niESELDOKFF] POTTERY VASE WITH FIGURE PAINTING 641 



SO on. An elderly Indian, who has been chosen for the sacrifice, 

 kneels in the center; a black personage of rank advances toward him 

 from the right, holding a lance and apparently demanding his life 

 with bloodthirsty vengeance, while another stands on the left, evi- 

 dently trying to j^acify his o])posite neighbor. About this main group 

 stand four Indians who take no active i3art in the proceedings, and 

 seem more like subordinates, upon whom the execution of the sacri- 

 fice devolves. Each of them has a strongly marked type of face, of 

 which I have found examples among the Kekchi Indians showing 

 an almost perfect resemblance. From the diversity of headdress, 

 ornament, and clothing we are justified in supposing that the char- 

 acters represented filled ditFerent offices. It is probable that the 

 Indian advancing from the right held the office of high priest, the one 

 opposite him that of chilan, " soothsayer ", and that the other four 

 were the Chacs, who were chosen by the priests and people in the 

 month Pop from among the old men of rank to assist at sacrifices and 

 religious ceremonies (see Landa, Kelacion, pages 146, 160, and 166). 



The kneeling figure, which I have designated by e, holds a staff, 

 which is either the token of his rank, like the short thick staff that the 

 stewards of the caciques of Mayapan used to carry (see Landa, page 

 40) , or was used to ignite fires, as in the pictures of the codices. On 

 his arms and legs appears, painted or tattooed, the design of the 

 woven mat, which I call the pop character, and to which I shall recur 

 later. His right hand is held over the left shoulder so that it is not 

 visible, though it seems to hold a white flower. He has no head cov- 

 ering or ornament. The wrinkles on his face and his black-rimmed 

 eyes characterize him as an old man. His mien is rather that of fear 

 than of calm submission to his fate, such as Indians usually show. 



The chief priest, /', advancing from the right, is painted l)lack 

 and has in his outstretched right hand a gala lance, with a flint point 

 and rattles, the shaft of which reaches to the ground. In his left 

 hand he holds a painted fanlike object, which I recognize as the 

 soplador Avoven of palm leaves, used in every household in this 

 country to kindle the fire, and which I do not think was ever used for 

 fanning, a custom unknown among the Indians. A jaguar skin with 

 head and forepaws hangs from his shoulders and seems to be fastened 

 to a white article of attire on the breast, something like a shirt front. 

 The under side of the animal skin is visible below the left arm 

 and has a jagged edge produced in drying, the fresh skin being 

 stretched on the ground with wooden pegs. A black stick protrudes 

 from his neck, which I can not exi)lain. Wrists and ankles are 

 swathed in colored fabrics, also the left leg above the knee. The ex 

 appears between the feet. The face is covered by a long beard, and 

 there is a white rim about the mouth, such as we find in the l)lack 

 male monkey (batz, in Maya), and it is therefore probable that he 

 7238— No. 28—05 11 



