362 AII>S TO THE STUDY OF THE MAYA CODICES. 



leave us in doubt as to whether any one recognized deity is to be un- 

 derstood. Was there in the Maya pantheon such a deity as the god 

 of death? I have so far been unable to find any satisfactory reason 

 for answering this question in the affirmative. 



in the first jaart of the Dresden Codex, which is devoted, in part 

 at least, if not chiefly, to the maladies of the country, the skeleton 

 figures undoubtedly have reference to death, much like tlie skull and 

 cross bones in our day. In other places, as Plates XXVII and XXII* 

 of the Manuscript Troano and Plate 7 of the Cortesian Codex, the 

 parched earth appears to be intended, but it must be conceded that 

 here also the idea of death is included. Substantially the same idea, 

 or at least the relation of this god to the earth, appears to be indi- 

 cated in Plate 8 of the Cortesian Codex, where he is represented as 

 beneafli ami Imlding up that upon which another deity, bearing the 

 bread ^;yiiil"il, is seated. 



As befnn' statod the two symbols frequently appear in connection, 

 sometimes where the god is figured and often where he is not. It 

 is, therefore, unsafe to coticlude as yet that either variety indicates a 

 particular deity known as the god of death. 



^"71^ Symbol of the god with the banded face; seen chiefly in the Manuscript 

 ^^•;J Troano: not found in the Dresden Codex (Fig. 385). This is not the 

 vS}j^'/ dfity whicli Dr. Schellhas designates as " the god with face crossed by 

 hnes." 



This deity evidently pertains to the underworld and is closely allied 

 to the so-called god of death. The symbol and the figure are found 



Fig. 385. The god with the banded face, from the Codex Troano. 



together in but few instances, yet the jDeciiliar markings are such as 

 to leave no lioubt on the mind that the symbol is intended to denote 

 what is represented by the figure, being simply the head of the deity 

 as invariably figured. Thev ai>iH'ar lci,t;cthi'r in Plates IIIc, Va, and 

 Yb. XXVIIPc, and XXIxV ..f tlir Maims. Hpt Troano, in the first 

 two as having some relation to thr traveling merchants, but in the 

 last two in a very different role. The dotted lines with which the 

 bodies of these figures are marked and the peculiar anklets appear to 



