648 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 28 



IV ". Glyphs 1 to '3 and 28, the initial ones and the last, point to this 

 period of time, unless Ave are wholly mistaken. Mr Dieseldorff 

 regards sign 1 as that of the first 20-day period of the year, Pop, 

 and I have no other suggestion to offer, although we have here only 

 a part of Pop. In regard to sign 2. I differ with Mr Dieseldorff, 

 who is reminded of the designation of a period of time on a relief at 

 Palenque. But the period referred to there embraces a huna, that is, 

 400 years, and this seems to me entirely irrelevant here. It seems 

 rather to suggest a variant of the sign of the south, that is, the Cauao 

 years. But the sign of the south is something resembling a pair of 

 scales, doubtless referring to the rising and setting of the sun, and be- 

 low this, the sign yax ("power", "strength") as symbolic of the 

 power of the southern sun. In this case I believe I find the sign yax 

 duplicated, the scales being merely indicated for lack of space. Mr 

 Dieseldorff regards sign 3 as that representing yellow^ color, but it is 

 the symbol of the east and the Kan years. According to this 1 to 3 

 would read " the month Pop midwa}^ between the Cauac and the Kan 

 years ". It might, therefore, be regarded as a method of dating. 



The concluding sign, 23, offers no difficulty at all. It consists of 

 the glyph for year combined with the number 8 and a ]ii-efix. which 

 possibly gives that ijlyph the value of 305 days, w'hile by itself it 

 denotes only 360 days. 



Moreover, I believe that this picture does not represent this feast 

 in general, but a particular feast of this nature, and that it may not 

 be im])ossible in the future to determine the time of this feast exactly. 

 The festival consisted, after previous fasting and scourging, princi- 

 pally in the kindling of new^ fire, in feasting, and in human sacrifice. 



Fasting, as Mr Dieseldorff also thinks, is probably indicated by the 

 painting black of the personages d and /, possibly also by the black- 

 rimmed eyes of f, e, and g. "Vhether the scourges carried by d and g 

 relate to this chastisement (it seems very much as if g were engaged in 

 the very act) I leave uncertain. 



The kindling of fresh fire, which plays so important a part in 

 the Perez calendar given by Stephens, is indicated by the implement 

 held by «, c, /', and g, which Mr Dieseldorff distinctly recognizes as 

 the soplador, or fire kindler, still in use. The personage l> seems to 

 be the actual kindler of the fire, since he holds the wooden fire drill in 

 his hand ; in the Perez calendar the fire-kindler is a special official. It 

 is with h that Ave find sign 4, so often met w-ith, wdiich plays so great 

 a part and is apparently connected with fire, for instance, in the Dres- 

 den codex, pages 4c to 5c; perhaps it even designates the rising flame. 

 This glyph appears twice more in our picture ; first, as sign 17, where 

 it has a prefix, apparently that of the north, and, secondly, as sign 21, 

 where it also has a prefix, Avhich apparent!}^ occui"s three times in the 



