Mexican archæology : $b an introduction to the archæology of the Mexican and Mayan civilizations of pre-Spanish AmericaJoyce, Thomas Athol
History
Mexican archæology : $b an introduction to the archæology of the Mexican and Mayan civilizations of pre-Spanish America
Joyce, Thomas Athol
Mayas -- Antiquities; Mexico -- Antiquities
probable that the Tutul Xiu themselves did not use the long count, but
reckoned time, as in the books of Chilan Balam, by the “short count,”
i.e. by the initial day of the katun alone. It is an interesting fact
that in more than one of the versions we find a statement that, after
their arrival at Chichen Itza, “Pop was first counted in order,” with
the variant “Pop was set in order,” and this is, I think, capable of
explanation in one of two ways. In the first place, it may refer to
some change in the calendar, necessitated by the fact that the absence
of intercalary days had brought the commencement of the year noticeably
out of tune with the seasons. In the second, it may indicate the actual
adoption of the early Maya month-system, which they found prevailing at
Chichen. We may assume, from what evidence exists, that the month-names
were never expressed in dating in the Mexican valley, and we know that
the Tutul Xiu placed their original home within the realm of “Tulan.”
It may be remarked in passing that, whichever explanation be adopted,
this was probably the occasion when the change in the “year-bearers,”
from the early system to the later, was made, and it may further be
noted that such a change would not necessarily affect the katun count.
In any case the essential point on which I would lay stress is that the
initial date at Chichen belongs to the period before the arrival of the
Tutul Xiu. Now the katun expressed in this initial date would be termed
in the short count “katun 3. ahau,” and I think it reasonable to assume
that this corresponds with the last “katun 3. ahau” of the Tutul Xiu
chronology _before_ they arrived at Chichen Itza. It may of course
be earlier, but I think this extremely unlikely, having regard to the
similarity between such buildings as the Monjas group and those of the
central Mayan area. If this assumption be admitted, then the dates of
the monuments can be brought into line with historical chronology as
appears in the Appendix.
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