884 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [hull. 28 



codex group, Venus is, on the contrary, represented as the conquer- 

 ing party. Conjunctions with other constellations might seem to be 

 suggested here, for they are in fact different for the five periods. 

 That a conjunction of the planet with other celestial bodies was 

 observed is positively proved by certain reliefs of Chichen Itza. 

 It is also certain that the jaguar, the tortoise, and the serpent were 

 seen in the sky by the Maya peoples. It is, however, also possi- 

 ble that we have on these pages simply an astrologic speculation aris- 

 ing from superstitious fear of the influence of the light of this 

 powerful planet. 



By a natural association of ideas the rays of light emitted by the 

 sun or other luminous bodies are imagined to be darts or arrows 

 which are shot in all directions by the luminous body. The more the 

 rays are perceived to be productive of discomfort or injury, so much 

 the more fittingly does this api^ly. In this way the abstract noun 

 miotl, or meyotli, with the meaning " ray of light ", is derived from 

 the Mexican word mitl, " arroAv ". Such abstract nouns are used in 

 Mexican as the concrete designation of the object when the object 

 belongs to another one in its nature or properties. Thus miotli, or 

 meyotli, is the arrow, Avhich belongs b}' nature to a body sending 

 forth arrows, a luminous body. Tonalmitl, or tonalmeyotli, are the 

 sun arrows, the sun's rays; miotli, or meyotli, alone, "the ray". 

 Furthermore, there is a verb, miyotia, also written mihiotia, derived 

 from this, which means " emitting light " ; tepan miyotia, " to beam 

 on anyone ", " to strike anyone with its light ". 



I have already mentioned the fact that in Mexico certain influ- 

 ences were ascribed to the planet Venus, generally baleful, favorable 

 in certain signs only; so that, therefore, when the planet appeared 

 anew in the heavens, smoke vents and chimneys were stopped up lest 

 the light should penetrate into the house. In the Anales de Quauhtit- 

 lan, appended to the story of the transformation of Quetzalcoatl into 

 the morning star, there is a more detailed account of these influences 

 ascribed to the light of the jjlanet Venus. It is a remarkable passage, 

 of which I give here the literal translation : 



1. Auh yn iiih qwimatia And as they (the ancients, the forefathers) 



learned. 



2. Yniqnac hualneztitih When it appears (rises). 



3. Yn tleyn ypan tonalli According to the sign, in which it (rises). 



4. Cecentlamantin ynpan mioytia It strikes different classes of people with its 



rays. 



5. Qninmina quintlahailia Shoots them, casts its light upon them. 



6. Intla ce Cipactli ypan yanh When it appears in the (fir^t) sign, "1 



alligator ". 



7. Qninmina huehnetque ylamatque It shoots the old men and women. 



8. Mochi yiihqvii yntla ce Ocelotl Also in the (second) sign, " 1 .jaguar ". 



9. Yntla ce Mazatl In the (third) sign, '• 1 stag"". 



10. Yntla ce Xochitl In the (fourth) sign, " 1 flower". 



