186 THE INSCRIPTIONS AT COPAN. 
Ceh, the best reading being Yax. Tabulating the foregoing values, we will 
have: 
ar _ Initial Series introducing glyph 
BI 9 cycles 
A2 12, 13, or 14 katuns 
B2 16 tuns 
CI 7 uinals 
DI 8 kins 
C2 3 Lamat 
G2 16 Chen, Yax, Zac, or Ceh 
Using the three values of the katun-coefficient possible, we will obtain 
the following readings: 
9.12.16.7.8 3 Lamat 16 Yax 
9.13.16.7.8 1 Lamat 16 Tzec 
9.14.16.7.8 12 Lamat 1 Uayeb 
As the day-coefficient is surely 3, the month-coefficient surely 16, and 
the month-sign probably Yax, the first is not only the best but also the only 
reading possible here, and we may safely accept 9.12.16.7.8 3 Lamat 16 Yax 
as the date of this altar. 
That Altar K was formerly associated with a stela seems doubtful, 
since no hotun-ending is recorded upon it. It should be noted that the day 
of the Initial Series terminal date is Lamat, one of the five days on which 
the Venus year could end, and the Venus-sign itself actually appears as the 
variable element in the Initial Series introducing glyph. As already noted 
in connection with a Calendar Round date on Stela 23 (see p. 150), and 
elsewhere here at Copan, the sign for Venus is sometimes used as a substi- 
tute for the day Lamat, perhaps indicating some sort of a relation between 
this day and this planet. Examples of this use will be pointed out as they 
occur. 
Few of the remaining glyphs are familiar. Q2@ and r2a (north side) 
each record 4 katuns, though the connection between these and the rest of 
the text is unknown. There are 8+-10+8+10=36 glyph-blocks in the text. 
ALTAR H’. 
Provenance: Original position uncertain. Now at the southern 
end of the Western Court, at the northeastern corner 
of Mound 14 of the Acropolis, Main Structure. (See 
plate 6.) 
Date: 9.13.0.0.0 8 Ahau 8 Uo.! 
Text, drawing: plate 237.4, 0,4) 
References: Galindo, 1834, Appendix XI, p. 597. 
Gordon, 1896, p. 15. 
Maudslay, 1889-1902, vol. 1 of text, p. 24. 
Altar H’ is 2.26 meters long, 1.40 meters wide, and 36 cm. thick. It 
now lies in the Western Court of the Main Structure at the northeastern 
corner of Mound 14. It is broken into four pieces, three small and one 

' For other monuments recording this same hotun-ending, see Appendix VIII. 

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