table.

As I have adopted in my former work a scheme of combining them I will insert it here .

But I must request the reader to refer to that work for an explanation of the method of using it.

For the Kan years we commence on our scheme or the plate at Kan No. 1, at the top, and moving around to the left, as shown, we end the thirteenth column of the calendar with Akbal No. 40. For the Muluc years we commence with Muluc No. 11, of the left side of the scheme, and end with Lamat No. 10. For the Ix years we begin with Ix No. 21, at the bottom, and end with Been No. 20. For the Cauac years we begin with Cauac No. 31, at the right side, and end with Ezanab No. 30.

This, it seems to me, will show beyond controversy the respective quarters to which the different years are assigned in the plate--Kan to the top, where this year begins; Muluc to the left; Ix to the bottom, and Cauac to the right hand; and, as a consequence, that the top is the east; left, north; bottom, west, and right hand, south. But this is a point to be discussed hereafter.

Our next step is to ascertain the object in view in placing the twenty-day characters around the inner space in the order we find them. Here I confess we shall encounter greater difficulty in arriving at a satisfactory explanation; still, I think we shall be able to show one object in view in this singular arrangement, although we fall short of a complete interpretation.

If we commence with Ymix, in the upper line of the quadrilateral, and move around it to the left, as heretofore, noting the days in each side in the order they come on the plate, we find them to be as follows:

In the top line: Ymix, Chicchan, Muluc, Been, Eb.

Left column: Cimi, Ik, Oc, Ix, Ezanab.

Bottom line: Akbal, Manik, Chuen, Men, Cauac.

Right column : Kan, Lamat, Caban, Ahau, Cib.

Now let us take the twenty days, in the order they stand in the calendar, commencing with Kan, writing them in four columns, placing one name in each in succession, thus:

Kan. Chicchan. Cimi. Manik. Lamat. Muluc. Oc. Chuen. Eb. Been. Ix. Men. Cib. Caban. Ezanab. Cauac. Ahau. Ymix. Ik. Akbal.

If we commence with any other day the groups will contain respectively the same days, as, for example, if we begin with Ymix as here shown .

As I am inclined to believe the author of the plate adopted this order I shall use and refer to this table in speaking of these groups.

This, I admit, has the appearance of making an arbitrary change to suit a theory; but besides the strong evidence in favor of this change shown by the arrangement of the days in four columns just given, I propose to present other testimony.

It is unnecessary for me to give more examples, as the reader can make the comparison for himself; and he will, as I believe, find my theory sustained.

The only real objection I can see to my explanation of the arrangement of the days in this circle is the fact that it necessitates the transposition of two characters, but it is not unreasonable to suppose that the artist may have made this one mistake.

Fortunately we find on Plates 18 and 19 of the Codex Peresianus what appears to be a complete confirmation of the theory here advanced.

This is a kind of tabular arrangement of certain days, with accompanying numbers, as shown in our Fig. 3, which is an exact copy of those portions of Plates 18 and 19 of the Codex Peresianus, to which I refer.

I also give in Table V the names of the days and the numbers corresponding with the symbols and characters of Fig. 3. In this table the erased days and obliterated numerals are restored, these being in italics to distinguish them from those on the plate.

An inspection of this table shows us that the five days repeated in each column are the same as those on the right of the quadrilateral of our scheme , and are exactly in the order obtained by arranging the days of the month in four columns in the manner heretofore shown.

If I am correct in my supposition, we then have one clue to, if not a full explanation of, the method of obtaining the day columns in the Manuscript Troano.

Why is the order of the numerals in the extract from the Codex Peresianus precisely the same as the numbering of the Ahaues? I answer, because each column, if taken as referring to the four classes of years, will, when the number of the month is given, determine just the years of an Ahau; or a fancy of the artist to follow an order considered sacred.

To illustrate, let us take the next to the right-hand column of the table where the numeral is 1, and let us assume the month to be Pop, or the 1st. Then we have 1 Cib, 1 Ahau, 1 Kan, 1 Lamat, and 1 Eb of the first month, and from this data we are to find the years. As there can be four years found to each of these days, that is a Cauac year with 1 Cib in the first month, a Muluc year with one Cib in the first month, a Kan year with one Cib in the first month, an Ix year with one Cib in the first month, a Kan year with one Ahau in the first month, &c., it is evident that there will be, as the total result, just twenty years.

