TOMAR] THE FOURTH DAY 22% 
as on a platter or vessel placed as an offering to some deity, and is often 
given a yellowish tint in these places. That the plant which arises 
from the symbol in these instances is the maize stalk is admitted by - 
Drs Schellhas and Seler, although they do not seem to recognize the 
fact that the symbol represents the grain of maize which gives birth to 
the stalk. However, Dr Seler, in his subsequent paper above referred 
to, concludes that it refers to the seed, dropping his former interpreta- 
tion. Both seem to recognize the whole glyph as a symbol of the stalk. 
Concerning this, Dr Seler says: 
Indeed, we see in Cod, Mendoza the maize shoot employed to express the word acatl, 
“Teed.” I believe that the character kan repeats the Mexican idea, the maize stalk. 
This explains for us the reason why the character kan, as above pointed out, always 
appears among the sacrifices. 
I fail to understand why this authority applies the symbol to the 
“stalk,” when it is the fruit, the ear, the grain, which furnishes food, 
and may therefore be very properly used as the symbol of food. 
In plate Lxy, 5, is presented a copy of one of these corn offerings as 
found on Tro. 9*b. As the vessel containing the offering appears to 
be a vase, pot, or olla, it seems improbable that the offering it contains 
should consist of maize stalks. It is true, however, that instances 
occur, as on plates 21-23, Troano, where the stalk rises from the kan 
symbols contained in a vessel, but these are evidently given in a figura- 
tive sense, as the vessel rests on a serpent. But even here there is 
evidence that the symbol denotes the grain or ear, and not the stalk, 
as in the lower right-hand corner of plate 21 a human figure is repre- 
sented as feeding a bird with the symbol, which can not be construed 
in this instance as representing the stalk.! 
Ximenes, who gives the Cakchiquel name as cat, says it refers to a 
net used for carrying maize, but means “lizard.” Dr Seler, referring to 
this statement, says he strongly suspects that ‘‘the Mexican equivalent 
of this character has furnished him with this interpretation.” He adds 
further that, in his opinion, “it has no connection with the Maya root 
kan, kaan, ‘rope,’ ‘cord,’ ‘ mat-cord,’ and iran—Quiche-Cakchiquel, k’an 
(gan) —‘yellow.’” He believes the Maya term is derived from kaanan, 
kandn, which signifies ‘to be superfluous,” “overflow,” “to abound.” 
Dr Brinton thinks that the Zapotec guache, translated by Seler “frog 
or toad,” is more likely a variant of gurache or gorache, “iguana.” 
It is apparent from these widely different opinions that the significa- 
tion of none of the names, save. that of the Mexican calendar—cuetz- 
pallin, “lizard”—has been satisfactorily determined. 

1Dr Brinton (Primer, p. 116) says the object represeuted by this symbol is ‘‘a polished stone, shell 
pendant, or bead.” This authority considers the dot or eye in the upper part as a perforation by which 
it was strung onacord. If this be true, it is strange that we see them nowhere in the codices strung 
on strings, though necklaces are frequently represented; and that we do see them piled up in vessels, 
see them putting forth shoots and leaves, and see birds and quadrupeds devouring them. Dr Brinton 
himself (p. 123, E. No. 29) gives one of these sprouting kan symbols, which he says ‘‘is a picture of the 
maize plant from Cod. Tro., p. 29... That it is not used ikonomatically here is evident, as kan in Maya 
is not a name for maize or grain of maize. 
