THE MAY \\ CIVILIZATION 



L29 



monuments in their artistic order we find that the in- 

 scribed dates in the great majority of cases fall in the 

 same order. This leads us to conclude that the dates 

 are practically contemporaneous with the carving and 



setting up of the monu- 

 ments. Now the above is 

 especially true when the in- 

 scription gives a simple In- 

 itial Series date. When more 

 than one date is given the 

 historic one appears in most 

 instances to be the latest, 

 but in a few instances it ap- 

 pears to be a specially em- 

 phasized intermediate date. 

 In addition, then, to con- 

 temporaneous dates there are 

 some that refer to the past 

 and others that refer to the 

 future. 



Some writers have assum- 

 ed that the stelae and other 

 inscribed monuments were 

 primarily time markers set 

 up at the end of hotun (or five 

 year) periods. This seems 

 an unnecessarily narrow view. We can demonstrate 

 that some inscriptions deal with astronomical facts 

 covering long stretches of time. It is also apparent that 

 many of the sculptures represent conquests and it is 

 extremely likely that portraits of actual rulers are to be 

 seen in certain carvings. It would be too much to ex- 

 pect events to happen regularly at the end of time 

 periods and as a matter of fact we find at different cities 



ated date- that do not occupy such positions. 



Fig. 49. Late Sculpt urc from 

 Chichen Itza. The headdress 

 resembles that worn by the 

 rulers on the highlands of 



Mexico. 



