‘THE HOTUN. 579 
period-endings was inaugurated, and the original custom of erecting them after the 
events they memorialized had taken place, as evidenced by the casuality of the 
dates of the earliest monuments as opposed to the periodicity of the dates of the 
- great majority of the later ones, was discontinued. 
It must not be concluded that important dates, not coinciding with period- 
endings, were never recorded. On the contrary, many such were, as for example 
the important date 9.16.12.5.17 6 Caban 10 Mol at Copan, 9.14.13.4.17 12 Caban 
5 Kayab and 9.15.6.14.6 6 Cimi 4 Tzec at Quirigua, 9.11.12.7.2 2 Ik 10 Pax and 
9.13.9.14.15 7 Men 18 Kankin at Piedras Negras; 9.15.10.17.14 6 Ix 12 Yaxkin at 
Yaxchilan, and 9.12.10.5.12 4 Eb 10 Yax, 9.12.15.13.7 9 Manik o Kayab, and 
9.14.1.3.19 3 Cauac 2 Pop at Naranjo. But the important point in all these cases 
is that these casual dates (with the exception of 9.16.12.5.17) are never the con- 
temporaneous dates of the monuments upon which they are recorded, but are 
always prior thereto, the contemporaneous date in each case being a subsequent 
period-ending. ‘Thus, for example, at Quirigua four different monuments begin 
with the date 9.14.13.4.17 12 Caban 5 Kayab, but Secondary Series in each case 
bring forward the beginning dates to subsequent period-endings which are in each 
case the corresponding contemporaneous date of the monument, i.¢., Stela J 
g9.16.5.0.0; Stela F, 9.16.10.0.0, Stela E, 9.17.0.0.0, and Zobmorph G, 9.17.15.0.0. 
By beginning their inscriptions with such dates as these, or reaching them by 
Secondary Series elsewhere in the texts, the Maya were able to record events of 
astronomical or historical importance to them, but upon monuments which were 
erected at fixed predetermined periods. ‘The period-markers were in effect, 5, 10, 
or 20 year almanacs issued at the ends of these respective periods, which covered 
important matters that had come to pass therein, or even earlier. 
The unit of their chronological system first selected for this important purpose 
was probably the katun, or 20-year period, in spite of the fact that all our earliest 
examples are of lahuntuns, but as the Maya waxed in strength, wealth, and pros- 
perity they were able to erect monuments more frequently, and presently this 
interval was cut in half, and the lahuntun-endings were similarly commemorated. 
Still later, as we have seen, this interval was again cut in half at some cities, 
and every hotun or 5-year period marked by the erection of a corresponding monu- 
ment. And thus the matter continued throughout the Old Empire. As the suc- 
ceeding hotun-endings came around, all over that considerable region from Palen- 
que and Ocosingo in the west, across the valleys of the Usumacinta, Lacantun, 
Pasion, and Motagua Rivers, and the rolling plains and interior drainage area of 
northern Peten to Quirigua and Copan in the southeast (see plate 1), on the same day 
monuments were being dedicated, with elaborate and impressive ceremonies we 
may feel sure, at all the occupied cities. Especially was this true of every fourth 
hotun, the katun-endings which from first to last throughout both the Old and the 
New Empires continued to be of greater importance than first, second, or third 
hotun-endings. For proof of this see the several maxima in figure 70 at 9.11.0.0.0, 
9.13.0.0.0, 9.14.0.0.0, 9.15.0.0.0, 9.16.0.0.0, 9.17.0.0.0 and 9.18.0.0.0. 
At first the hotun-endings were marked by stelz exclusively, but later, as at 
Quirigua for example, low boulderlike stones were used, the so-called zodmorphs, 
and elsewhere even small altars, and finally, toward the end of the Old Empire, 
when the Maya were truly at their cultural zenith, their esthetic and intellectual 
apogee, whole temples were dedicated, especially at the katun-endings.' 
> 


1£xamples of this are the dedication of Temple 10 at Piedras Negras in 9.12.0.0.0, of the Temples of the Cross, 
Foliated Cross, and Inscriptions at Palenque in 9.13.0.0.0, of Temple 214 and the Reviewing-Stand in the Western 
Court at Copan, and of Temple 10 at Yaxchilan in 9.17.0.0.0, of Temple 17 at Naranjo in 9.18.0.0.0, and of Temple 
I at Quirigua in 9.19.0.0.0. 
