SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XX. No. 505 



those mentioned as the same. He had but to look to Fig. 3, same 

 article, to see a diflEerence, but he seems to have criticised the 

 article without having thoroughly read it. There are a number 

 of variations in this little character, whereby different words, as 

 Xaan, Xan, Xocaan, Xolcin, Xolan, etc., are indicated. See, 

 for example, Troano 4*c, 5*o, 7*b, 30*c, 31*o, 33*b, 33*c, 14o; 

 Dresden 4b; all of which differ from one another. I must con- 

 fess that his eyes are sharper than mine if he can find any figures 

 in either of the codices representing a god or any one else beating 

 a drum. This, like other of his assertions in regard to the sig- 

 nificance of other figures, appears to be " merely hypothetical." 



His assertion that Landa's first a is the head of the turtle, I 

 think correct, as I long ago suggested (6th Rep. Bur. Eth., p. 

 348). I think he is also correct in assuming, as I had fireviously 

 done, that his Fig. 6 indicates the Quetzal, and his Fig. 8 the 

 Moo or large parrot (same report, pp. 355 and 356). 



Dr. Seler, in closing his criticisms, expresses the opinion that 

 ' ' it would be far more appropriate to point out the real meaning 

 as to the matter expressed, of each glyph." How are we to de- 

 termine this real meaning ? And by what evidence are we to 

 verify our conclusions ? His efl:orts in this direction appear to be 

 far from satisfactory and lack that proof which brings convic- 

 tion — in fact, in most cases are " merely hypothetical." 



That the writing is largely phonetic can, I think, be proved 

 without the interpretation of a single character. First, we have 

 the statement of the early Spanish writers to this effect, Landa 

 backing his assertion by an attempt to give the letter elements, 

 and by a full series of the day and month symbols, which are 

 verified by the codices. It is not likely that he was wholly in 

 error in regard to the main fact where so many of the details 

 have been verified. It appears from a statement by Father 

 Alonso Ponce, quoted by Dr. Brinton,' that these characters were 

 actually used by missionaries to impart instruction to the natives. 

 In fact, the author quoted says " some of our priests understood 

 and knew how to read them and also to write them." The inter- 

 nal evidence appears to confirm this view. The evident use of 

 the same prefixes and suffixes to different characters leads to this 

 conclusion. The fact that supposed deity symbols are very fre- 

 quently followed by particular characters which may be supposed 

 to indicate certain attributes is another evidence on this point. 

 Other indications of phoneticism are found in the various com- 

 binations of the different elements ; the use in some places of a 

 seemingly conventional symbol to indicate an object (for exam- 

 ple, the head of a figured bird) while in other places a character 

 bearing no resemblance to the object is used ; the fact that the 

 terminal elements of the symbols for east and west are alike, and 

 the final syllables of the words are the same, and also that a like 

 repetition of elements is found in some of the month and day 

 symbols where the sound is repeated, — Cib,Caban; Pax, Chi- 

 clian ; Yaxkin, Yax. Phoneticism appears, also, to be indicated 

 by the fact that different characters are used to indicate certain 

 months. Finally, the general character of the writing seems to 

 forbid the idea that it consists of merely conventional symbols or 

 that it can be explained on any theory short of a degree of pho- 

 neticism. 



Assuming that it is phonetic, we are justified in making at- 

 tempts at interpretation, but these to be successful should, 1 

 think, be based largely on certain considerations which will aid 

 in obtaining correct solutions. Of course, the chief reliance is on 

 the fact that the parts give appropriate results in new combina- 

 tions, but the considerations I mention will furnish some aid in 

 the work. 



First, it is apparent to all careful students of these codices that 

 they are formed upon a conventional plan. This is found to be, 

 in general, as follows : What may be called a series or chapter is 

 preceded by one or more columns of day symbols, over which are 

 the numerals to be attached to them. From these, running along 

 to the right, immediately below the text, is a series of black and 

 red numerals, indicating certain days, as explained in my " Aids 

 to the Study of the Maya Codices" (6th Ann. Rep. Bur. Eth., 

 pp. 275-283). It is apparent from this order, the subdivisions of 

 the plates, the arrangement of the pictures below the text, and 

 > Maya Chronicles, p. 68. 



the method of grouping the written characters (see ■' Study MS. 

 Tro.," pp. 137-138) that the subject of the text (usually arranged 

 in groups of four or six compound characters over a pair of num- 

 erals, one red and one black) refers in some way to the day or 

 period rej^resented by these numerals. Second, very many of the 

 pictures show masked individuals who represent certain deitiesor 

 characters. Even where these pictures refer to the manners, 

 customs, and industries of the people, the mask is usually worn 

 by the male. As the forms of these masks are comparatively 

 limited in number, we soon learn, by the repetition of certain 

 characters in connection therewith, the symbols which denote 

 these personages (or deities, if such they be). Third, there is 

 often a certain parallelism in the groups of a series, which will, in 

 some cases, enable us to determine the general subject of a series 

 where but one or two characters can be deciphered. It will also, 

 in some cases, enable us to decide with every assurance of being 

 correct what certain characters of the series specifically refer to. 

 This, as every one can see, is a great help in the attempts to deci- 

 pher the text. Fourth, the general subject of certain series may 



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be inferred from the pictures; nevertheless, groat caution is nec- 

 essary in using this aid, as the Indian method of representing by 

 figures ideas and actions was far different from that which would 

 be adopted at the present day. The interpretation of a single 

 character of a series will sometimes cast to the winds the conclu- 

 sion we had reached in regard to the subject referred to. Fifth, 

 the postures and clothing of the human figures represented and 

 other details make it evident that the people were Indians in the 

 full acceptation of that term; a fact which should lead us to the 

 conclusion that the purport of the text is of that grade of thought 

 and expression characteristic of the Indian culture-status. Sixth, 

 the natural history and physical conditions and characteristics of 

 the peninsula of Yucatan must be borne in mind; and, lastly, the 

 historical evidence must be referred to, especially Landa's "Re- 

 lacion." 



To illustrate the aid afforded by the first of the foregoing items, 

 and at the same time give interpretations of some characters ref- 

 erence is made to Fig. 1, which is the lower half of PI. 55 of the 

 Dresden Codex^. For the benefit of readers not familiar with the 

 codices, we may state that the two upper transverse lines are 

 glyphs forming the text; the four lines next below, of black dots 



- A copy of the full plate is given on page 310 of the 6th Am. Kep. Bur. Eth. 



