Brinton.] '^^t) [jsfov. 4, 



The poverty of this list was eked out by certain terminations which 

 modified the force of the root, as in Maya pozen, which indicated that the 

 tint was light or shaded toward white (Pio Perez) ; and so Coto gives for 

 the blue color of the sky rax gorogoJi or rax hanahoh (s. v. Azvl), and for 

 brown rax rtiagamoJi, etc. Hence I judge that the deficiency of the color 

 sense above referred to was apparent rather than real. 



The Popol VuJi informs us that there is a spot where four roads meet, 

 each of a different color, the one red, the second black, the third white, 

 and the last yellow or green (pp. 83, 143). This is a reminiscence of the 

 use of the colors as symbols of the cardinal points of the horizon. The 

 same four colors were, according to Landa, used by the Mayas on their 

 "Katun wheel," by which they counted their calendar, and each was 

 sacred to one of the four dominical letters of their calendar. 



The custom of identifying a color with one of the cardinal points was 

 common in Yucatan and Mexico, as well as elsewhere in the New and 

 Old World. It has been studied in both by M. de Charencey, who believes 

 that in Mexico and Central America the original systems were as follows :* 



Quaternary System. Quinary System. 



East, Yellow. South, Blue. 



North, Black. East, Red. 



West, White. North, Yellow, 



South, Red. West, White. 



Center. Black. 



This syjiibolism in the form of its existence in Guatemala has not yet 

 been made out. I observe that in Cakchiquel the term for red, cak, also 

 meant North (cak ig, north wind, Coto. s. v. Ayre). 



The word rax, green or blue, as I have above mentioned, was used also 

 in the sense of strong, violent, great, magnificent. It, in fact, almost lost 

 its meaning as connoting a particular hue, and was applied, for instance, 

 to any precious stone of no matter what color. Thus, says Coto, "a todas 

 las piedras de estima y relucientes llama el indio raxavon, de qualquier 



"color que scan; piedra de anillo, raxavon ru tacli nar a, que es el 



"anillo." 



Both green and yellow were esteemed fortunate colors by the Cakchi- 

 quels, the former as that of the flourishing plant, the latter as that of the 

 ripe and golden ears of maize. Hence, says Coto, they were also used to 

 mean prosperity : "para significar prosperidad usan deste nombre ganal, 

 "y raxal que es verde ; v. g. goh ganal, raxal, o'u chahim Pedro." The 

 god Kanil, is still honored by the Kiches, as the protector of the harvestf. 



Nevertheless, yellow was the color used in mourning, and the bereaved 

 one painted himself with a yellow earth, as we learn from Ximenez : 

 ' • El luto que usaban era untarse de tierra amarilla, de adonde tome el 



* Des Couleurs consideries comme Siymbnles des Points de V Horizon chez les Peuples 

 du Nouveau Monde. Actes de la Socidte Philologiques, Tom. vi. 

 f Scherzer, ubi supra, p. 12. 



