234 MAYAN CALENDAR SYSTEMS [eth. ank, 22 



MAYA CiIIRONOLO(4ICAL SYSTEM 



The theory that Goodman has adopted, so far as it relates to t}ie 

 scal3 of units or time periods, as he terms them, may be expressed in 

 the following series, the day being the ])rimaiy iinit: 



Day 1 day 



20 days make 1 chuen 20 days 



18 chnens make 1 ahau 360 days 



20 ahaus make 1 katun 7,200 days 



20 katuns make 1 cycle 144,000 days 



1 3 cycles make 1 great cycle __ 1 ,873,000 days 



73 great cycles make 1 grand era 136,656,000 days 



This scheme is, as was explained in my previous paper, preciselj' the 

 same as that generally accepted, so far as the numbers are concerned, 

 until, in ascending the scale, the number of cycles, or units of the 5th 

 order, forming a great cycle, or unit of the next higher order, is reached. 

 At this point Goodman abandons the vigesimal sj^stem and introduces 

 in one step 13 and in the other 73 as multixiliers — numbers which are 

 absolutely necessary to his theory; for if either be dropped, liis theory 

 falls with it. If these sujjposed time periods are, as I contend, noth- 

 ing more than orders of units in the system of numeration, then we 

 must a.ssume that the vigesimal sj'stem was followed. To this point 

 attention is directed, and although it is discussed somewhat at length 

 in my previous paper, there is other evidence bearing on the question, 

 which will be introduced here. It was shown there that one series 

 in the Dresden codex recognizes 20 cycles to the great cycle (I shall 

 continue to use these terms merely for convenience, to indicate the 

 orders of units). A more careful studj- of that codex shows that there 

 are other series which also furnish conclusive evidence on this point. 



The theory, therefore, which I shall attempt to show is the correct 

 one is that in both the Dresden codex and the inscriptions the viges- 

 imal system was maintained throughout, excei^t onlj^ in the second 

 step; not only that 20 ahaus make 1 katun and 20 katuns make 1 

 cycle, but also that 20 cj-cles make 1 great cj'cle and 20 great cj'cles 

 1 next higher step, should the count extend so far. 



Before we consider the examples which are to be introduced as evi- 

 dence in support of this theorj^ it will be best, in order to see more 

 cleai'ly the bearing and the force of this evidence on the question, to 

 present an explanation of the order of succession of the great cycles 

 when the vigesimal sj-stem is followed, that is, when 20 cycles are 

 counted to the great cycle. 



As the day Ahau is found to be the first day of several, in fact most, 

 of the initial series of the inscriptions, and is that adopted by Good- 

 mau as the beginning of his grand era, as also of his great c.ycles, I, 

 for the present, assume it as the initial day of the latter iieriods. 



According to his scheme of counting 13 cveles to each of these 



