MORLEY] INTBODUCTION TO STUDY OF MAYA HIEROGLYPHS 



17 



Fig. 2. Kukulcan, 

 God of Learning 

 (note his name 

 glyph, below). 



and life history are so human that it is not improbable he may have 

 been an actual historical character, some great lawgiver and organ- 

 izer, the memory of whose benefactions lingered long 

 after death, and whose personality was eventually dei- 

 fied. The episodes of his life suggest he may have been 

 the recolonizer of Chichen Itza after the destruction of 

 Chakanputun. Kukulcan has been identified by some 

 as the ''old god" of the picture-writuigs (fig. 2), whose 

 characteristics are: Two deformed teeth, one protrudmg 

 from the front and one from the back part of his mouth, 

 and the long tapering nose. He is to be distuiguished 

 further by his peculiar headdress. 



The most feared and hated of all the Maya deities 

 was Ahpuch, the Lord of Death, God "Barebones" as 

 an early manuscript calls him, from whom evil and 

 especially death were thought to come. He is frequently represented 

 in the picture-WTitings (fig. 3), usually m connection with the idea of 

 death. He is associated with human sacrifice, suicide 

 by hanging, death in cliildbirth, and the beheaded 

 captive. His characteristics are typical and unmis- 

 takable. His head is the fleshless skull, showing the 

 truncated nose, the grinning teeth, and fleshless lower 

 jaw, sometimes even the cranial sutures are por- 

 trayed. In some places the ribs and vertebrae are 

 shown, in others the body is spotted black as if to 

 suggest the discoloration of death. A very constant 

 symbol is the stiff feather collar with small bells at- 

 of Death (note his taclied. Thcse bells also appear as ornaments on the 

 namegiyphs,beiow). j^^.^^^^ ^^^.^^^^ ^^^^^ ^Mes. The to US familiar crossbones 



were also another Maya death symbol. Even the hieroglyph of this 

 god (fig. 3) suggests the dread idea for which he stood. Note the 

 eye closed in death. 



Closely associated with the God of Death is the God of 

 War, who probably stood as well for the larger idea of 

 death by violence. He is characterized (fig. 4) by a 

 black line painted on his face, sometimes curving, some- 

 times straight, supposed to be symbolical of war paint, 

 or, according to others, of his gaping wounds. He ap- 

 pears in the picture-wi-itings as the Death God's com- 

 panion. He presides with him over the body of a sacri- 

 ficial victim, and again follows him applying torch antl 

 knife to the habitations of man. His hieroglyph shows 

 as its characteristic the line of black paint (fig. 4). 



Another unpropitious deity was Ek Ahau, the Black Captain, also a 

 war god, being represented (fig. 5) in the picture-writings as armed 

 43508°— Bull. 57—15 2 



Ahpuch, 



Fig. 4. The God of 

 War (note his name 

 glyph, below). 



