So far as now understood, there is no relationship between any kind of Amerindian writing and that of other races. Like everything else pertaining to the Amerind people, the development appears to have been purely indigenous. Le Plongeon, however, asserts that “abundant proofs of the intimate communications of the ancient Mayas with the civilised nations of Asia, Africa, and Europe are to be found among the remains of their ruined cities.”[71] The grounds accepted for this statement do not seem to be sufficient to satisfy other investigators. Certainly if there was any inter-communication, it was before the acquirement of iron-working in other countries, as so far no prehistoric iron has been found in the ruins of Yucatan. [Illustration: USUAL TYPE OF SCULPTURED “YOKES,” CENTRAL AMERICA 15½ inches long; 14½ inches wide; thickness, 3½ × 4½ inches Substance: Dark, greenish grey, very compact, chlorite; surface well polished. Carving of a frog or toad W. H. Holmes ] After the coming of the Spaniards, some of the Mayas soon learned their alphabet and the missionaries added, says Brinton, “a sufficient number of signs to it to express with tolerable accuracy the phonetics of the Maya tongue. Relying on their memories, and, no doubt, aided by some manuscripts secretly preserved, many natives set to work to write out in this new alphabet the contents of their ancient records. Much was added which had been brought in by the Europeans, and much omitted which had become unintelligible or obsolete since the Conquest, while of course the different writers varying in skill and knowledge produced works of very various merit. Nevertheless each of these books bore the same name. In whatever village it was written, or by whatever hand, it always was, and to-day still is, called ‘_The Book of Chilan Balam_.’ To distinguish them apart, the name of the village where a copy was found or written is added. Probably in the last century almost every village had one, which was treasured with superstitious veneration.” Sixteen of these curious books are known to exist, but there has never been a complete translation of any of them. The following specimen is from _The Book of Chilan Balam_ of the town of Mani, and is taken from Brinton’s _Chronicles of the Maya_.[72] “_Lai u tzolan katun lukci ti cab ti yotoch Nonoual cante anilo Tutulxiu ti chikin Zuiua u luumil u talelob Tulapan chiconahthan._” Translation: “This is the arrangement of the katuns since the departure was made from the land, from the house Nonoual, where were the four Tutulxiu, from Zuiva at the West: they came from the land Tulapan, having formed a league.”