ANCIENT CHRONOLOGY OF YUCATAN. 117 



bot arrived. Both had had a recurrence of fever, 

 and vs^ere still very v^eak. In the evening was 

 the carnival ball, but before the company had all ar- 

 rived we were again scattered by the rain. All the 

 next day it was more abundant than we had seen it 

 in the country, and completely destroyed all the pro- 

 posed gayeties of the carnival. 



We had one clear day, which we devoted to ta- 

 king Daguerreotype likenesses of the cura and two 

 of the Mestizas ; and, besides the great business of 

 balls, bull-fights, Daguerreo typing, and superintend- 

 ing the morals of the padres, I had some light read- 

 ing in a manuscript entitled, " Antigua Chronologia 

 Yucateca," " Ancient Chronology of Yucatan ; or, 

 a simple Exposition of the Method used by the In- 

 dians to compute Time." This essay w^as presented 

 to me by the author, Don Pio Perez, whom I had 

 the satisfaction of meeting at this place. I had been 

 advised that this gentleman was the best Maya 

 scholar in Yucatan, and that he was distinguished 

 in the same degree for the investigation and study 

 of all matters tending to elucidate the history of 

 the ancient Indians. His attention was turned in 

 this direction by the circumstance of holding an of- 

 fice in the department of state, in which old docu- 

 ments in the Maya language were constantly pass- 

 ing under his eyes. Fortunately for the interests of 

 science and his own studious tastes, on account of 

 some political disgust he withdrew from public life, 

 and, during two years of retirement, devoted him- 



