so 



THE ABCHAIC MAYA INSCEIPTIONS. 



of worship is certain. By the features, breastplates, and ornaments of the idols, taken 

 in connection with other numeral signs surrounding them, it is easy to distinguish the 

 t?od 4, the °-od 13, the god 20, and so on. But the favorite or greatest god — the one 

 to whom they built everywhere the most and largest monuments — was the god 1. 

 This is unmistakable, from the fact of the identity of the face and ornaments with that 

 of 1 in the series of face numerals. And it is probable, too, that 1, being the basis of 

 all numeration, should come to be looked upon as the Primal Number — the First 

 Great Cause. Research may yet show that all systems of religion were originally built 

 upon a similar plan of numeral worship. If polytheistic, there need be no limit to the 

 number of gods ; if monotheistic, it is only necessary to suppose that all but the 

 principal deity have been eliminated, and that the god 1 has become the One God. 



ELEMENTS OF THE AHAU SIGNS. 



In illustrating the building up of the period symbols I am compelled to confine 

 myself more particularly to the ordinary form, because the faces are too obscure and 

 variable to be analyzed with anything approaching certainty until we have a better 

 knowledge of Maya symbolism. I shall therefore give but a single example of the 

 heads in each instance. The samples to be given are selected from Stela N, Copan, 

 for the reason they are of a declarative character, showing that they are built upon 

 each other. In the highly ornate initial dates the ahau, katun and cycle are all 

 represented by birds — the one symbolizing the ahau being a most extravagant concep- 

 tion, with legs extending to a length that finds no parallel in nature. Hence it is 

 likely that the arbitrary symbols for the periods had their origin in mythological 

 associations or in some ancient fad for grotesque personification, in either of which 

 cases it will be very difficult to discover the reason for assigning to them the particular 

 values they represented. 



The principal feature in the ordinary symbol for the ahau is that which characterizes 

 the face sign for 5. Besides this there is only a subfix, usually so conventionalized 

 that it has no definable character beyond that of three irregular little blocks or balls ; 

 but wherever it is carefully drawn it is shown to consist of two coils and a squarely- 

 indented centerpiece. As we fiud that in other places the two coils by themselves 

 repre:ent 18, and that the angular centerpiece in other connections has the value of 4, 



