THOMAS] FESTIVALS AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE IX YEARS. 63 



"This year, of which the dominical letter was Muluc and in which 

 reigned Bacab-Camienal, they regarded as fortunate; for they said that this 

 was the greatest and best of the gods Bacab; also the)'' made him the first 

 in their prayers. With all this, however, the demon inspired them to fabri- 

 cate an idol named Yax-Coc-Ahmut, which they placed in the temple, after 

 having taken away the old statues; they set up in the court which is towards 

 the temple a heap of stones, on which they burnt the incense with a pellet 

 of resin or milk (kik), invoking the idol and asking of him deliverance from 

 the misfortunes of the present year. These calamities were the scarcity of 

 water, the abundance of shoots in the maize, and other things of the same 

 kind. As a remedy for these evils the demon commanded them to offer up 

 squirrels and a cover of cloth without embroidery, woven by the old women, 

 whose office it was to dance in the temple in order to praise the god Yax- 

 Coc-Ahmut. 



"They threatened them still more with a crowd of other misfortunes 

 and evil signs relative to this year, although it was considered fortunate, if 

 they did not accomplish the duties which the demon imposed on them ; one 

 among others was a feast with a dance, which they executed mounted on very 

 high stilts, and a sacrifice which they offered of the heads of turkeys, of 

 bread, and of drinks of maize. It was also imposed on them to present 

 images of dogs in baked earth, carrying bread on the back. The old women 

 were obliged to dance with these images in their hands, and to sacrifice to 

 the god a small dog with black spots, and which was still virgin. Those 

 who were the most devoted to this ceremony were to draw blood from the 

 animal and to anoint with it the stone of the god Cliac-Acantum. These 

 rites and this sacrifice seemed to be very pleasing to the god Yax-Coc- 

 Ahnutr 



"XXXVII. — Sacrifices of the new year at the sign of Yx— Sinister prognostics; 

 how they prevented those results. 



"The year of which the dominical letter was Yx and the omen Zac- 

 Ciui, the election of the chief who celebi'ated the feast being finished, they 

 formed the image of the god called Zac-u-Uayeydb and carried it to the 

 piles of stone where they had left the other, the year before. They mod- 



