198 THE INSCRIPTIONS AT COPAN. 
expresses the time between the contemporaneous date of Stela J, 9.13.10.0.0, 
and the end of the current cycle, 7. ¢., Cycle 10: 
9.13.10.0.0 7Ahau 3 Cumhu 
6.10.0.0 
10; 0.0.0.0, .7,Ahaurrs Zip 
The above reading necessitates a correction in the original, namely, the 
introduction of another bar in the month coefficient in Bid 1.h. But as the 
record stands, it is obviously incorrect, since 7 Ahau 13 Zip can not end any 
tun in Cycle 9, except Tun 16 of Katun 1, which is far too early on historic 
grounds, and since the change suggested is the least which can be made, so 
that the passage will be intelligible, it is probably correct. 
A minor point tending to establish its accuracy is the fact that the day 
of the starting-point (7. ¢., the terminal date of the Initial Series) and of the 
terminal date of this Period Ending are the same, namely, 7 Ahau, a not 
infrequent occurrence in counts of this character. It denotes, of course, an 
even number of tonalamatls, 7. ¢., multiples of 260, here, 1,800 of them. If 
correct, the final date, 7. ¢., 10.0.0.0.0, must have been still far ahead in 
the future when it was recorded in 9.13.10.0.0, and in that sense was 
“prophetic.” 
As we proceed, we will find other occurrences of the record of Cycle 10 
here at Copan, which can hardly have been other than prophetic also. 
Thus, for example on Altar 5S, the contemporaneous date of which is 
9.15.0.0.0, the date 10.0.0.0.0.1s recorded (see pp. 227-229), and again, on 
Stela 8, the contemporaneous date of which is 9.17.12.6.2, the same cycle- 
ending is again recorded (see pp. 342, 343). It is probable, therefore, that 
the first two glyph-blocks on the north side of Stela J declare the time which 
had yet to elapse, from the contemporaneous date of the monument to the end 
of the current cycle, 7. ¢., 10.0.0.0.0 7 Ahau 18 Zip, that is, 6.10.0.0; and 
furthermore, that in carving this record, the ancient sculptor to whom the 
task was intrusted made an error of 5 in the month coefficient, omitting one 
bar in Bib 1. h. 
Férstemann’s reading of Ai, B1 seems very far astray: 
“Group a consists of four signs 3'7'. Of these, No. 1, as far as it can be recog- 
nized, appears to be a general introductory sign of a time count, with which the 
inscriptions usually begin. No. 2 is totally destroyed. The third sign I may read 
‘the tenth day of the uinal Zoz [Zotz].’ Finally, the fourth is: VIII 4.1. I admit that 
the reading Manik is uncertain, but I believe my interpretation of Group 0d will 
justify it. 
“If that is correct, we have here the date: VIII 4; 10, 4? (5 Cauac), which 
according to my point of view falls in the year 1496, the beginning year of 2 Ahau, 
and to which the number of days 1,426,507 would belong. Compare my article on 
“The Tenth Cycle of the Mayas’ (Globus, vol. 82, No. 9). 
“We come now to Group J, which also contains four signs. While Group a 
actually contains the beginning date of the inscription, Group b according to my 

! This is the day 8 Manik in Férstemann’s system of notation. 
2 This is the date 8 Manik 10 Zotz in Férstemann’s notation. 
