﻿THE 
  FOREMOST 
  ACHIEVEMENT 
  OE 
  ANCIENT 
  AMERICA 
  

  

  127 
  

  

  possible, 
  first 
  to 
  predict 
  

   their 
  existence 
  and 
  later 
  

   to 
  have 
  found 
  them. 
  In- 
  

   deed, 
  these 
  intricately 
  

   carved 
  monoliths 
  are 
  

   probably 
  to 
  be 
  regarded 
  

   as 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  5-year 
  

   almanacs 
  in 
  stone, 
  which 
  

   set 
  forth 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  

   dates 
  of 
  their 
  erection 
  or 
  

   dedication, 
  but 
  also 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  lunar 
  and 
  plane- 
  

   tary 
  phenomena 
  as 
  well. 
  

   An 
  example 
  of 
  this 
  

   kind 
  occurred 
  at 
  the 
  

   ruins 
  of 
  Piedras 
  Negras 
  

   last 
  May. 
  After 
  the 
  

   Carnegie 
  Expedition 
  had 
  

   been 
  at 
  this 
  site 
  a 
  week, 
  

   it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  there 
  

   was 
  a 
  corresponding 
  

   monument 
  for 
  every 
  5-year 
  period 
  from 
  

   378 
  to 
  536 
  A. 
  D., 
  save 
  only 
  for 
  the 
  5- 
  

   year 
  period 
  ending 
  in 
  487 
  A. 
  D. 
  

  

  The 
  writer, 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  this 
  condi- 
  

   tion, 
  predicted 
  that 
  a 
  monument 
  would 
  

   surely 
  be 
  found 
  bearing 
  this 
  date 
  ; 
  and 
  on 
  

   May 
  22 
  Mr. 
  O. 
  G. 
  Ricketson, 
  Jr., 
  who 
  

   was 
  mapping 
  the 
  city, 
  discovered 
  the 
  

   beautiful 
  stela 
  shown 
  on 
  page 
  129, 
  which 
  

   the 
  inscription 
  on 
  its 
  side 
  shows 
  was 
  

   erected 
  in 
  9. 
  15. 
  15. 
  o. 
  o 
  9 
  Ahau 
  18 
  Xul 
  

   (487 
  A. 
  D.), 
  thus 
  making 
  the 
  series 
  of 
  

   period-markers 
  at 
  this 
  city 
  complete 
  for 
  

   158 
  years. 
  

  

  This 
  new 
  monument, 
  which 
  was 
  named 
  

   Stela 
  40, 
  is 
  16 
  feet 
  high, 
  4 
  feet 
  wide, 
  and 
  

   \y 
  2 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness. 
  It 
  represents 
  Yum 
  

   Kax, 
  Lord 
  of 
  the 
  Harvests, 
  sowing 
  corn. 
  

   The 
  God 
  is 
  seen 
  dropping 
  grains 
  of 
  corn 
  

   from 
  his 
  extended 
  right 
  hand, 
  the 
  left 
  

   holding 
  the 
  bag 
  from 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  taken 
  

   them. 
  His 
  head-dress, 
  in 
  keeping 
  with 
  

   his 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  Corn 
  God, 
  is 
  a 
  con- 
  

   ventionalized 
  ear 
  of 
  corn. 
  Below 
  there 
  

   is 
  a 
  large 
  human 
  head 
  and 
  shoulders 
  upon 
  

   which 
  the 
  corn 
  is 
  falling. 
  Could 
  this 
  have 
  

   been 
  a 
  Maya 
  conception 
  of 
  the 
  Earth 
  

   Mother 
  receiving 
  the 
  seed 
  she 
  is 
  to 
  

   fructify? 
  

  

  "the: 
  hotun," 
  a 
  great 
  national 
  

  

  HOLIDAY 
  

  

  This 
  prediction 
  of 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  

   monuments 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  their 
  actual 
  dis- 
  

   covery 
  has 
  been 
  repeated 
  elsewhere, 
  nota- 
  

   bly 
  at 
  Quirigua 
  and 
  Naranjo, 
  where 
  the 
  

  

  THE 
  PRINCIPAL 
  GODS 
  OP 
  THL 
  ANCIpNT 
  MAYA 
  

  

  There 
  were 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  twelve 
  major 
  deities 
  in 
  the 
  Maya 
  

   Pantheon. 
  The 
  four 
  most 
  important 
  are 
  represented 
  here 
  with 
  

   their 
  name 
  hieroglyphs 
  below 
  them. 
  From 
  left 
  to 
  right 
  they 
  are 
  : 
  

   Itzamna, 
  the 
  Mayan 
  Jupiter 
  and 
  the 
  Father 
  of 
  Mankind; 
  Kukul- 
  

   can, 
  the 
  Feathered 
  Serpent, 
  Culture 
  Hero 
  of 
  the 
  Itza 
  nation; 
  

   Ahpuch, 
  the 
  Lord 
  of 
  Death 
  (note 
  the 
  fleshless 
  lower 
  jaw 
  used 
  in 
  

   the 
  head 
  numbers 
  for 
  10, 
  14, 
  15, 
  16, 
  17, 
  18, 
  and 
  19) 
  ; 
  and 
  Yum 
  

   Kax, 
  Lord 
  of 
  the 
  Harvest, 
  his 
  head-dress 
  representing 
  a 
  con- 
  

   ventionalized 
  ear 
  of 
  corn. 
  

  

  OTHLR 
  MAYA 
  HIEROGLYPHS 
  

  

  Top 
  row, 
  certain 
  colors 
  ; 
  middle 
  row, 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  heavenly 
  bodies 
  ; 
  bottom 
  row, 
  the 
  cardinal 
  

   points. 
  

  

  sequence 
  of 
  the 
  5-year 
  period-markers 
  

   was 
  at 
  first 
  incomplete, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  

   Piedras 
  Negras, 
  subsequent 
  discoveries, 
  

   however, 
  having 
  filled 
  in 
  the 
  gaps. 
  In- 
  

   deed, 
  the 
  writer 
  regards 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  

   the 
  principle 
  which 
  governed 
  the 
  erection 
  

   of 
  the 
  Maya 
  monuments, 
  namely 
  the 
  5- 
  

   year 
  interval, 
  as 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  contributions 
  to 
  the 
  subject 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  past 
  decade. 
  

  

  A 
  name 
  has 
  been 
  invented 
  for 
  this 
  

   period, 
  "hotun," 
  the 
  Maya 
  word 
  for 
  "5 
  

   tuns" 
  or 
  5 
  of 
  their 
  360-day 
  periods, 
  and 
  

   its 
  hieroglyph 
  has 
  been 
  identified. 
  

  

  The 
  prevalence 
  of 
  this 
  practice 
  of 
  erect- 
  

   ing 
  period-markers 
  throughout 
  the 
  Old 
  

  

  