116 MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 



far considered contain the syllable kin and their hiero- 

 glyphs contain the sign kin. Now this kin sign also ap- 

 pears in many undeciphered hieroglyphs and in some of 

 these it seems likely that it has a phonetic value. Other 

 signs with definite values in several glyphs are yax, tun, 

 zac, etc. This general method of writing is seen in more 

 decipherable form among the Aztecs. The glosses of the 

 early priests that have proved so great a help in the case 

 of the Aztecan writing are absent from the few Mayan 

 documents. 



Codices. Only three ancient Mayan books or cod- 

 ices are known to exist and these are more or less incom- 

 plete. They have all been reproduced in facsimile and 

 are known by the following names: Dresden Codex, 

 Peresianus Codex, Tro-Cortesianus Codex. 



These illuminated manuscripts are written on both 

 sides of long strips of amatl paper, folded like Japanese 

 screens. The paper was given a smooth surface by a 

 coating of fine lime and the drawings were made in black 

 and in various colors. From the early accounts we know 

 that books were also written on prepared deerskin and 

 upon bark. Concerning their subject matter we are told 

 that the Mayas had many books upon civil and religious 

 history, and upon rites, magic, and medicine. The three 

 books named above have been carefully studied. The}^ 

 treat principally of the calendar and of associated relig- 

 ious ceremonies. 



A page of the Dresden Codex containing some inter- 

 esting calculations is reproduced herewith. The 

 numbers with the digits one above the other are 

 transcribed in two diagrams. In the upper diagram the 

 bar and dot numerals are simply put over into Arabic 

 numerals and the Mayan system of periods or positions 

 is retained. In the lower diagram these numbers are 



