24. Initial Series, Secondary Series, and Period-ending dates on Stela E (west side), Quirigua 235 25. Calendar-round dates on Altar 5, Tikal 240 26. Initial Series on Stela N, Copan, showing error in month coefficient 248 27. Page 12 of the Dresden Codex, showing tonalamatls in all three divisions 254 28. Page 15 of the Dresden Codex, showing tonalamatls in all three divisions 260 29. Middle divisions of pages 10 and 11 of the Tro-Cortesiano, showing one tonalamatl extending across the two pages 262 30. Page 102 of the Codex Tro-Cortesiano, showing tonalamatls in the lower three divisions 263 {xii} 31. Page 24 of the Dresden Codex, showing Initial Series 266 32. Page 62 of the Dresden Codex, showing the Serpent Numbers 273 FIGURE 1. Itzamna, chief deity of the Maya Pantheon 16 2. Kukulcan, God of Learning 17 3. Ahpuch, God of Death 17 4. The God of War 17 5. Ek Ahau, the Black Captain, war deity 18 6. Yum Kaax, Lord of the Harvest 18 7. Xaman Ek, the North Star God 19 8. Conflict between the Gods of Life and Death (Kukulcan and Ahpuch) 19 9. Outlines of the glyphs 22 10. Examples of glyph elision, showing elimination of all parts except essential element 23 11. Normal-form and head-variant glyphs, showing retention of essential element in each 24 12. Normal-form and head-variant glyphs, showing absence of common essential element 25 13. Glyphs built up on a phonetic basis 28 14. A rebus. Aztec, and probably Maya, personal and place names were written in a corresponding manner 29 15. Aztec place names 30 16. The day signs in the inscriptions 38 17. The day signs in the codices 39 18. Sign for the tonalamatl (according to Goodman) 44 19. The month signs in the inscriptions 49 20.