1799 
The Mayas particularly excelled in architecture and 
art, and they were the only race in the new world to 
develop a written language. Of their numerous dei- 
ties, Itzamna, the creator of mankind, was held to be 
the" chief , and Yum Kaax,the Maize God, who is portrayed 
as having for his headdress a sprouting ear of corn 
surrounded by leaves, symbolic of growth, may well be 
called the god of agriculture. 
Prom the ancient Maya stock have sprung the twenty 
or more tribes which today occupy Guatemala. They are 
agricultural peoples , intelligent and industrious. The 
avocado is one of their favorite foods, and is called, 
in various dialects, oh, okh, un, on, and so forth. 
In selecting the names for the varieties Intro- 
duced Into the United States from Guatemala, an effort 
was made to choose words which would not be unreason- 
ably difficult of pronunciation, and which would, in 
as many cases as possible, have appropriate meanings. 
Several were named for Maya deities;one for an Indian 
who assisted in the work of introducing them; and in 
half a dozen instances, appropriate names were chosen 
from the Kekchi dialect of the Alta Vera Paz, an im- 
portant avocado-growing region of northern Guatemala. 
Below is the list, with a word of explanation concern- 
ing the derivation of each name: 
ITZAMNA (No. 2), S.P.I. No 55736. Named for the 
chief deity of the Maya Pantheon. Itzamna was consid- 
ered the father of all other gods, and the creator of 
mankind. He was the founder of the Maya civilization, 
the inventor of writing and books , and the great healer. 
LAMAT (No. 3), S.P.I. No. 43476. This name is that 
of one of the twenty days of the Maya calendar. The 
hieroglyph which represents it shows, presumably, the 
setting sun. It is also " connected with the - planet 
Venus in some way. 
KANOLA (No. 6), S.P.I. No. 43560. This word is 
used in the Kekchi language of northern Guatemala to 
mean "sweetheart." It may not be of Maya origin. 
ISHKAL (No. 7), S.P.I. No. 43602. Kekchi word, 
meaning "little girl . " The avocado was so named because 
it was obtained through the aid of an Indian girl; it 
might be termed "the little girl's avocado." 
COBAN (No. 8), S.P.I. No. 43932. Named for the 
town of Coban, capital of the department of Alta Vera 
Paz in northern Guatemala, where the parent tree ..is 
growing. Coban is one of the most important Indian 
towns of Guatemala. 
KASHLAN (No. 10), S.P.I. No. 43934. A Kekchi word 
