MORLEY— MAYA SUPPLEMENTARY SERIES 



Were it not for this factor, it would have been possible to construct 

 a much simpler and more accurate arrangement of the 29- and 30-day 

 periods than that presented in pages 51-58 of the Dresden Codex. 

 Thus, for example, a straight sequence of 61 lunar months beginning 

 and ending with a 30-day month gives 1800 days, or exactly 1 hotun. 

 The accumulated error in this period is 1.365 + , or approximately 

 1^3 days, a hotun, and the interpolation of four extra 30-day months 

 every three hotuns would have effected a close correction of the calen- 

 dar. That the ancient Maya did not do this in the Supplementary 

 Series, but that on the contrary they used a system of grouping like 

 that in the Dresden Codex, is probably indicated by the fact that the 

 bar-and-dot coefficients of Glyph C never rise above 6. 



In the further elucidation of this problem the next point to be 

 determined is the sequence of the 29- and 30-day lunar months as they 

 actually occurred. Unfortunately a brief examination of the accom- 

 panying texts shows that the same Initial Series dates are not always 

 accompanied by the same Supplementary Series. Take, for example, 

 Glyph A in the texts shown in Table XII and note how its coeffi- 

 cients vary for the same Initial Series date. 



TABLE XII 









< 









< 



No. 



Site 



Date 



J3 



a. 

 >. 



O 



No. 



Site 



Date 



a 

 O 



62 



Copan 



9.IO.15.O.O 



30 



26 



Yaxchilan 



9.16.IO.O.O 



30 



63 



Copan 



9.IO.15.O.O 



30 



45 



Quirigua 



9.16.IO.O.O 



30 











80 



Copan 



9.16.IO.O.O 



30 



68 



Copan 



9.1 1. O.O.O 



29 



40 



La Honradez 



9.17. O.O.O 



30 



69 



Copan 



9.1 1. 0.0.0 



30 



48 



Quirigua 



9.17. O.O.O 



29 



13 



Piedras Negras 



9.12.2.0.16 



30 



37 



N a ran jo 



9.17.IO.O.O 



29 



14 



Piedras Negras 



9.12.2.0.16 



29 



50 



Quirigua 



9.17.IO.0.O 



29 



24 



Yaxchilanl same 

 YaxchilanJ monument 



9.16. 1. 0.0 



29 



6 



Ixkun 



9.18. 0.0.0 



29 



25 



9.16. 1.0.0 



30 



52 



Quirigua 



9.18. O.O.O 



30 



44 



Quirigua 



9.16. 5.0.0 



29 



39 



Naranjo 



9.18.IO.O.0 



29 



79 



Copan 



9.16. 5.0.0 



30 



54 



Quirigua 



9.18.IO.0.O 



29 



Although the Initial Series date is the same in each pair, and in one 

 case, Nos. 24 and 25, both are from the same monument, the coeffi- 

 cients of Glyph A are sometimes different. This strongly suggests that 



[395] 



