Ohaptek II. 



DISCUSSION OF OTHER TIME SERIES. 



An examination of other series which can be traced, and are of suffi- 

 cient length to fnrnish a test, shows very clearly that they can all be 

 explained in accordance with the year of 365 days and the fonr-year 

 system, and that they contain nothing inconsistent therewith. In fact, 

 as will be seen below, every series which does not give the days of the 

 month, like that discussed in the previous chapter, will fit into the 

 year of 365 days and the four year-series, and also into the year of 360 

 days. But the latter must always begin with the same day; for it is 

 evident to everyone that years of 360 days, consisting of eighteen 

 months of twenty days each, the twenty days having each a distinct 

 name and always following one another in the same order, nnist com- 

 mence with the same day, unless there is an arbitrary change. 



On ))late 30 of the Dresden codex there are the four day-columns here 

 given, with the red numeral xi over each. This red numeral, as 

 explained in a former paper,* is the " week'' number to be joined to each 

 day of the column over which it is placed. The record is as follows: 



XI XI XI XI 



Extending from the right of this group, and running through the 

 lowest division to the middle of plate 33, there is a numeral series con- 

 sisting of nine pairs of numbers, each pair the same (13 and xi), the 

 former black, the latter red. The black is the counter or intei'val, and 

 the red the week number of the day reached. The sum of the black 

 numbers (9x13) is 117, which is the interval between the successive 

 days of each column; thus, from 11 Ahau to 11 Caban is 117 days, and 

 so on down to Lamat, the last day of the left-hand column. From 11 

 Lamat to 11 Chicchan, the first day of the second column, is also 117 

 days, and so on to the last day of the fourth column. These four col- 

 umns, therefore, form one continuous series of 2,223 days, commencing 

 with 11 Ahau and ending with 11 Akbal; butl)y adding 117 more days 



""Aids to the Study of the Maya Codices/' op. cit.; pp. 290-291. 

 50 