As it may be supposed that using the same numeral to any five days of the twenty in this way will produce a similar result, let us test it by an example. For this purpose we select the same column of our foregoing table, No. V--that with the number 1 prefixed--Cib, Ahau, Kan, Lamat, Eb, but in place of Lamat we insert Cimi. Hunting out the years as heretofore we find them to be as follows:

While this is undoubtedly the order in which they are to be taken; which is the proper one to commence with? is a question yet to be discussed.

There is still another and somewhat probable supposition in regard to the object of this division of the days of the month into groups of five, which will obviate one objection to the explanation given in my former work, viz, the very large number of dates given in the Manuscript Troano on the supposition that there are four years to each numeral connected with, the day columns. It is possible that the days of one group indicate the year intended; that is, whether it is a Cauac, Kan, Muluc, or Ix year.

For example, column No. 4 , or some other, one of the four, may relate to Kan years; No. 1 to Muluc years; No. 2 to Ix years, and No. 3 to Cauac years. Assuming this to be correct, then the example heretofore given, where the days named are 1 Cib, 1 Ahau, 1 Kan, 1 Lamat, and 1 Eb, and the month the first , would indicate only the years 7 Muluc, 3 Muluc, 12 Muluc, 8 Muluc, and 11 Muluc. These would all come in Ahau No. VI, as before, but would indicate that the festival, or whatever they referred to, occurred but once every four years, in the first month of the year. Hence if the five days of a column are all taken from one side of the quadrilateral of our scheme they will refer to years of one dominical sign only; if alternately from opposite sides, then to the years of two dominical signs, but if taken alternately from the four sides they would refer to the four classes of years. This will reduce the number of dates in the Manuscript Troano very considerably from the other supposition, but will not in any way change the position of the Ahaues in the Grand Cycle.

As one further item of evidence in regard to this method of arranging the twenty days of the month in four groups or columns, I call attention to what is found on Plate 32 of the Dresden Codex. Here we find the four columns of five days each, corresponding precisely with the arrangement of the Maya days into four groups, as heretofore. I present here the arrangement as found on this plate:

But so far have found no entirely satisfactory explanation of the order given in many of these columns and in three of the sides of the quadrilateral of the Cortesian plate.

As this discussion is preliminary to a discussion of the assignment of the symbols of the cardinal points, it becomes necessary, in order to bring in all the evidence bearing upon the question, to examine certain points of the Mexican calendar system, as given by various authors and as exhibited in the Mexican Codices.

This plate of the Borgian Codex, which is Mexican and not Maya, consists of four groups, the whole arranged in the form of a square; each group, also a square, is surrounded by a serpent, the heads of the four serpents being brought near together at the center, which is indicated by the figure of the sun. Each of these serpents, as I have heretofore intimated, probably denotes one of the four-year series of the cycle of fifty-two years, just as in the Maya cycle we would say "the Cauac series," "Kan series," etc. The thirteen years of each series, is denoted by the small circles on the serpents. The four large figures are, as we shall hereafter see, fanciful representations of certain ideas held by this people in regard to the four cardinal points, each probably with its significant color as understood by the artist, and each probably indicating one of the four-year bearers.

But at present our attention is directed to something else to be found on this plate. In each of the four spaces and around each of the large figures we observe five Mexican day symbols connected usually with the main figure by heavy-waved colored lines. What is the signification of these day symbols in this connection? Precisely the same, I believe, as those in the four sides of the quadrilateral in the Codex Cortesianus. But first I would remark that the waved, colored, connecting lines have no other signification than to denote the parts of the body to which the days are here severally assigned; hence, as they have no bearing on the questions now under discussion, I shall have no occasion to take any further notice of them.

If we arrange the Mexican days in four columns as we did the Maya, that is, placing the first name in the first column, the second in the second column, and so on, following the usual orthography and the order given, the groups will be as follows:

Or, to give them their English equivalents as we usually find them, as follows:

Comparing these columns with the symbols around each one of these large figures we find that to each one of the latter are assigned the days of one of these four columns. In the lower left-hand square, to the large green figure, those in column 1; thus, at the left foot, the Dragon; to the back of the head, the Snake; to the eye, Cane; in the right hand, Water; and below the elbow, but connected with the mouth, Ollin or movement . To the yellow figure, in the lower right-hand square, are applied those of the second column; to the black figure, in the upper right-hand square, those of the third column; and to the red figure, in the upper left-hand square, those of the fourth column. There is therefore scarcely any doubt that this arrangement is for precisely the same purpose as that in the plate of the Codex Cortesianus.

Share on: WhatsApp @Hash Facebook Tweet