278 BUEEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY (bull. 57 



days treated of in the upper divisions of pages 46-50 of the Dresden 

 Codex. Tlie 14th term (75,920) is the exact number of days treated 

 of in the first two divisions, and finally, the 15th, or next to the last 

 term (113,880), is the exact number of days treated of in all three 

 divisions of these pages. 



This 13th term (37,960) is the first in which the tonalamatlof 260 

 days comes into harmony with the Venus and Solar years, and as 

 such must have been of very great importance to the Maya. At the 

 same time it represents two Calendar Rounds, another important 

 chronological count. With the next to the last term (113,880) the 

 Mars year of 780 days is brought into harmony with aU the other 

 periods named. This number, as just mentioned, represents the sum 

 of all the 39 Venus-Solar periods on pages 46-50 of the Dresden 

 Codex. This next to the last number seems to possess more remark- 

 able properties than the last number (151,840), in which the Mars 

 year is not contained without a remainder, and the reason for its 

 record does not appear. 



The next to the last term contains : 



438 Tonalamatls of 260 days each 

 312 Solar years of 365 days each 

 195 Venus years of 584 days each 

 146 Mars years of 780 days each 

 39 Venus-Solar periods of 2,920 days each 

 6 Calendar Rounds of 18,980 days each 



It will be noted in plate 31 that the concealed starting point of this 

 series is the day 1 Ahau, and that just to the left on the same plate 

 are two dates, 1 Ahau 18 Kayab and 1 Ahau 18 Uo, both of which show 

 this same day, and one of which, 1 Ahau 18 Kayab, is accompanied 

 by its corresponding Initial Series 9.9.9.16.0. It seems not unlikely, 

 therefore, that the day 1 Ahau with which this series commences was 

 1 Ahau 18 Kayab, which in turn was 9.9.9.16.0 1 Ahau 18 Kayab of 

 the Long Count. This is rendered somewhat probable by the fact 

 that the second division of 13 Venus-Solar periods on pages 46-50 

 of the Dresden Codex also has the same date, 1 Ahau 18 Kayab, as 

 its terminal date. Hence, it is not improbable (more it would be un- 

 wise to say) that the series of numbers which we have been dis- 

 cussing was counted from the date 9.9.9.16.0. 1 Ahau 18 Kayab. 



The foregoing examples cover, in a general way, the material 

 presented in the cocHces; there is, however, much other matter which 

 has not been explained here, as unfitted to the needs of the beginner. 

 To the student who wishes to specialize in this field of the glypliic 

 writing the writer recommends the treatises of Prof. Ernst Forste- 

 mann as the most valuable contribution to this subject. 



