1893.] -"^^^ [Briiiton. 



present, brought under the care of an old chaperon known as 

 the ix mol, " conductress of the crowd." 



9. Chen or Cheen, properly Cli'een. — Derived by Pio Perez 

 from the word for well or spring, but properly from a homonymous 

 root which means, to be quiet, to keep silence, referring, I take 

 it, to the solemn action of renewing the gods or making new 

 idols, which took place in this month ; a work, says Landa, they 

 undertook with great fear — con mucho temor. 



10. Yax. — In this month occurred the cleaning and renova- 

 tion of the temples and the installation of the new gods. Hence 

 yax is here used in the sense green, fresh, new or first, with ref- 

 erence to this function. 



11. Zac. — In this month an important rite was celebrated by 

 the hunters in expiation of the blood shed in the chase. As in 

 the native symbolism white signifies peace and propitiation, the 

 month probably derived its name, zoc, white, from this rite. 



12. Geh. — The common word for deer or any large food game. 

 Landa does not assign any festival to this mouth, but the name 

 probably has reference to that of the hunters just referred to. 



13. Mac. — In this month the Mayas celebrated the rite of tap 

 kak^ " extinguishing the fire," for the purpose of securing abun- 

 dant rains for the harvest. A fire was built in the court of the 

 temple, the hearts of various animals thrown into it, and as soon 

 as they were consumed the priests poured water upon the flames 

 and extinguished them (Landa, p. 254). The root "niac means to 

 cover, or, a cover, the rite being a " couvre-feu," or covering up 

 of the fire. 



14. Kan kin. — Translated by Pio Perez "yellow sun," "be- 

 cause in this month, owing to the forest fires, the sun looks yel- 

 low through the smoke in the air." 



15. Moan^ or, Muan. — Rainy or cloudy. Pio Perez adduces 

 the term moan kin, cloudy day, threatening to rain. The word 

 is not in the old dictionaries, but it is doubtless from the same 



