iv PREFACE. 



losophers, thoroughly vei'sed in science and general knowledge, but were 

 Indians, who through some influence, whether introduced or indigenous, 

 had made considerable advance in certain lines of art and science. But 

 these lines, as I believe, were few and limited, relating chiefly to architect- 

 ure, sculpture, painting, and the computation of time. 



As an examination of the Manuscript soon satisfied me that it was, to 

 a great extent, a kind of religious calendar, I found it necessary first to dis- 

 cuss the Maya chronological system in order to make use of the numerous 

 dates found in the work — a fact that will explain why so many pages of the 

 first part of the paper are devoted to this subject. 



The results of my investigations are summed up at the close of this 

 preface. I find the work consists of two parts: first, a calendar giving the 

 dates of religious festivals running through a long period of time, in all 

 probability a grand cycle of thi-ee hundred and twelve years, together with 

 brief formulas; second, an illustration of the habits, customs, and employ- 

 ments of the people. But these two subjects are mingled together through- 

 out the Manuscript; the first including most of the characters or hiero- 

 glyphics around the spaces; the second the figures in the spaces. 



One omission in my paper will be observed by those who are familiar 

 with the subject, that is, the failure on my part to notice and account for, in 

 the Maya chronological system, the surplus days of the bissextile years. This 

 omission on my part has been intentional. I can find no plan by which to 

 insert them in the series, numbering them as the others, without interfering 

 with that order which is essential to the system itself. I have therefore 

 proceeded u^^on the assumption that they are added as uncounted days, and 

 hence intei-fere in no way with the regular order. If I am mistaken in this 

 conclusion, considerable modification in my tabular arrangement of the 

 years may be necessary, even though the general plan be correct. 



A very serious drawback to the attempt to explain the written char- 

 acters or hieroglyphics has been the lack on my part of a knowledge of the 

 Maya language. Such a knowledge I do not claim; therefore, in this part 

 of the work, the best I could do was to quote from the lexicons, as there 

 given, such words as I found it necessary to refer to. The propriety of 

 attempting anything in this direction without this knowledge may be justly 



