90 A STUDY OF THE MANUSCRIPT TEOANO. 



US very strongly of the triangles on the outer circle of the Mexican calendar 

 stone, and, although these are at the head of the animal, while those are at 

 the tails of the serpents, I think it probable they have the same significa- 

 tion — the completion of the cycle. This opinion, I believe, is confirmed 

 by the figures at the left of the same compartment. Here we observe two 

 falling figures. The lower, pale brown, with cords on his arms and legs, is 

 being dashed to pieces on the pyramidal pile, on which he falls, as shown 

 by the blood which is streaming over it. The upper one is white, the side 

 of the head marked with a sinuous line, as that in the lower right-hand 

 corner of the lower division of Plate XXIII. That these two figures sym- 

 bolize periods of time can scarcely be doubted, the dark one striking the 

 pyramid that which is expiring. The four steps of the pyramid probably 

 denote "indications" or "weeks of years," and, hence, all taken together 

 represent the cycle. In the dai'k base we see a sigmoid character similar to 

 that which Landa gives for the letter N, which may possibly be the symbol 

 for the Maya word Noh, "grand." Here we see that one of the steps is 

 black, which is the characteristic color of one of the four dominical days 

 and of one of the four plates of the Manuscript. These facts, I think, are 

 sufficient to warrant us in assuming that the whole pyramid represents the 

 cycle, and is, no doubt, the "monument" raised at the termination of this 

 period, in reference to which Perez makes the following remark: "This 

 period of fifty -two years was called by the Indians Katun, and at its conclu- 

 sion great feasts were celebrated, and a monument was raised, on which a 

 large stone was placed crosswise, as is signified by the Avord Kaf-fun, for a 

 memento and record of the cycles or Katunes that had elapsed." 



The two falling figures probably represent years, the dark one the 

 closing year of one cycle or other period and the white the first of the fol- 

 lowing. I am led to this conclusion from the strong resemblance of the 

 white figure to those in the lower right-hand corner of the lower division 

 of Plates XXII and XXIII, which I have supposed represent the Uayeyab 

 idols. 



At the top of tlie left-hand, or day, column of Plate XX, and else- 



A 9 « 



where in these four plates, we find this unusual red character' 



