Four World Quarters." In this same work the white tree is 

 uaxim (guaje) and is Leucaena glauca (L.) Benth. used in 

 building. As mentioned previously, chacah is Bwsera simaruba 

 (L.) Sarg. figuring as copal. Thompson notes that all of these 

 colors are also associated with the ceiba tree, a sign of fertility 

 and abundance. However, it is clear from the pictures in the 

 text that is not the ceiba tree that is figured in each instance. 

 In the ritual of the Bacabs four surrogate plants become direc- 

 tional in the aformentioned ritual: the red Plumeria acutifolia 

 Poir. is east, the white Callisia repens L. (or Commelina ele- 

 gans HBK. is the north, the white flowered "black laurel" 

 Stemmadenia insignis Miers. is the west, and the yellow flo- 

 wered Tecoma stans (L.) HBK. is the south. This is a derived 

 later manuscript, but it reinforces the idea that a single tree 

 need not be used regularly in directional ritual. When the 

 aqueous underworld is represented in the Dresden Codex it 

 would appear that the white water lily is allowed to stand for 

 all four directions. In the ritual of the Bacabs these colors also 

 stood for the hues of the winds and were not to be taken in a 

 literal sense. 



Almanac 55 (pp. 31a-39a) 



T2. An unidentified god kneels on the edge of a sort of 



boat. From the back of his neck a long pedicellate water 

 lily is clearly figured. Opposite him is a Chac who 

 appears to be holding a large water lily. Between them 

 there is a vessel (balchel) with effluvia figured as com- 

 ing from the top. 



T3. The decapitated head of The Impersonator of Maize is 



on a three tiered altar. Three dieties play two different 

 drums a rattle and a flute. 



T4. God C posing as a Chac sits in a temple holding a maize 



glyph while a true Chac is on the ridge pole of the 



building. 

 T5. In front of a seated Chac are dishes of maize, a tall 



insence burner for copal (Bursera) and a vessel of foam- 

 ing balche. The plant ingredients of balche have been 



discussed. 



107 



