286 ANIMAL FIGURES IN THE MAYA CODICES 



Dresden 6c-7c. A column of five day signs occurs in the middle 

 of 6c with a single red dot over it. To the right of this column 

 stretches a horizontal hne of numbers consisting of alternate 

 groups of black and red lines and dots. Under each pair of 

 red and black numbers there is usually a human form and over- 

 each pair a group of four glyphs belonging to the figure below.. 

 Schellhas (1904) has classified the various figures of gods ap- 

 pearing in these vignettes of the tonalamatl and lettered them.. 

 References throughout the paper will be made to the gods by 

 letters and the reader is referred to Schellhas' paper. Animal 

 figures often take the place of these gods as in the second picture 

 in Dresden 7c where the screech owl is shown with human body. 

 The greater number of animal figures in the codices occur in 

 some connection with these tonalamatls. 



Mythological animals. Where figures are shown with 

 human body and animal head standing alone in the place usually 

 occupied by one of the various deities in the tonalamatl, there 

 can be little doubt that they have a mythological meaning and 

 are to be taken, either as gods themselves, or as representing 

 certain of the gods. All of the animals are by no means shown 

 in this position. The screech owl, or Moan bird (as in Dresden 

 10a) appears most frequently in this way. The king vulture 

 (Dresden 8a), the dog (Dresden 7a), and the parrot (Dresden 

 40b) come next in descending importance. The animals repre- 

 sented as copulating (as in Dresden 13c) might also be con- 

 sidered as mythological animals as well as the full drawings of 

 the jaguar (Dresden 8a) and the other animals when they occur 

 alone in the regular vignette of the tonalamatl. The four priests 

 in Dresden 25a-28a should also be regarded as representing, in 

 all probability, the dog as a mythological animal. The idea of 

 worshipping animals as gods in themselves is strengthened by 

 noting the ease with which the Maya people worshipped the 

 horse which was left behind by Cortes in his march from Mexico 

 across to Honduras (Villagutierre, 1701, pp. 100-101). 



Astronomical ideas. Animals frequently have a part to 

 play in relation to the constellations. Throughout the codices 

 and, to a less degree, in the stone carvings, we find what have 



