﻿THE 
  FOREMOST 
  ACHIEVEMENT 
  OF 
  ANCIENT 
  AMERICA 
  

  

  129 
  

  

  Empire 
  and 
  its 
  persistence 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  the 
  Spanish 
  Conquest, 
  in 
  1541, 
  

   calls 
  up 
  an 
  interesting 
  picture. 
  We 
  may- 
  

   imagine 
  the 
  closing 
  day 
  of 
  these 
  5-year 
  

   periods 
  as 
  great 
  religious 
  festivals. 
  The 
  

   inhabitants 
  from 
  the 
  surrounding 
  country- 
  

   side 
  gathered 
  in 
  the 
  nearest 
  city 
  to 
  attend 
  

   the 
  dedication 
  of 
  the 
  monument, 
  which 
  

   had 
  been 
  prepared 
  so 
  laboriously 
  and 
  

   painstakingly 
  under 
  the 
  supervision 
  of 
  

   the 
  priests 
  during 
  the 
  previous 
  five 
  years. 
  

  

  They 
  could 
  not 
  read 
  the 
  hieroglyphic 
  

   writing, 
  it 
  is 
  true, 
  but 
  during 
  the 
  dedica- 
  

   tion 
  ceremonies 
  the 
  priests 
  doubtless 
  in- 
  

   formed 
  them 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  astronomical 
  

   phenomena 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  treated. 
  With 
  

   prayers 
  to 
  the 
  gods 
  for 
  rain 
  and 
  fertility, 
  

   with 
  sacrifices 
  and 
  probably 
  religious 
  

   dances, 
  the 
  current 
  period-marker 
  was 
  

   formally 
  dedicated, 
  perhaps 
  we 
  may 
  even 
  

   say 
  "unveiled." 
  

  

  A 
  parallel 
  case 
  would 
  be 
  as 
  if 
  on 
  the 
  

   31st 
  of 
  December 
  every 
  fifth 
  year, 
  say 
  

   in 
  191 
  5, 
  in 
  1920, 
  in 
  1925, 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  

   of 
  our 
  larger 
  cities 
  should 
  congregate 
  in 
  

   the 
  principal 
  squares 
  or 
  plazas 
  of 
  their 
  

   respective 
  centers, 
  and 
  under 
  their 
  city 
  

   authorities 
  and 
  clergy 
  formally 
  dedicate 
  

   monuments 
  commemorating 
  the 
  principal 
  

   events 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  5 
  years, 
  this 
  same 
  cere- 
  

   mom/ 
  being 
  held 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  country 
  on 
  

   the 
  same 
  day. 
  It 
  was 
  in 
  fact 
  a 
  great 
  

   national 
  festival, 
  possibly 
  indeed 
  the 
  

   greatest 
  national 
  holiday 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  

   Maya. 
  

  

  When 
  it 
  is 
  remembered 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  

   beautiful 
  carvings 
  found 
  on 
  these 
  period- 
  

   markers 
  were 
  made 
  with 
  tools 
  of 
  stone 
  

   only, 
  since 
  the 
  Maya 
  of 
  that 
  time 
  had 
  no 
  

   metals, 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  their 
  achieve- 
  

   ment 
  grows 
  and 
  we 
  are 
  lost 
  in 
  wonder 
  at 
  

   the 
  ingenuity 
  and 
  brilliance 
  of 
  this 
  great 
  

   native 
  American 
  people. 
  

  

  THE 
  MAYA 
  INSCRIPTIONS 
  PRINCIPALLY 
  

   ASTRONOMICAL 
  AND 
  CHRONOLOGICAL 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  becoming 
  increasingly 
  apparent, 
  

   as 
  we 
  press 
  our 
  way 
  into 
  the 
  meaning 
  

   of 
  the 
  still 
  undeciphered 
  hieroglyphs, 
  that 
  

   they 
  deal 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  with 
  the 
  subject- 
  

   matter 
  of 
  astronomy 
  and 
  less 
  and 
  less 
  

   with 
  that 
  of 
  history. 
  So 
  much 
  so, 
  in 
  fact, 
  

   that 
  if 
  historical 
  data 
  be 
  present 
  at 
  all 
  on 
  

   the 
  Maya 
  monuments, 
  they 
  must 
  be 
  con- 
  

   fined 
  to 
  brief 
  allusions 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  events, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Aztec 
  

   manuscripts 
  already 
  described. 
  

  

  Courtesy 
  of 
  The 
  Carnegie 
  Institution 
  of 
  Washington 
  

  

  THE) 
  CORN 
  GOD 
  SOWING 
  GRAINS 
  OF 
  TH£ 
  

  

  MAYA 
  STAFF 
  OF 
  LIFF, 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  finest 
  examples 
  of 
  Maya 
  

   stone-carving 
  that 
  has 
  come 
  down 
  to 
  us. 
  It 
  

   was 
  discovered 
  May 
  22, 
  [921, 
  at 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  

   Piedras 
  Xegras, 
  Guatemala 
  (see 
  text, 
  page 
  127). 
  

  

  