42 



THE ARCHAIC MAYA INSCRIPTIONS. 



FACE SIGN FOR 1. 



Attention is directed to four characteristics of this sign. First in importance, the 

 lock of hair that descends in front of the ear and, curving to the left, extends toward 

 the chin. Second, the peculiar character of the ornament that adorns the ear and 

 projects over the cheek. Third, the forehead ornament — not clearly distinguishable, 

 but never a single piece. Fourth — but occurring only in the last glyph, which is from 

 a Quirigua monument — the curve surrounded by a border of loops at the back upper 

 part of the head. These are all survivals of the original types, 

 which are to be found in the codices — the picture of a woman 

 and one of its abbreviations. The Quirigua glyph has added the 

 characteristic of the abbreviation to those of the woman's head 

 itself. It will be seen that the limitations of glyphs in crowded 

 inscriptions necessitated the carrying of the characteristic lock of 

 hair forward to the chin instead of letting it depend to the waist, as in the full figure 

 of the woman ; but in the images representing 1 on the monuments the lock projects 

 directly from under the chin, having the appearance of a flowing beard, as in the 

 idol of the great stela at Quirigua, and the left-hand 

 one of the four kneeling figures in the tablet of the 

 Temple of the Sun at Palenque. There are two 

 other faces which I believe to represent 1, the chin- 

 lock betokening the character of the former and the 

 forehead sign and pendent ornaments that of the 

 latter. Both faces — one being the central object of 

 worship in the Temple of the Sun tablet and the 

 other the breast ornament or distinguishing emblem of the figure in the large Tikal 

 inscription — are surrounded by signs denoting beginning, a circumstance nearly always 

 occurring with this number in its association with godhead, evidently indicating that 

 the deity it represented was recognized to be the first or leading god of their 

 pantheon. 



