THE INSCRIPTION ON THE CROSS OF 



PALENQUE" 



By E. Forstemann 



It is high time for scioiu'c to occupy itself Avith the meaning of the 

 most famous inscription of ancient America, even though it will be 

 a long time before a complete decipherment of this monument can be 

 achieved. 



The ruins of Palenque have been known 5?ince the middle of the 

 last century, and as early as 1787 they were in\'e!-.tigated and partly 

 sketched by Antonio del Eio. The inscription on the Cross, in par- 

 ticular, early aroused the attention of the amateur and the scientist. 

 Since the beginning of our century it has been mentioned frequently, 

 discussed superficiall}', and copied many times. Especiall}^ through 

 the admirable drawing in J. L. Stephens's Incidents of Travel in 

 Central America, Chiapas, and ^'ucatan, this monument has become 

 widely known since ISil. 



But the question as to the real meaning of this tablet (plate xli) 

 has been approached with great hesitation, although it was clear at 

 the first glance that the middle part represented a great sacrificial 

 scene ; the glyphs, about 250 in mnnber on both sides of it, however, 

 remained dumb. 



I can call attention to but three Avorks in which the first attempts 

 have been made to treat the subject in a strictly scientific spirit. I 

 refer to the three following treatises: 



1. Charles Rau, The Palenque Tablet in the United States National 

 Museum. Washington, lS7i). (Smithsonian Contributions to Knowl- 

 edge, volume 22, AYashington, 1880.) This work is of decided merit 

 in the history it gives of the inscription, as well as in the designa- 

 tion, first introduced by Hau, of the vertical aud horizontal lines by 

 letters and numbers, which designation I have bkewise adopted in 

 the following. Kau also examines some glyphs of this tablet, but is 

 successful only in the case of a few almost self-explanatory day signs. 

 Concerning the main question, the meaning, he comes pretty near to 



"Die Kreiizinschrift von ralenciiie, CJIobus, v. 7ii, u. '.^, July 17. IS'.iT. 



547 



