THOMAS] FIRST YEAR OF THE AHAU. 39 



ceding and the first cycle of tlie following grand cycles. As I have as- 

 sumed that the cycle (and hence the great cycle) commenced with the 

 year 1 Cauac, it follows that, in carrying out the above supposition, the 

 first Ahau of the series must also begin with this year. The divisions be- 

 tween the Ahaues are marked on the table by transverse solid black lines. 

 The point at which the first great cycle ends and the next (which is given 

 complete) begins is marked thus : :o:^ . I next locate the fore- 

 going groups of years so as, if possible, not to clash with each other, and 

 also in such a manner that the period represented by a group shall fall 

 within one of the Ahaues marked off on the table. 



Each group is surrounded by a continuous dark line, so as to be easily 

 distinguislied from other periods marked on the same table; they are also 

 numbei'ed at the sides thus: (11), (i^O) 0\ (''^)i i^)t these numbers corre- 

 sponding with the day numbers by which the different groups were 

 obtained. 



These groups, each consisting of twentj' years, not only fall within the 

 lines marking the Katunes, but come in regular succession, leaving four 

 uncounted years between each two periods — two belonging to one and two 

 to that which follows. In other words, while the Katun or Ahau as a whole, 

 according to the theory upon which I am now proceeding, always com- 

 menced with a Cauac year, the twenty "counted years" in the present 

 example begin with a Muluc year. But, as appears from what has already 

 been shown, this is not always true in regard to these periods, yet it is gen- 

 erally the case. 



If we observe carefully the five figures in the first or uppermost division 

 of the plates under consideration, we see that they correspond in character 

 to those in the second division to which we have just alluded, and that the 

 black numeral is also the same, (11). The only red numerals recognizable 

 are the 13 over the long-nosed god on Plate XXX, the 8 facing the left- 

 hand figure on Plate XXXI, and the 2 over the left-hand figure on Plate 

 XXX. According to the arrangement of the numbers in the second divis- 

 ion, those in this division would be 8, 6, 4, 2, 13, reading from left to right. 

 If we assume these numbers to be correct, and the days to be Eb, Kan, 



