October 7, 1892.] 



SCIENCE. 



199 



and short lines, are numerals; the next three lines are day char- 

 acters with accompanying red numerals; and the two lower lines 

 are numerals (the outline or hollow numerals are red in the origi- 

 nal). Taking the series by columns, we observe that each pair of 

 glyphs, reading downwards, has its own series of numerals and 

 day symbols. Hence we conclude that each pair forms a sentence, 

 and that here the reading is downward or by columns. 



Taking the left-hand column, we interpret it as follows, beginning 

 with the character at the top: Kilchalac, " Malignant ulcer, sore, or 

 wound." The next character below, Bancimil, "Pest, mortality, 

 fatal epidemic." Before proceeding, it is necessary to remark 

 that the first character as given in the figure is slightly erroneous. 

 The little circle over the hatched portion has, in the original, the 

 little parallelogram and two dots characteristic of the I (see Sci- 

 ence, July 33, 1893, p. 44, Fig. 1, No. 13c). Continuing down- 

 wards we have next one dot = 1, then four dots = 4, theu a short 

 line and four dots = 9, then a short line and three dots = 8. 

 Next is ISCib, then ICaban, then 2Ezanah, three days with their 

 accompanying numbers. Lastly, below these we have the red 

 numeral, 8, and black numeral, 17, denoting 8 months and 17 

 days, the period which intervenes between two columns. It is 

 only necessary to say here that the black numerals immediately 

 below the text in this column denote 24 years, 9 months, and 8 

 days (see explanation in " Aids to the Study of the Maya Codices," 

 6th Ann. Rep. Bur. Eth.). 



As this series, which runs through several plates, is divided, 

 with few exceptions, into periods of 8 months and 17 days, it is 

 reasonable to assume, if the text bears any relation thereto, that 

 the portion of the text in a given column refers to something oc- 

 curring in the period of 8 months and 17 days denoted by the 

 lower numeral symbols. This gives us a clue to the signification 

 of the two written characters at the top, which, taken in connec- 

 tion with what follows below, may be read " At this time occurred 

 the deadly ulcer pest." 



Verj' often, in addition to the general aids above mentioned, 

 we find special aids relating to particular cases. This is true in 

 this instance. We observe to the left of the face of the second 

 character-, a small corkscrew figure which, according to oui- in- 

 terpretation, must have & as its chief phonetic element. If we 

 look below in the same column at the symbols for Oib and Cuban, 

 we see the same corkscrew figure in each, and find b as a phonetic 

 element of each. 



Turning next to the third column from the left of our figure, 

 we observe that the upper character is the second M symbol of our 

 letter-list (Science, July 33) and that immediately below it are 

 five dots. As Ho is the Maya word for " five,"' we may translate 

 the whole symbol by Homah, "To submerge, overwhelm, beat 

 down and destroy dwellings and other things, and to unroof 

 houses." The second character is slightly incorrect in the figure, 

 as it tacks a slender x-shaped figure in the right portion of the 

 glyph ; and the little figure in front of the eye of the animal-head 

 should represent a rod passing through a little circle. This char- 

 acter we render by the Maya word Chaac or Chac because the 

 head is like that of the Chac figure as shown in theTroano Codex. 

 C/taac or Cftac signifies "The tempest or tornado." Connected 

 with the time symbols below, the interpretation will be, "At this 

 time, or during this period, occurred a tempest which unroofed 

 houses and destroyed dwellings." The little character in front of 

 the eye of the second character is the lightning symbol, — the 

 proof, however, of this must be omitted as it cannot be given 

 without the introduction of several figures. 



The two characters at the top of the seventh or next to the 

 right-hand column, we translate as follows: Bulzah, "To inun- 

 date or be inundated." Tamculul, "Deep, profound." That is 

 to say, "At this time the land was inundated to a great depth." 

 The upper part of No. 3 is imperfect in our figure in not having 

 a slight opening at the right end. 



This hunting out of the lexicons Maya words to suit characters 

 is of course mere childish play unless based upon a legitimate and 

 scientific process. 



