THOMAS] INITIAL SERIES OF QUIRIGUA INSCRIPTIONS 205 



their details eaii not be traced witli eertaiuty, I will overlook this for 

 the present and will try to get the data iieeessaiy to determine their 

 value. 



Let ns suppose at first that the miiirner \-alue of uo one of them has 

 been ascertained. The first step will be to count back fi-oni the date 

 following the next numeral series, in which the numbers are of the 

 ordinary type. Although the symbol interpreted Tzec is too much 

 worn to be determined fi'om the photograph, I accept the drawing, 

 which seems to indicate this month, as the artist had an opportunity 

 of inspecting the cast. The date will therefore be Cimi 4 Tzec. The 

 j)receding number series is i:!-9-!), or 1.'] ahaus, !) chuens, '■> days, and 

 equals i,SW days. By counling back from Cimi 4 Tzec (year 1 

 Akbal) we reaeli 1-2 Caban o Kayab (year 13 Ben), the concluding 

 date of the initial series as given by Goodman. This, if Ihe month 

 symbol of the second date has been correctly interpreted Tzec, gives us 

 the value of the number symbols attached to the first date, 12 Caban 

 5 Kayab (glyjjlis and 7, plate Lxxi). Although these glyphs, as 

 seen in the photograph, are scared}' distinct enough to be used in 

 comparison, they are more clearlj' shown in the drawing, and present 

 some characteristics which will assist us, especially that one (glyph 

 7) denoting 3, attached to the month symbol, where the supei'flx is a 

 form of the ordinary ahau symbol. As neither of these is repeated 

 in the initial series, they aff'ord us no aid in determining other face 

 numerals of the series. 



It ma.y be well, before proceeding fai-ther with our examination of 

 the series, to ascertain what data are necessarj- to determine the num- 

 bers of the time periods in an initial series, and this can best be done 

 by examples. Here we have, supposedly, as the initial date, 4 Ahau 

 8 Cumhu (year 8 Ben), the first day of (Toodnum's fifty-fourth great 

 cycle; and 1-2 Caban 5 Kayab is the concluding date of the series. 

 That these two items are not sufficient to determine the intei'mediate 

 time periods will be admitted without question. 



Let us suppo.se, as a means of further test, that the numbers of 

 chuens and days, "4 chuens 17 days," given l)y Goodman, are correct. 

 That ii cycles, 14 katuns, 1 o ahaus, 4 chuens, an<l 17 days, when counted 

 forward fi-om 4 Ahau 8 Cumlui, will bring ns to 12 Caban .5 Kayab, 

 as is maintained In" <Toodman, is true, as may easily Ix' simmi by mak- 

 ing the calculation. 



Days 



9 fycle.s . 1.396,000 



14 katuns. 100. SOO 



1 :', iihan.s _ 4 . (iso 



4 chuens 80 



IT (lays 17 



Total 1.401.577 



Subtract 73 calendar rounds 1 , 385, 540 



Remainder .. 16.037 



