CHAPTER IX. 



INSCRIPTIOiilS ON THE PALENQUE TABLET. 



In referring to the Tablet I will make use of Dr. Rail's scheme of num- 

 bering and lettering the characters which is given below. In order to avoid 

 introducing small cuts of separate characters, T have requested that a copy 

 of his plate of the entire Tablet be inserted (Plate IX). 



A slight examination of this tablet is sufficient to convince any one 

 familiar with the characters of the Manuscript Troano that there are here 

 symbols of days and months corresponding almost exactly with those of 

 that work. Whether the Maya calendar was the one used cannot be deter- 

 mined with certainty, but that it was very similar cannot be doubted. I 

 shall assume for the present that it was, but in order that the reader may 

 have before him the data necessary for comparison will Introduce here the 

 names of the days of the Chiapan (or Tzendal) and Soconuscan calendar in 

 the order given by Veytia, and also of the Quiche and Cakchiquel calen- 

 dars as given by Bancroft. 



