﻿THE 
  FOREMOST 
  ACHIEVEMENT 
  OF 
  ANCIENT 
  AMERICA 
  

  

  125 
  

  

  by 
  positions 
  from 
  bottom 
  to 
  top 
  in 
  a 
  

   column. 
  Just 
  as 
  in 
  our 
  decimal 
  system 
  

   the 
  positions 
  increase 
  by 
  a 
  ratio 
  of 
  10 
  

   from 
  left 
  or 
  right 
  of 
  the 
  decimal 
  point, 
  

   viz., 
  units, 
  tens, 
  hundreds, 
  thousands, 
  

   etc., 
  so 
  the 
  Maya 
  positions 
  increased 
  by 
  

   a 
  ratio 
  of 
  20 
  from 
  bottom 
  to 
  top 
  in 
  a 
  

   column, 
  in 
  all 
  places 
  except 
  the 
  third, 
  

   which, 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  400, 
  i. 
  e., 
  1 
  x 
  20 
  

   x 
  20, 
  was 
  360, 
  i. 
  e., 
  1 
  x 
  20 
  x 
  18. 
  This 
  

   single 
  break 
  in 
  an 
  otherwise 
  perfect 
  

   vigesimal 
  system 
  of 
  numeration 
  was 
  

   doubtless 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  desire 
  to 
  bring 
  its 
  

   third 
  term 
  as 
  near 
  to 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  

   solar 
  year 
  as 
  possible, 
  360 
  being 
  much 
  

   nearer 
  to 
  365% 
  than 
  400. 
  Examples 
  of 
  

   higher 
  numbers 
  are 
  given 
  on 
  page 
  126. 
  

  

  uttee 
  or 
  no 
  historical 
  matter 
  in 
  

   maya 
  writings 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  stated 
  that 
  in 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  they 
  

   have 
  been 
  deciphered, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  pos- 
  

   sible 
  to 
  read 
  nearly 
  one-half 
  of 
  the 
  Maya 
  

   hieroglyphs, 
  the 
  Maya 
  inscriptions 
  have 
  

   been 
  found 
  to 
  deal 
  exclusively 
  with 
  the 
  

   counting 
  of 
  time 
  in 
  one 
  way 
  or 
  another. 
  

  

  No 
  grandiloquent 
  record 
  of 
  earthly 
  

   glory 
  these. 
  No 
  bombastic 
  chronicles 
  of 
  

   kingly 
  pomp 
  and 
  pageantry, 
  like 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  Assyrian, 
  Babylonian, 
  and 
  Egyptian 
  

   inscriptions. 
  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  the 
  Maya 
  

   priests 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  con- 
  

   cerned 
  with 
  more 
  substantial 
  matters, 
  

   such 
  as 
  the 
  observation 
  and 
  record 
  of 
  

   astronomical 
  phenomena. 
  Of 
  first 
  im- 
  

   portance 
  to 
  them 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  the 
  dates 
  of 
  the 
  many 
  monuments 
  

   they 
  erected. 
  

  

  These 
  dates 
  are 
  usually 
  recorded 
  at 
  

   the 
  beginnings 
  of 
  the 
  inscriptions, 
  and 
  

   are 
  frequently 
  of 
  such 
  accuracy 
  as 
  to 
  

   fix 
  their 
  positions 
  within 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  

   some 
  370,000 
  years, 
  surely 
  not 
  an 
  incon- 
  

   siderable 
  achievement 
  for 
  any 
  time- 
  

   count, 
  even 
  one 
  of 
  modern 
  origin. 
  

  

  THE 
  MAYA 
  ERECTED 
  THEIR 
  MONUMENTS 
  

   AT 
  INTERVALS 
  OE 
  EVERY 
  1,800 
  DAYS 
  

  

  The 
  Maya 
  monuments, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   ascertained 
  from 
  their 
  dates, 
  were 
  

   erected 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  every 
  1,800 
  days 
  — 
  

   nearly 
  five 
  years. 
  This 
  custom 
  seems 
  

   to 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  general 
  that 
  on 
  several 
  

   occasions, 
  when 
  monuments 
  commem- 
  

   orating 
  specific 
  5-year 
  periods 
  at 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  cities 
  were 
  missing, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

  

  = 
  o 
  

  

  = 
  2 
  

  

  M 
  = 
  3+ 
  io 
  = 
  i 
  

  

  = 
  13 
  

  

  = 
  6 
  

  

  = 
  7 
  

  

  = 
  8 
  

  

  4+10= 
  14 
  

  

  5+10 
  = 
  15 
  

  

  6 
  + 
  10 
  =16 
  

  

  = 
  7 
  + 
  10 
  = 
  17 
  

  

  8+10 
  = 
  18 
  

  

  9+10= 
  19 
  

  

  10 
  

  

  UNKNOWN 
  11 
  

  

  O 
  

  

  12 
  

  

  THE 
  MAYA 
  ARABIC 
  NUMERALS 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Maya 
  head 
  numerals 
  there 
  are 
  14 
  dif- 
  

   ferent 
  types 
  of 
  human 
  heads, 
  representing 
  the 
  

   numbers 
  from 
  o 
  to 
  13, 
  inclusive, 
  although 
  the 
  

   heads 
  for 
  two 
  of 
  these 
  numbers, 
  2 
  and 
  II, 
  have 
  

   not 
  yet 
  been 
  deciphered. 
  The 
  numerals 
  from 
  

   13 
  to 
  19, 
  inclusive, 
  were 
  formed 
  by 
  adding 
  the 
  

   essential 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  for 
  10 
  — 
  i. 
  e., 
  

   the 
  fleshless 
  lower 
  jaw 
  — 
  to 
  the 
  heads 
  for 
  3 
  to 
  

   9, 
  inclusive. 
  Thus, 
  for 
  example, 
  adding 
  the 
  

   fleshless 
  lower 
  jaw 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  for 
  10 
  to 
  the 
  

   head 
  for 
  6, 
  characterized 
  by 
  the 
  "crossed 
  

   bands" 
  in 
  the 
  eye, 
  gives 
  the 
  head 
  for 
  16, 
  viz., 
  

   10 
  + 
  6= 
  16. 
  

  

  