go THE INSCRIPTIONS AT COPAN. 
Only one fragment of Stela 17, the sister monument of Stela 16, has 
been found, and even this small piece has been reshaped for some secondary 
purpose. It was discovered by Morris in May 1912, at the western base of 
Mound 2, onthe lowterrace north of the Great Plaza, while he was searching for 
the missing parts of Stela16. It is 63 cm. long, 38 cm. wide, and 27 cm. thick. 
The fragment preserved is the upper right-hand corner of the monu- 
ment as one faced it (see plate 11, a). In size, style, and treatment it 
very closely resembles Stela 16. Both are executed in the same low relief, 
little more than incised lines; and both have the same type of Initial Series 
introducing glyphs at the tops of their broad faces. The variable central 
element of the Initial Series introducing glyph on the back of Stela 16 is the 
kin or sun, the corresponding element on the front of Stela 17 being the 
moon. Inshort,a very close similarity exists between the two monuments, and 
on the basis of the arrangement of its design it has been assigned to Class 2. 
The inscription on the front opens with an Initial Series introducing 
glyph in ai—p2, which was originally followed by the corresponding Initial 
Series number in a3~as, all of which is now missing except the katun-sign 
and coefficient in B3 and part of the cycle-sign in a3. 
The most important single glyph in determining the age of any Maya 
monument is the katun-sign and coefficient, since by means of this character 
alone any date can be deciphered to within 20 years of its true position at 
the outside. Most fortunately, in this text the katun coefficient is unusually 
clear as 6. (See B3, plate 11, a.) This glyph alone enables us to place the 
date of Stela 17 as falling somewhere in the katun or 20-year period from 
9.6.0.0.0 tO 9.7.0.0.0. 
Unfortunately, the inscription on the back has almost entirely dis- 
appeared, and except for the Initial Series introducing glyph in ci—p2 no 
other signs can be deciphered. 
Although it is impossible to go beyond this point with certainty because 
the rest of the inscription is missing, there are several factors which make 
it probable that Stela 17 dates from 9.6.0.0.0. 
As explained in Appendix VII, the overwhelming majority of Maya 
stele were erected, or at least formally dedicated, at the expiration of hotuns, 
lahuntuns, or katunsinthe Long Count. Because of this fact, therefore, we 
are justified in assuming that the Initial Series of Stela 17 recorded one of the 
four following dates in Katun 6 out of the 7,200 dates, which must be 
admitted as possibilities without this assumption?! 
9.6. 0.0.0 g Ahau 3 Uayeb 
9.6. 5.0.0 2 Ahau 18 Kayab 
9.6.10.0.0 8 Ahau 13 Pax 
9.6.15.0.0 1 Ahau 8 Muan 
In the very early period from which this monument dates, the custom 
of erecting a stela at the expiration of every hotun does not appear to have 
prevailed. Possibly at this early date the priests, or those in whose hands 

1Since there are 7,200 days in any given katun, there are 7,200 possible dates here. 
