A Survey of Ancient Peruvian Art. 385 



In Yucatan we can fairly carry the beginning of protohistory 

 back many centuries. This is largely due to the work of Mr. 

 Bowditch and to that of Mr. Morley.® As the present writer 

 has explained elsewhere, the difference between the chronologies 

 of these two authors is neither serious nor great. The earliest 

 dated Maya remains are, respectively, the Tuxtla statuette and 

 the Leyden plate. The former bears the Maya date 8.6.2.4.17 

 (about 100 B. C.) ; the date on the latter is 8.14.3. 1. 12 (about 

 40 A. D.).'^ In spite of the fact that these inscriptions are so 

 early, the system in which the dates are set down is absolutely 

 the same as that in which those of the "Old Empire" cities 

 in southern Yucatan are written. The significance of this is, 

 of course, that even so early as 100 B. C. the Mayas had gone 

 through the centuries-long process of evolving their calendar 

 system. We must postulate, in Mr. Morley's opinion, at least a 

 thousand years of preparatory development.^ This period of 

 development should be understood to include the migrations of 

 the various branches of the original stock to the place in which 

 they are found in later eras. From about the time of Christ 

 to the end of the seventh century the "Old Empire" of the 

 Mayas was running its course. From then to the middle of 

 the fifteenth century the "Transitional Period" and "New 

 Empire" rose and fell. 



We will now summarize the chronological conditions known to 

 be true of Middle America. For at least eleven centuries before 

 Christ various migrations (mainly southward) were accom- 

 panied by the steady development of individual cultures, all 

 variants of a common origin, albeit influenced by environmental 

 and psychological conditions. By the time of Christ, the high 

 cultures of Middle America had almost crystallized into their 

 final forms. 



® Bowditch, 1901 ; Morley, 1910, 1915 ; Means, 1917b, p. 3- 

 ^ While on his most recent expedition for the Carnegie Institution of 

 Washington, Mr. Morley discovered an important site in northern Guate- 

 mala. He gave it the name of Uaxactun— Eight-stone— because he found 

 there a large stela bearing the Maya date, 8.14.10.13.15, equal to about 

 50 A. D. Another inscription at that site may possibly be eighth cycle, 

 also. We have, consequendy, at least three inscriptions dating from 50 

 A. D. or earlier. (Information given by Mr. Morley to the writer.) 

 * Morley, 1915, p. 194-196 ; Holmes, 1916. 



