THOMAS] COPAN INSCRIPTIONS—STELA J Ces) 
Maudslay’s photograph of this third row as published in his plate 
65 is, so far as the first group, which includes the date mentioned, is 
concerned, too dim and imperfect to determine the glyphs with even 
a reasonable degree of certainty, but as Mr Goodman had original 
photographs, and Maudslay’s drawings are more complete, the original 
inscription may have been clearer than the published photograph 
(autotype). From the drawing, the Ahau symbol is seen to be of the 
usual form, but the attached numeral, if it be such, is a face character 
similar to the second form of 10 given by Mr Goodman. The number 
13 over the month symbol is of the usual form (balls or dots and lines); 
the month symbol is incomplete, but the remaining portion, as given 
in the drawing, with the exception of the cap piece, which is like that 
of Chen, is more like Yax, Zac, or Ceh. The symbol for 8 days in the 
reckoning is separate from the chuen symbol. The number over the 
chuen is a face form, the same as that noticed above as 10. The 10 
Lamat which follows is distinct and of the usual form. It is followed 
immediately by a glyph with the usual numeral symbol for 9 attached. 
Although Mr Goodman says ‘‘month date not given,” this glyph 
resembles almost exactly that in the inscription on the back, which he 
calls Uo, but which is more like Chen. The only objection to assuming 
it to be a month symbol is that Lamat is never the 9th day of the month, 
but similar errors in this respect have been observed. It is true that if 
we count 8 days, 10 chuens (=208 days) from 10 Ahau 13 Chen, we will 
reach 10 Lamat 16 Pop of the following year; but the test is never 
satisfactory without the month and day of the month, except in case of 
continued series, as in the codex, where the error, if one is made, can 
be corrected by the preceding or following differences. Let us in this 
case change the number attached to the glyph following 10 Lamat to 
11, and call the month Chen, which it most resembles. Counting back 
we vary but one day from 10 Ahau, but the month will be Kayab. 
This series is therefore not sufficiently certain to decide positively that 
Mr Goodman’s assignment of the number 10 to the face glyph over 
the Ahau symbol is correct, but we are justified in accepting this face 
character as a numeral, as characters denoting 0 or 20 are never 
attached to symbols representing particular days. 
STELA J 
One of the most important inscriptions at Copan is that on the north 
and south faces of Stela J, the two sides forming one series. This is 
shown in plates x~ime and xii, which are as nearly as possible copies 
of Maudslay’s drawings, these being selected rather than the autotype, 
which in some places is a little dim. As the glyphs are all numbered 
except the upper two on the north side, marked A and B, they will 
be cited by the numbers. 
A slight glance over the inscription is sufficient to call attention to 
