The inscription from Altar 5 at Tikal figured in plate 25 is a case in
point. This text opens with the date 1 Muluc 2 Muan in glyphs 1 and 2 (the
first glyph or starting point is indicated by the star). {243} Compare
glyph 1 with figure 16, _m_, _n_, and glyph 2 with figure 19, _a', b'_. In
glyphs 8 and 9 appears a Secondary-series number consisting of 18 kins, 11
uinals, and 11 tuns (11.11.18). Reducing this number to units of the first
order and counting it forward from the date next preceding it in the text,
1 Muluc 2 Muan in glyphs 1 and 2, the terminal date reached will be 13
Manik 0 Xul, which the student will find recorded in glyphs 10 and 11.
Compare glyph 10 with figure 16, _j_, and glyph 11 with figure 19, _i, j_.
The next Secondary-series number appears in glyphs 22 and 23, and consists
of 19 kins, 9 uinals, and 8 tuns (8.9.19). Reducing this to units of the
first order and counting forward from the date next preceding it in the
text, 13 Manik 0 Xul in glyphs 10 and 11, the terminal date reached will be
11 Cimi 19 Mac, which the student will find recorded in glyphs 24 and 25.
Compare glyph 24 with figure 16, _h, i_, and glyph 25 with figure 19, _w_,
_x_. Although no number appears in glyph 26, there follows in glyphs 27 and
28 the date 1 Muluc 2 Kankin, which the student will find is just three
days later than 11 Cimi 19 Mac, that is, one day 12 Manik 0 Kankin, two
days 13 Lamat 1 Kankin, and three days 1 Muluc 2 Kankin.
In spite of the fact that all these numbers are counted regularly from the
dates next preceding them to reach the dates next following them, there is
apparently no glyph in this text which will fix the position of any one of
the above dates in the Long Count. Moreover, since none of the day parts
show the day sign Ahau, it is evident that none of these dates can end any
uinal, tun, katun, or cycle in the Long Count, hence their positions can
not be determined by the method used in fixing the dates in figure 83, _A_
and _B_.
There is, however, another method by means of which Calendar-round dates
may sometimes be referred to their proper positions in the Long Count. A
monument which shows only Calendar-round dates may be associated with
another monument or a building, the dates of which are fixed in the Long
Count. In such cases the fixed dates usually will show the positions to
which the Calendar-round dates are to be referred.
Taking any one of the dates given on Altar 5 in plate 25, as the last, 1
Muluc 2 Kankin, for example, the positions at which this date occurred in
Cycle 9 may be determined from Goodman's Tables to be as follows:
9. 0.16. 5.9 1 Muluc 2 Kankin
9. 3. 9. 0.9 1 Muluc 2 Kankin
9. 6. 1.13.9 1 Muluc 2 Kankin
9. 8.14. 8.9 1 Muluc 2 Kankin
9.11. 7. 3.9 1 Muluc 2 Kankin
9.13.19.16.9 1 Muluc 2 Kankin
9.16.12.11.9 1 Muluc 2 Kankin
9.19. 5. 6.9 1 Muluc 2 Kankin
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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