Day Symbols of the Maya Year: Sixteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1894-1895, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1897, pages 199-266. — John Shaqi
Day Symbols of the Maya Year: Sixteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1894-1895, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1897, pages 199-266.Thomas, Cyrus
Religion
Day Symbols of the Maya Year: Sixteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1894-1895, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1897, pages 199-266.
Thomas, Cyrus
Maya calendar
Dr Seler also refers in this connection to the lower line of symbols on
Dres. 29-30b (three of which are shown in plate LXVIII, 15, 16, 17); to
those shown in plate LXVIII, 18, 19, from Tro. 14c; and those shown in
plate LXVIII, 20, 21, from Tro. 11a. He remarks that "in a number of
hieroglyphs the character _imix_ stands as an equivalent of a peculiar
animal head which bears as a distinctive mark the element _akbal_ over
the eye. Thus in the hieroglyphs enumerating those above mentioned
which, standing after the hieroglyphs of the cardinal points, seem to
express the deities presiding over them, indeed there appears here on
the same animal head, on one hand the character _imix_, on the other the
element figure 165" (our plate LXIV, 5).
Although I am unable to interpret satisfactorily the _imix_ symbols in
the places above referred to, I think it can be made apparent that Dr
Seler's explanation is without foundation. For instance, by referring to
the plates of the Dresden and Troano codices mentioned, it will be seen
that there is nothing whatever that refers to an "animal head which
bears the element _akbal_ over the eye," unless we suppose it to be in
plate LXVIII, 16 (from Dres. 29b) and LXVIII, 21 (from Tro. 11a). There
is no figure below or connected with either series to justify this
conclusion. It is also certain that plate LXVIII, 21 (Tro. 11a) is not
an animal head. Possibly plate LXVIII, 16 (Dres. 29b) may be intended
for an animal head, but this is not certain and, moreover, it is not
repeated in the series.
Referring to Cort. 27a it will be seen that the compound glyph shown in
plate LXVIII, 22 (apparently the same as that on Tro. 11a) is repeated
four times in one line, each connected with a cardinal point symbol, and
each standing immediately over and evidently referring to a large
vessel.[209-1] It is stated that it was a custom among the Maya during
certain religious ceremonies to place a vessel in their temples at each
of the four cardinal points.[209-2] As _cum_ and _xamach_ are Maya words
signifying vessel, we still find in these the _m_ sound. It is therefore
possible that the similar glyphs on Dres. 29b and Tro. 14 and 15 also
refer to vessels. The supposition seems to be strengthened by the fact
that connected with the former are figures of the four classes of food
animals--quadrupeds, birds, reptiles (iguana), and fishes. The latter
refer to the hunter's occupation, being accompanied by figures of the
deer. Landa, in his descriptions of the various festivals, repeatedly
alludes to the four Chacs or Bacabs which represent the four cardinal
points, and to the different classes of food animals presented where
vessels were used. It is therefore more likely that the symbol is used
in the places mentioned because of its phonetic value rather than as a
substitute for the heads of lightning animals, for which supposed
substitution Dr Seler admits he can not account.
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