MAYA 

 THOAI.SS 



] CORRESPONDENCE IN DIVISIO 



it is ill liuo with tlie other coincidences mentioned such an exphiua- 

 tion is not satisfactory. 



The statement in the preceding quotation from Dibble, that "in one 

 year there were nine times forty nights," wouhl certainly not have been 

 used b}^ him unless there had been a method of counting by nines. This 

 brings at once to mind the method the Mexicans had of counting, for 

 some special purposes, by nines. This count, as in the Hawaiian calen- 

 dar, referred to the nights, and the period was supposed to be ruled 

 over by the so called "Nine lords of the night.'" These periods are 

 marked on the time series of the Mexican codices by footprints. 



Another statement iu the same quotation, which, to say the least, is 

 remarkable, is that "There were thirty nights in each mouth, seventeen 

 of which were not very light and thirteen were." Why this division 

 unless it accorded with some method the natives had of dividing the 

 month "? It is this method of counting by tliirteens in the Mexican and 

 Central American calendar which Dr. Brinton rightly regards as one 

 of its most puzzling features. He says, "It has usually been stated 

 that the number 13 represents one-half the number of daj's during 

 which the moon is visible between its heliacal conjunctions, and that it 

 owed its selection to this observation.'' This, however, he does not 

 deem entirely satisfactory, as there is, he remarks, an obvious diffi- 

 culty in this theory since "According to it the calendar ought not to 

 take note of the days when the moon is in conjunction, as otherwise 

 after the very first month it will no longer correspond with the sequence 

 of natural events from which it is assumed to be derived; but as these 

 days are counted, it would appear, although the lunar relations of the 

 calendar in later davs can not be denied, that it had some other oricin."* 



If we had a full explanation of the division to which Mr. Dibble 

 alludes, it is quite probable we could solve the riddle. In fact, the lit- 

 tle that is given seems to meet precisely the objection wiiich Dr. Brin- 

 ton interposes. That the number was used iu some mythical sense, or 

 had some reference to religious ceremonies, is quite probable. At anj^ 

 rate, the fact that the Hawaiians counted thirteen nights of the moon as 

 light is sufticient to raise the presumption that from this foct it came 

 into use. The fact, however, that this number was iu use among .the 

 Hawaiians as a time counter forms another link connecting the calen- 

 dars of the two regions, 



I do not find in any of the authorities I have at hand that the five- 

 day period, so often used in c<mnection with the Mexican and Central 

 American calendar, was in vogue among the Polynesians; but, accord- 

 ing to Crawfurd,t the Javanese week formerly consisted of five days. 



In this connection we may mention a very singular coincidence in 

 reference to the assignment of days and colors to the cardinal points. 



* Native Calendar, op. cit.. p. 7. 



tludian Archipelago, vol. 1, ]». 28;i. Rieuzi's acronnt in Oceauie is simply a repe- 

 tition of Crawfurd's remarks. 



