r•OJ^sTKMW\^J TEMPLE OF INSCRIPTIONS AT PALENQUE 577 



tliose (10 to 15) occurriiii,^ twicv, and, tiiially, those Avhicli occur but 

 once (l()to2<)). 



These 29 signs are now divided in the following manner among the 

 6 groups : 



The groups II and III, likewise V and VI, join one another; there 

 is a single gl.yph between I and II, and live between IV and V. On 

 the other hand, between III and IV, before the beginning of the three 

 larger groups, there is a space filled with entirely different characters, 

 which occupy a part of columns E and F, the whole of columns G and 

 H, and the first three rows of I and K. 



We know^ the meaning of but one of these glyphs; tliis one occurs 

 three times and is numbered 5 (ahau, " lord "). The others, however, 

 occur, almost all, in other inscriptions of Palenque, as the moon (2), 

 fist (1), the recumbent person (9), the inverted net or cobweb (3), the 

 chessboard (29), and also several of the profile heads; but we know 

 nothing of their import. Lastly, the character 6, occurring fre- 

 quently elsewhere, is to be mentioned. I am inclined to consider it 

 the Aztec itzcoatl (" arrow serpent "). In these six groups of glyphs, 

 none of the well-knowai characters, with the exception of ahau, are to 

 be found, neither the glyphs of the days, months, and longer time 

 periods, nor those of the constellations and the cardinal j^oints, nor 

 even the glyphs of the gods. Furthermore, all numbers are omitted 

 here, which is an especially striking fact. 



From all this it seems probable that we have to do here Avith cer- 

 tain sacred formulas, most likely formulas of prayer. It would give 

 me great pleasure if this remark of mine should ])ave the way for on'> 

 of my fellow students to some new discovery. 



Beginnings of such grou])s appear even on plate i-x. Although 

 about a third of the characters occurring there are destroyed, glyph 

 1, plate XLiv, appears no less than eight times. To this, in six cases, 

 are joined several of the glyphs given above and in addition the one 

 given here (30). 



7238— No. 28— O.J 37 



