ANIMAL FIGURES IN THE MAYA CODICES 365 



named in the Mexican writings, i.e., by having a glyph show- 

 ing this nearby. Attention has already been called to the 

 fact that here at Chichen Itza, and, especially on this bas- 

 relief, there is much which shows a strong influence from the 

 north. The two figures in Tro-Cortesianus 43a are probably 

 bears. Forstemann (1902, p. 68) considers that they are 

 men masked as Chacs or Bacabs. 



Leaf-nosed Bat (Vampyrus spectrum; Artibeus jamai- 

 censis; or Phyllostomus hastatus panamensis) . Several re- 

 markably diabolical representations of bats (Maya, soo, 

 usually written zotz) occur among the Maya remains. These 

 all show the prominent nose leaf distinguishing the family 

 Phyllostomatidae and, as the Mayas probably used the largest 

 and most conspicuous of the native species for artistic repre- 

 sentation, it is likely that some one of the three species above 

 mentioned is the one here shown. 



The bat had a place in the Maya pantheon. One of the 



Figs. U, 12, 13, 14. 

 GLYPHS FOR MAYA MONTH ZOTZ (BATS). 



months of the Maya year (Zotz) was named after this animal 

 and the glyph for this month shows the characteristic nasal 

 appendage. This is to be seen more clearly in the glyphs 

 selected from the stone inscriptions (PL 38, figs. 1, 2, 4-6) 

 than in those from the codices (text figs. 11-14) although 

 the nose leaf is still visible in the latter. The day sign Akbal 

 (night) occurs as the eye in the figures from the manuscripts. 

 A carving showing the whole body of the bat is used as a 

 glyph in Stela D from Copan (PL 38, fig. 3). This may also 

 represent the Bat god who is associated with the underworld, 

 "the god of the caverns.'^ This god is pictured on the "Vase 

 of Chama" (PL 38, fig. 7) figured by Dieseldorff (1904, pp. 



