OF THE BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY. XVII 



The introduction to the paper, by the distinguished anthro- 

 pologist Dr. Daniel G. Brinton, is a perspicuous summary of the 

 amount of knowledge upon the graphic system and ancient 

 records of the Mayas existing prior to the publication of Pro- 

 fessor Thomas's paper. The latter work exhibits admirable 

 industry and felicitous sagacity, bringing to light many im- 

 pressive details in addition to his general conclusions, the most 

 important of which are as follows: 



That the work was intended chiefly as a ritual or religious 

 calendar to guide the priests in the observance of religious 

 festivals, and in their numerous ceremonies and other duties. 



That the figures in the spaces are in some cases symbolical, 

 in others simply pictographie, and, in quite a number, refer to 

 religious ceremonies; but that in many instances they relate 

 to the habits, customs, and occupations of the people. 



That the work appertained to and was prepared for a people 

 living in the interior of the country, away from the sea-shore. 



That the people of the section where it was prepared were 

 peaceable and sedentary, supporting themselves chiefly on 

 agricultural products, though relying upon gins and traps and 

 the chase to supply them with animal food. 



That the execution and character of the work itself, as 

 well as its contents, bear testimony that the people were com- 

 paratively well advanced in the arts of barbaric life. But 

 there is nothing to warrant the glowing descriptions of their 

 refinement and general culture given by some of the earlier 

 as well as more modern writers. They correspond with what 

 might be inferred from the architectural remains in some parts 

 of Yucatan. 



That the characters, while to a certain extent phonetic, 

 are not true alphabetic signs, but syllabic. Some appear to 

 be ideographic, and others simply abbreviated pictorial repre- 

 sentations of objects. They seem, in their several elements to 

 represent different stages of the growth of picture writing into 

 alphabetic writing. 



That the work (the original, if the one now in existence 

 be a copy) was probably written about the middle or in the 

 later half of the fourteenth century. 

 3 eth n 



