210 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 57 



of time than to 9.0.19.2.4 2 Kan 2 Yax, tlio Initial-sories date recorded 

 on this lintel. Indeed, while they range from 9 days ^ to 75 years 

 from the former, the one nearest the latter is more than 200 

 years later. This practically proves that 9.16.1.0.9 7 Muluc 

 17 Tzec indicates the ''contemporaneous time" of tills lintel and that 

 9.0.19.2.4 2 Kan 2 Yax referred to some earlier event which took 

 place perhaps even before the founding of the city. And fhially, since 

 this inscription is on a lintel, we may perhaps go a step further and 

 hazard the conclusion that 9.16.1.0.9 7 Muluc 17 Tzec records the 

 date of the erection of the structure of which tliis lintel is a part. 



We may draw from this inscription a conclusion wliich will be 

 found to hold good in almost all cases, namely, that the last date in 

 a text almost always indicates the "contemporaneous time" of the 

 monument upon which it apj^ears. In the present text, for example, 

 the Secondary-series date 7 Muluc 17 Tzec, the Initial-series value 

 of which was found to be 9.16.1.0.9, is in all probability its contem- 

 poraneous date, or very near thereto. It will be well to remember 

 this important point, since it enables us to assign monuments upon 

 which several different dates are recorded to their proper periods in 

 the Long Comit. 



The next example illustrating the use of Secondary Series ■with an 

 Initial Series is the inscription from Stela 1 at Piedras Negras, figured 

 in plate 17.^ The order of the glyphs in tliis text is somewhat irreg- 

 ular. It will be noted that there is an uneven number of glyph 

 columns, so that one column will have to be read by itself. The 

 natural assumption would be that A and B, C and D, and E and F 

 are read together, leaving G, the last column, to be read by itself. 

 This is not the case, however, for A, presenting the Initial Series, is 

 read first, and then B C, D E, and F G, in pairs. The introducmg 

 glyph of the Initial Series appears in Al and is followed by the Initial- 

 series number 9.12.2.0.16 in A2-A6. The student should be per- 

 fectly familiar by this time with the processes involved in counting 

 tins number from its starting point, and should have no difficulty m 

 determing l)y calculation the terminal date recorded in A7, C2, namely, 

 6 Cib 14 Yaxkin.^ Compare A7 with the sign for Cib in figure 16, z, 

 and C2 with the sign for Yaxkin in figure 19, Jc, I. The Initial Series 

 recorded in A1-A7, C2 is 9.12.2.0.16 5 Cib 14 Yaxkin. 



Passing over the glyphs in B3-E1, the meanings of which are 

 unknown, we reach in D2 E2 a number showing very clearly the tun 

 and uinal signs, the latter having two coefficients mstead of one. 

 Moreover, the order of these period glyphs is reversed, the lower 

 standhig first in the series. As explained in connection with the pre- 



ilt is interesting to note in this connection that the date 9.1G.1.0.0 11 Ahau 8 Tzec, wliich is within 9 

 days of 9. Ki. 1.0.9 7 Muluc 17 Tzec, is recorded in four dillerent inscriptions at Yaxchilan,oiie of which (see 

 pi. 9, A) has already been figured. 



2 For the full text of this inscription see Maler, 1901: ii, No. 1, pi. 12. 



3 The month-sign indicator appears in B2 with a coellicieat 10. 



