708 



CENTRiiL AMERICAN HIEROGLYPHIC WRITING. 



pictographic representations such as are seen in the spaces below the 



text or lines of glyphs in plate iii. 



An important class of characters consists of those which as is now 



known denote numbers. These are of two quite distinct t3'pes; one, 



which is the usual form, found in both the inscriptions and the codices, 



but more abundantly in the 

 latter, consists chiefl}^ of 

 dots and short lines. Thus . 

 (one dot) signifies 1; .. (two 

 dots) signify 2, and so on 

 up to -i; 5 is indicated by a 

 single short straight line, 

 thus — ; 10 by two similar 

 lines, and 15 by three similar 

 lines. To represent 6 the 

 traight line and one dot • ; for 7 a straight line 

 Eleven was denoted by two straight 



Fici. 2. — Symljuls for number 



Ma3'a scribes used a 



and two dots, and so on to 9. 



lines and a dot; 12 by two straight lines and two dots, and so on 



to 19, which was represented thus ' ' - ' . The lines and rows of dots 



are usually horizontal in the codices, the dots above as shown here, 



but in the inscriptions, where they ar(> always attached to glj'phs, are 



mostly perpendicular 



r 



and placed at the left 

 side, as at T 17 and U 

 17, plate I (the columns 

 in the figure being de- 

 noted ])y letters at the 

 top and the horizontal 

 lines by figures at the 

 side as in a reference 

 map). 



The numeral sym- 

 bols of this type do 

 not appear to have 

 been used for a greater 

 number than 19, other 

 characters and relative 



position also, as will be <^>^^<^3I>'^^«^^ <S^ ^^ ^^' 

 shown, being used for 



!• 1 1 T- Fig. 3.— Symbols for 0, or full count. 



nigner numbers. Line 



and dot numerals of two colors are quite conunoii in the codices, the one 

 class black, the other red; but the red characters are not usi^d (except in 

 a single luiexplained instance) to denote a number greater than 13, and 

 refer almost exclusively to the numbers given to the days, as explained 

 on a subsequent page. This is one instance, at least, in which color 



