----------------------+----------+---------+---------+----------+--------
|1st |2d |3d |4th |5th
|Division |Division |Division |Division |Division
----------------------+----------+---------+---------+----------+--------
1st part, 29 days, | | | | |
beginning with day |4 Ahau |4 Eb |4 Kan |4 Cib |4 Lamat
| | | | |
2d part, 23[251] days,| | | | |
beginning with day |7 Muluc |7 Imix |7 Ben |7 Chicchan|7 Caban
| | | | |
Total number of days |52 |52 |52 |52 |52
----------------------+----------+---------+---------+----------+--------
Applying rule 4 (p. 253) to this tonalamatl, we have: 52 × 5 = 260, the
exact number of days in a tonalamatl.
The foregoing tonalamatls have been taken from the pages of the Dresden
Codex or those of the Codex Tro-Cortesiano. Unfortunately, in the Codex
Peresianus no complete tonalamatls remain, though one or two fragmentary
ones have been noted.
No matter how they are divided or with what days they begin, all
tonalamatls seem to be composed of the same essentials:
1. The calendric parts, made up, as we have seen on page 251, of (_a_) the
column of day signs; (_b_) the red numbers; (_c_) the black numbers.
2. The pictures of anthropomorphic figures and animals engaged in a variety
of pursuits, and
3. The groups of four or six glyphs above each of the pictures.
The relation of these parts to the tonalamatl as a whole is practically
determined. The first is the calendric background, the chronological
framework, as it were, of the period. The second and third parts amplify
this and give the special meaning and significance to the subdivisions. The
pictures represent in all probability the deities who presided over the
several subdivisions of the tonalamatls in which they appear, and the
glyphs above them probably set forth their names, as well as the ceremonies
connected with, or the prognostications for, the corresponding periods.
It will be seen, therefore, that in its larger sense the meaning of the
tonalamatl is no longer a sealed book, and while there remains a vast
amount of detail yet to be worked out the foundation has been laid upon
which future investigators may build with confidence.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account