THE FACE NUMERALS. 



47 



FACE SIGN FOR 10. 



The face symbol for this number is always a death's-head, or a face implying death 

 by one or more of its features. In addition, it frequently has upon its cheek a bar 

 between two dots, which in the codices is a variant of the character for the day Cimi, 

 and which indicates 10, wherever found. The marked characteristics that distinguish 

 the face throughout are the skeleton jaw and teeth. All the rest is variable, ranging 

 from a grinning skull to a face whose upper part is quite life-like. I am particular in 

 describing this character, for it will be seen that most of the face signs for the numbers 

 from this point to 20 are simply combinations of the signs for lower numbers with 

 that for 10. Maya numeration in its first stages was singularly like our own — 

 proceeding by distinct designations to ten, followed by two names of uncertain 

 derivation, and thence to twenty by addition of the lower numbers to ten. 



Hun. 

 Ca . 

 Ox . 

 Can . 

 Ho . 

 Uac . 



one 



two 



three 



four 



five 



six 



Uuc seven 



Uaxac eight 



Bolon nine 



Lahun ten 



Buluc eleven 



Lahca twelve 



Oxlahun thirteen 



Canlahun fourteen 



Holhun fifteen 



Uaclahun sixteen 



Uuelahun seventeen 



Uaxaclahun eighteen 



Bolonlahun nineteen 



Hunkal twenty 



The succeeding faces, with a few exceptions, will show that they anticipated us as 

 closely in their style of notation as in that of nomenclature. 



