100 MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 
Since there are twenty days or positions in the month 
and likewise twenty distinct day names in the tonalamatl 
that fall in regular order it follows that each day would 
always occupy the same month position were it not for 
oe ono ee 
28 
AMI 
gee 
Kayab 
Fig. 38. The Nineteen Month Signs of the Mayan Year. The 
first example in each case is taken from the inscriptions and the 
second from the codices. The last details are signs for zero. 
the offset at the end of each year caused by the short 
Uayeb period. As it is, any day name occupies the same 
position during the course of an entire year and a position 
five days in advance during the course of the following 
year. Since five is contained four times in twenty there 
can be only four shifts: the fifth year showing the same 
arrangement as the first. The following table gives the 
month positions of each day name during the changes of 
four consecutive years as these are recorded in the 
ancient inscriptions. 
Ik, Manik, Eb, Caban 0,5, 10,15 
Akbal, Lamat, Ben, Eznab 1, 6, 11, 16 
Kan, Mulue, Ix, Cauac y Re sibs oS 
Chicchan, Oc, Men, Ahau 38, 8, 13, 18 
Imix, Cimi, Chuen, Cib 4,9, 14, 19 
Thus Ik occupies 0 position the first year, 5, the second 
