﻿126 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  

  

  m 
  § 
  

  

  11 
  Zac 
  

   February 
  22 
  

  

  

   

   

  

  

   

  

  ou 
  

  

  8 
  Xul 
  

   November 
  11 
  

  

  12 
  Mol 
  

   December 
  25 
  

  

  THE 
  MAYA 
  EQUIVALENTS 
  FOR 
  OUR 
  PRINCIPAL 
  HOLIDAYS 
  

  

  Every 
  day 
  of 
  the 
  Maya 
  year 
  had 
  its 
  corresponding 
  hieroglyph. 
  In 
  1566, 
  when 
  Bishop 
  

   Landa 
  wrote 
  his 
  famous 
  "History 
  of 
  the 
  Things 
  of 
  Yucatan," 
  the 
  Maya 
  year 
  began 
  on 
  July 
  

   16 
  (Old 
  Style) 
  or 
  July 
  26 
  (New 
  Style). 
  On 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  this 
  correlation 
  the 
  Mayan 
  equiva- 
  

   lents 
  for 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  principal 
  holidays 
  are 
  given 
  above, 
  the 
  numbers 
  in 
  bars 
  and 
  dots 
  at 
  the 
  

   left 
  indicating 
  the 
  positions 
  in 
  the 
  months, 
  and 
  the 
  signs 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  the 
  

   corresponding 
  Maya 
  months. 
  

  

  I 
  1 
  

  

  IOX 
  7200= 
  72000 
  

  

  L 
  

  

  OOO 
  

  

  1 
  1 
  

  

  13 
  

  

  xl 
  = 
  

  

  

  

  

  E__ 
  __j 
  

  

  ^13 
  

  

  NUMBER 
  

  

  13 
  

  

  ( 
  \ 
  

  

  OOOO 
  4X20.80 
  « 
  

  

  L 
  

  

  ]5xl 
  = 
  5 
  

  

  [ 
  1 
  5x360=1800 
  

  

  o 
  

  

  6X20= 
  120 
  

  

  O 
  lxi 
  = 
  1 
  

  

  OOP 
  

  

  [ 
  [ 
  8X360 
  = 
  2i 
  

  

  o 
  

  

  I 
  1 
  6 
  X 
  20 
  = 
  120 
  

  

  <c5n> 
  >oxi 
  

  

  75000 
  

  

  THE 
  HIGHER 
  MAYA 
  NUMBERS 
  

  

  Our 
  own 
  arithmetical 
  system 
  is 
  decimal, 
  the 
  values 
  of 
  the 
  terms 
  increasing 
  from 
  left 
  or 
  

   right 
  of 
  the 
  decimal 
  point 
  in 
  a 
  ratio 
  o-f 
  10. 
  The 
  Maya 
  arithmetical 
  system 
  was 
  vigesimal 
  — 
  

   that 
  is, 
  the 
  values 
  of 
  the 
  terms 
  increased 
  from 
  bottom 
  to 
  top 
  in 
  a 
  ratio 
  of 
  20, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  

   case 
  of 
  the 
  third 
  term, 
  which 
  was 
  360 
  (i. 
  e., 
  1 
  X 
  20 
  X 
  18) 
  instead 
  of 
  400 
  (i. 
  e., 
  1 
  X 
  20 
  X 
  20). 
  

   This 
  break 
  in 
  an 
  otherwise 
  perfect 
  vigesimal 
  system 
  was 
  probably 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  desire 
  to 
  bring 
  

   its 
  third 
  term 
  as 
  near 
  to 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  solar 
  year 
  as 
  possible. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  number 
  above 
  is 
  13, 
  i. 
  c, 
  13 
  units 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  order, 
  or 
  13 
  X 
  1. 
  The 
  second 
  

   number 
  is 
  85, 
  which 
  the 
  Maya 
  wrote 
  as 
  5 
  units 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  order, 
  or 
  5, 
  and 
  4 
  units 
  of 
  the 
  

   second 
  order, 
  or 
  4 
  X 
  1 
  X 
  20 
  = 
  80; 
  and 
  5 
  +80 
  = 
  85. 
  The 
  third 
  number 
  is 
  1,921, 
  i. 
  e., 
  1 
  unit 
  

   of 
  the 
  first 
  order, 
  6 
  units 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  order 
  (6X1 
  X 
  20 
  = 
  120), 
  and 
  5 
  units 
  of 
  the 
  third 
  

   order 
  (5 
  X 
  i 
  X 
  20 
  X 
  18 
  = 
  1,800) 
  ; 
  all 
  of 
  which, 
  added 
  together, 
  give 
  1 
  + 
  120 
  + 
  1,800= 
  1,921. 
  

   The 
  fourth 
  number 
  is 
  75,000, 
  {. 
  e., 
  o 
  units 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  order, 
  6 
  units 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  order 
  

   (6 
  X 
  1 
  X 
  20= 
  120), 
  8 
  units 
  of 
  the 
  third 
  order 
  (8 
  X 
  1 
  X 
  20 
  X 
  18 
  = 
  2,880), 
  and 
  10 
  units 
  of 
  the 
  

   fourth 
  order 
  (10 
  X 
  I 
  X 
  20 
  X 
  18 
  X 
  20 
  = 
  72,000) 
  ; 
  all 
  of 
  which, 
  added 
  together, 
  give 
  o 
  + 
  120 
  + 
  

   2,880 
  + 
  72,000 
  = 
  75,000. 
  By 
  this 
  method 
  the 
  Maya 
  could 
  write 
  numbers 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  64,000,000. 
  

  

  