First, from the second element in the symbols for the east and 

 west cardinal points and of the month Yaxkin I obtain the hiero- 

 glygh for Kin or Ei' . This forms the first part of the character 



I have translated above — Kilchalac — and gives us the ki or 

 Ml ; the little circle above (corrected as suggested) is Landa's I ; 

 in the hatched portion of the right character I find the ch which 

 is seen in the symbols for chiechan and Pax, in one as ch (soft) 

 and in the other as a; (sh). Thus we have kil, ch', V. Of the 

 next character translated we find the h in the corkscrew figure in 

 front of the face, — as seen in Cib and Caban. The ciynil symbol 

 is seen in the face character. The signification of the chaac 

 symbol is determinable independently of its phoneticism. It is 

 found in Dres. 71c, 730, and 73p, where its relation to the tempest 

 is evident. The Ho in Homah has not been verified, the dots 

 may be, and I am inclined to believe are, used as a determina- 

 tive or simply to indicate the aspirate; I can only assert positively 

 that it is soine word relating to the effect of the tempest, the prin- 

 cipal phonetic element of which is m, and that the five dots 

 below give better results as h than with any other phonetic ele- 

 ment. 



As the crucial test of attempts to decipher is that the characters 

 shall give like results in new combinations, I present some 

 specimens to show that my interpretations hold good in what 

 seems to be a sufficient number of cases to justify or at least 

 to furnish some basis for the claim made. The incompleteness of 

 our lexicons and the probability that the language in which the 

 codices are written is archaic must be borne in mind. It is, there- 

 fore, more than likely that very many cases will occur where, 

 although we may know the chief phonetic element of each part 

 of a compound character, we cannot interpret the whole. This 

 will undoubtedly be true unless there are indications of the minor 

 elements which have not as yet been discovered. 



Let us take, for example, the m of my letter-list — shown here 

 in Fig. 3. It is the same as the symbol of the day, Ymix, in 

 which we find m a leading phonetic element. Fig. 3 (Dres. 50")' 

 is the symbol for the month Mac. It is possible and even proba- 

 ble that this symbol, which here varies slightly from the conven- 

 tional form, should be rendered Camach or Camaach, signifying 

 "the jaws," as this appears to be the true name of the month. I 

 was at first inclined to believe that Landa's character for this 

 month was but a conventional symbol probably intended to repre- 

 sent the mouth, but am now convinced that it is phonetic. 



I have asserted in a previous communication that Landa's 

 symbol for ma is correct, but I should have said that it will be 

 correct if the strokes indicating the m are inserted in the little 

 circles at the ends. In our Fig. 0, taken from the lower end of 

 the line in Dres. 69, we see possibly the original from which this 

 author's symbol for the month Mac was taken, as it is used at 

 this point to indicate the month. Here we see these strokes very 

 distinctly, and in the ends of the lower character the little paral- 

 lelograms indicating the a, hence we render the symbol by Maach, 

 an abbreviation of Camaach, as given by Perez. Is there not in 

 this fact a very strong indication, if not positive proof, of pho- 

 neticism ? 



The compound character shown in Fig. 4 is found in Tro. 

 9*15 and 10*=. It occurs in the latter twice, the parts, however, 

 reversed in the parallel groups (as unfortunately in our figure), 

 while in that of 9*b one part is placed above another. These 

 variations do not necessarily indicate a difference in the phonetic 

 value. Omitting the prefix U, this may be rendered Makcab, " To 

 eat honey without chewing (that is, by sucking) ; to break into a 

 bee-hive and steal the honey." As the parts Cab and Mak have 

 the same signification when separate, the reversal of the parts of 

 the symbol does not change the signification. By turning to the 

 plates of the Tro. codex on which the symbols are found, the ap- 

 propriateness of this rendering will be at once apparent. There 

 we see the twisted red symbols denoting the fire, kindled beneath 

 the bee-houses or hives, by which to smoke out the busy little 

 workers. At least it is thus I interpret these figures. 



Fig. 6 (Cort. 37a, Tro. 14b and «, etc. ) : Xamach, ' ' A vessel, a 

 large earthen pot." It is also applied to the olay vessel in which 

 tortillas were cooked. After the introduction of metallic vessels 



■ The abbreviations, Dre3. for Dresden Codex, Tro. for Troano Codex, and 

 Cort. for Cortesiau Codex, are used iu the remainder of the article. The let- 

 ters, a, b, c, and d, followlu; the pages indicate the tranverse divisions begin- 

 ning with a lor the upper one. 



