566 THE INSCRIPTIONS AT COPAN. 
In 1910 the writer first identified the glyph for this 1,800-day period’ (see figure 
81), and during the field seasons of 1912, 1913, 1914, and 1915 increasing evidence 
as to the widespread prevalence of this custom was accumulated, particularly in 
1914 and 1915, during the course of trips to the Peten region of Guatemala, where 
this phenomenon was noted in 1914 at Naranjo, Ucanal, Ixkun, Seibal, Aguas 
Calientes, Altar de Sacrificios, E] Pabellén, and Piedras Negras, and traces of it at 
Tikal and Yaxchilan, and in 1915 at Cancuen, Itsimte, Flores, Nakum, Benque 
Viejo, and La Honradez? (see plate 1). | 
In 1915, at the meeting of the Nineteenth International Congress of Ameri- 
canists in Washington, these results were summarized in a paper entitled: “The 
hotun as the principal chronological unit of the Old Maya Empire; * where the 
following thesis was presented: 
“The Maya monuments, and especially those of the stela type, seem to have been 
used, perhaps primarily, to mark the passage of time, stele being erected at intervals of 
every hotun (1,800 days), or multiples thereof, such as every lahuntun (3,600 days), or 
katun (7,200 days), throughout the Old Empire, approximately 200 to 600 A. D.’”4 
In this paper, also, the name hotwn® was suggested for the 1,800-day period, 
and lahuntun for the 3,600-day period on the following etymological grounds: 
The Maya called their 360-day period tun, and their 7,200-day period (1.e. 20 X 
360) katun, the latter probably being a contraction for kaltun, kal being the Maya 
for 20, and kaltun, therefore, 20 tuns. Since ho means 5 in Maya, and Jahun Io, on 
the basis of the above parallel the writer suggested hotun and lahuntun as names for 
the periods of 1,800 days and 3,600 days respectively.© ‘The glyph for the former, 
as noted above, is shown in figure 81, the winged-Cauac element representing the tun, 
the bar above 5, and the superfix or prefix having the value of “end of” or “close 
of.” The whole glyph, therefore, may be read as “end of 5 tuns”’ or “end of ahotun.”’ 


Fic. 82.—Glyph for the lahuntun: a, Naranjo, Stela 31; b, Naranjo, Stela 22; c, Naranjo, Stela 24; d, Tikal, 
Temple III; ¢, Tikal, Temple I; f, Seibal, Stela 7; g, Naranjo, Stela 13; h, Copan, Stela F; 7, Naranjo, Stela 
12; 7, Quirigua, Stela F; &, Tikal, Structure 10; /, Piedras Negras, Stela 4; m, Copan, Altar H’; n, Copan, 
Stela 6; 0, Palenque, Temple of the Inscriptions; ~, Copan, Stela 15; g, Copan, Stela P; 7, Quirigua, Stela F; 
5, Copan, Stela J; 4, Copan, Stela A. 
The glyph for the lahuntun (see figure 82) was first identified by Goodman: 
“This glyph occurs immediately after a date that is the beginning of a 1oth ahau [17. ¢., 
the end of a roth tun]. The first character is the sign commonly employed, by itself, to 
denote that circumstance. It is a modification of the quadrated sign for 20 which forms 
its characteristic feature. There are many variants of it—in fact, I doubt if it ever occurs 
twice in the same shape; but, whatever the variation, it never fails to indicate a roth ahau, 
or an even 10 ahau |1. ¢., 10-tun] reckoning.’”” 

Bowditch calls this interpretation doubtful, on the ground that the element 
immediately above the quadrated sign for 20, or better, sign for zero, is sometimes 5, 

‘Although the writer first identified this glyph in 1910, and described it in 1911, owing to his frequent absences 
from the country, publication thereof was delayed until 4 years later. (See Morley, 1915, p. 166 and fig. 67.) 
*Morley, 19154, pp. 343-346. 3Tbid., 19170. 4Tbid., p. 201. 
’This name had been previously suggested in ibid., 1915, p. 166. 
®Morley, 1917), pp. 196 and 197. 7Goodman, 1897, p. 99. 
