﻿130 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  DESTRUCTION 
  OF 
  THE 
  WORLX> 
  BY 
  FLOOD 
  AS 
  

   REPRESENTED 
  IN 
  A 
  MAYA 
  HIERO- 
  

   GLYPHIC 
  MANUSCRIPT 
  

  

  The 
  above 
  illustration 
  shows 
  the 
  destruction 
  

   of 
  the 
  world 
  by 
  water 
  as 
  depicted 
  in 
  the 
  

   Dresden 
  Codex 
  (see 
  page 
  121). 
  

  

  Across 
  the 
  sky 
  stretches 
  a 
  great 
  serpent 
  

   belching 
  forth 
  torrents 
  of 
  water. 
  From 
  his 
  

   body 
  hang 
  the 
  sun 
  and 
  moon, 
  both 
  shown 
  as 
  

   in 
  eclipse 
  (note 
  the 
  black 
  and 
  white 
  wings 
  on 
  

   each 
  side 
  of 
  them), 
  streams 
  of 
  water 
  also 
  

   pouring 
  down 
  from 
  them. 
  

  

  Below 
  the 
  serpent 
  is 
  the 
  old 
  Tiger-clawed 
  

   Goddess 
  with 
  a 
  snake 
  head-dress. 
  On 
  her 
  

   skirt 
  is 
  broidered 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  cross-bones 
  — 
  our 
  

   own 
  modern 
  symbol 
  for 
  death. 
  She 
  holds 
  a 
  

   water-jar 
  upside 
  down, 
  from 
  which 
  gushes 
  

   another 
  torrent 
  of 
  water. 
  

  

  Finally, 
  below 
  is 
  the 
  Black 
  Captain, 
  the 
  

   Maya 
  God 
  of 
  War, 
  the 
  Moan, 
  a 
  bird 
  of 
  ill 
  

   omen, 
  perched 
  upon 
  his 
  head, 
  down-pointing 
  

   arrows 
  and 
  a 
  javelin 
  in 
  his 
  hands. 
  

  

  And 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  remembered 
  in 
  this 
  

   connection 
  that 
  no 
  Maya 
  signs 
  of 
  ab- 
  

   stract 
  general 
  meaning, 
  like 
  those 
  in 
  

   group 
  3 
  of 
  the 
  Aztec 
  signs, 
  have 
  as 
  yet 
  

   been 
  deciphered, 
  and 
  only 
  a 
  very 
  few 
  of 
  

   group 
  2, 
  namely, 
  the 
  signs 
  for 
  the 
  names 
  

   of 
  the 
  principal 
  deities 
  (see 
  page 
  127). 
  

  

  If, 
  therefore, 
  as 
  now 
  seems 
  probable, 
  

   we 
  must 
  abandon 
  the 
  idea 
  that 
  the 
  

   ancient 
  Maya 
  recorded 
  history 
  in 
  their 
  

   inscriptions, 
  save 
  only 
  in 
  very 
  abbreviated 
  

   and 
  synoptical 
  allusions 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  events, 
  we 
  may, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  

   console 
  ourselves 
  with 
  the 
  reflection 
  that 
  

   possibly 
  they 
  were 
  more 
  worthily 
  em- 
  

   ployed 
  in 
  recording 
  matters 
  of 
  scientific 
  

   moment, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  

   heavenly 
  bodies. 
  

  

  So 
  accurate, 
  indeed, 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  their 
  observations 
  in 
  this 
  par- 
  

   ticular 
  field 
  that 
  before 
  long 
  we 
  shall 
  

   probably 
  know 
  the 
  ages 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  

   Maya 
  cities 
  more 
  exactly 
  than 
  we 
  will 
  

   ever 
  know 
  the 
  ages 
  of 
  Babylon, 
  Nineveh, 
  

   Memphis, 
  Thebes, 
  Athens, 
  or 
  even 
  of 
  

   Imperial 
  Rome 
  herself. 
  

  

  MAYA 
  CHRONOLOGY, 
  THE) 
  TIME) 
  "YARD- 
  

   STICK" 
  FOR 
  AIX 
  ASSOCIATED 
  CULTURES 
  

  

  Finally, 
  this 
  greatest 
  aboriginal 
  Amer- 
  

   ican 
  writing 
  provides 
  us 
  with 
  a 
  system 
  

   of 
  counting 
  time, 
  a 
  chronological 
  yard- 
  

   stick, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  

   will 
  eventually 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  date 
  all 
  the 
  

   contiguous 
  ancient 
  American 
  civiliza- 
  

   tions 
  as 
  far 
  south 
  as 
  the 
  great 
  cultures 
  

   of 
  Peru, 
  the 
  Inca,* 
  etc., 
  and 
  as 
  far 
  north 
  

   as 
  the 
  Pueblo 
  culture 
  of 
  our 
  own 
  South- 
  

   west. 
  

  

  Indeed, 
  the 
  writer 
  regards 
  it 
  as 
  not 
  

   only 
  possible, 
  but 
  even 
  probable, 
  that 
  the 
  

   comprehensive 
  excavations 
  now 
  being 
  

   undertaken 
  by 
  the 
  National 
  Geographic 
  

   Society 
  at 
  Pueblo 
  Bonito, 
  Chaco 
  Canon, 
  

   New 
  Mexico, 
  may 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  bring 
  to 
  

   light 
  specimens, 
  pieces 
  of 
  pottery 
  brought 
  

   in 
  by 
  trade 
  in 
  ancient 
  times 
  from 
  central 
  

   Mexico, 
  which 
  in 
  turn 
  will 
  be 
  datable 
  in 
  

   the 
  Maya 
  chronological 
  system, 
  and 
  hence 
  

   in 
  our 
  own 
  Christian 
  era. 
  

  

  * 
  vSee 
  in 
  the 
  National 
  Geographic 
  Maga- 
  

   zine 
  "Explorations 
  in 
  Peru," 
  April, 
  1912; 
  "In 
  

   the 
  Wonderland 
  of 
  Peru," 
  by 
  Col. 
  Hiram 
  Bing- 
  

   ham, 
  April, 
  1913; 
  "The 
  Story 
  of 
  Macchu 
  

   Pichu," 
  by 
  Col. 
  Hiram 
  Bingham, 
  February, 
  

   1915; 
  "Further 
  Explorations 
  in 
  the 
  Land 
  of 
  

   the 
  Incas," 
  by 
  Col. 
  Hiram 
  Bingham, 
  and 
  

   "Staircase 
  Farms 
  of 
  the 
  Ancients," 
  by 
  O. 
  F. 
  

   Cook, 
  May, 
  19 
  16. 
  

  

  