60 A STUDY OF THE MANUSCRIPT TROANO. 



"The year of which the dominical letterwas Kan the omen was Hobnil, 

 and, accoi'ding to the behef of the Yucatecs, they both reigned in the region 

 of the south. This year, therefore, they fabricated a hollow image or figure 

 of baked earth, of the idol which they called Kan-u-Uayeydb, and carried 

 it to the heap of dry stones which was on the south side. They elected a 

 chief from the citizens, at whose house they celebrated the feasts of these 

 days. At this ceremony they made also the statue of another god, named 

 Bolon-Zacah, which they placed in the house of the chief elect, in a spot 

 where every one could approach. 



"This done, the nobles, the priest, and the citizens assembled together. 

 They returned, by a road swept and ornamented with arches and foliage, to 

 the two piles of stone, where they found the statue, around which they 

 gathered with much devotion. The priest then perfumed it with forty- 

 nine grains of bruised maize mixed with incense. The nobles placed their 

 incense together in the censer of the idol and perfumed it in their turn. 

 The maize mixed with the priest's incense is called zacah, and that which 

 the nobles present is called chahalte. Having incensed the image, they cut 

 off the head of a fowl and presented to it. 



"When this was finished they placed the statue on a litter called 

 Kante, and on its shoulders an 'angel' as an omen of water and the good 

 year which they should have. As to these 'angels,' they were frightful in 

 appearance. 



"Then they cai-ried the statue, dancing with much gaiety, to the house 

 of the chief, where he found the other statue of Bolon-Zacah. While they 

 were on the way one of them carried to the nobles and the priest a drink 

 composed of four hundred and twenty-five grains of burnt maize, which 

 they called Picula-Kakla, and all partook of it at the same time. Arrived 

 at tlie chiefs house, they placed the image which they carried, face to face 

 with the statue which was already there, and made many offerings of drinks 

 and viands, of meat and fish. These offerings were afterwards divided among 

 the strangers who were present, and they gave the priest only a leg of 

 venison. 



"Others drew blood from themselves by scarifying their ears, and 

 anointed with it a stone which they had as an idol, called Kanul-Acantun. 



