48 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 04, gann] 



A small portion of halche was next passed around to each of the 

 participants, the priest again . scattering a little on the ground and 

 repeating the prayer! The calabash, which was now nearly empty, 

 was then removed to the house for the benefit of the women. It 

 was soon brought back by the assistant and refilled from the jar, 

 and the same procedure gone through again. This was repeated till 

 no more halcM remained to be drunk. The priest then scattered some 

 of the soims in four directions, using one of the fowls' claws to scoop 

 it up from the calabash, after which what remained of the soims was 

 divided up among the participants, each one being given a calabash 

 in which a fowl's claw was placed for use as a fork. A small quantity 

 of the mixture which remained was taken to the house for use of the 

 women. Lastly the priest removed the tutiua and yokua from the 

 altar, and divided these among the participants, giving each one at 

 the same time a corn-husk cigarette. The ceremony was now 

 finished, and the last act was completely to destroy all the objects 

 used in it, including buildings, altar, calabashes, and chuyuos; tliis 

 was done by fire. 



This Cha chac ceremony as performed by the Santa Cruz and 

 Icaiche Indians bears a strong resemblance to certain ceremonies 

 performed before the conquest, in honor of the Chacs, or Kain gods, 

 and also to ceremonies carried out at the present day by the Lacandon 

 Indians. 



The names given to the modern priests were, according to Landa, 

 aU in use in his day. The Chacs were four old men chosen to assist 

 the priests.^ The men was an inferior priest or sorcerer, while the 

 name Alikin ^ was applied after the conquest, both to their own and 

 to Christian priests by the Maya. Landa also mentions (Chap, xl, 

 p. 260) a fiesta given to the Chacs, in conjunction with other gods, 

 held in one of the plantations, when the offerings were consumed by 

 the people after being first presented to the gods; these offerings 

 consisted of turkeys and other fowls, corn cake, sikil, and posol,^ all 

 of which are used in the modern Maya Cha chac. 



The god Yumcanchacoob (Lord of aU the Chacs) of the Santa 

 Cruz probably corresponds to Nohochyumchac (Great Lord Chac) 

 of the Lacandones, as does the Ahcanankakabol (keeper of the 

 woods) of the Santa Cruz, to the Kanancash of the Lacandones, 

 whose name has practically the same significance. A belief in 

 Xtahai, or spirits, and Rooh, or Wind gods, seems common alike 

 to the Santa Cruz, the Lacandones, and the Indians of Yucatan. 



1 "Los chaccs eran quatro hombres anoianos elegidos siempre de nuevo para ayudar al sacerdote a bien 

 y complidamente hazer las fiestas."— Landa, op. cit., chap, xxvn, p. 160. 



2 "En contrario llamavanse y se Uaman oy los sacerdotes en esta lengua de Maya AhUn, que se, deriva. 

 de un verbo kinyah. que signiflca 'sortear 6 echar suertes.'"— Landa, jbid., p. 362, 



3 Landa, ibid., chaps, X.xxv, p. 212; xxxvi, p. 222. 



