THOMAS] THE SIXTEENTH DAY 250 
The Maya and Tzental names, however, present a difficulty not so 
easily explained. The signification of the former is “ wax, gum, or copal 
gum,” and also, according to Henderson, “root.” According to Brin- 
ton the Tzental radical chab means ‘honey, wax, bee, a late meal.” He 
refers, however, to the Cakchiquel, where he finds that cl’ab means 
“mud, clay, mire,” and suggests that ‘as red and black clays were the 
primitive pigments this may connect the Tzental day name with the 
Maya.” Seler, however, derives the Maya name from ci or cii, ‘to taste 
good,” ‘to smell good ;” and as ci is also the name of the maguey plant, 
and likewise refers to the pulque or intoxicating drink from this plant, 
he concludes that ci) must have been formed by the addition of the 
instrumental suffix, and hence refers to that which is used for wine, 
‘‘either the honey, or, more correctly, the narcotic root.” 
This conclusion he thinks is strengthened by the fact that the cork- 
screw figure, which is the chief element of the cib symbol, is found sey- 
eral times on vases or earthen vessels (see LXv1I, 6). Attention is called 
in this connection to the fact that loo in Zapotec signifies ‘‘ root,” which 
is also one of the meanings given by Henderson to the Maya cib, which 
would seem to strengthen Dr Seler’s conelusion. 
The glyph is seldom if ever found in combination with other charac- 
ters or used otherwise than as a day symbol. This, together with the 
fact that it is not found except as a day symbol in the beekeeper’s eal- 
endar in the Troano Codex, would seem to indicate that there has been 
a change in the name of the day since the origin of the symbol; or, on 
the other hand, the symbol has been modified from some older form. 
Nevertheless, there are some indications that it is phonetic and that 
the corkscrew figure has } as its chief element, whether cid be the word 
indicated or not. 
In the symbol for the day Caban (LXv11, 9) we see the same corkscrew 
figure, and observe that b is the chief consonant element of the word. 
In the well-known symbol for woman (LXvV1, 49) there appears the same 
character, usually double, one at the front of the face, the other on the 
back part of the head. I have usually considered this a mere conven- 
tional symbol, taken from the female head, these corkscrew figures 
indicating the rolls of hair. Nevertheless it is possible that it is pho- 
netic, as we see on the cheek the c, ch, or k character heretofore referred 
to. As chup, chupal, and chuplal are names for “woman, female, or 
girl,” the p may replace the } and represent the corkscrew figure. I 
am unable, however, to explain the prefix, which should have the b or 
p sound, or be a determinative. Possibly it may denote pal, signifying 
a young person, though this appears to refer generally to the male sex. 
Henderson, however, prefixes x to give it the signification “ daughter, 
or girl.” 
That the symbol on vessels as shown in LXV, 6, indicates liquid, or 
drink of some kind, is more than probable. It may refer to balche 
(or baleze), the ceremonial drink, the symbol indicating the phonetic 
element 0. 
