The American Egypt Part 18

It will be noticed that the Mayan year fell short of the Solar Year by five days five hours 48 minutes 497 seconds. This was made up by adding five days to the completion of each year, and these are known as "intercalary" days, thus making a year of 365 days, which the Mayans called _haar_. But although the Mayans knew how to count up to twenty, they did not always use this as a time-count. The year was divided up into weeks of 13 days, which were arranged irrespective of the twenty day-names, which were as follows: (1) _Kan_, (2) _Chicchan_, (3) _Cimi_, (4) _Manik_, (5) _Lamat_, (6) _Muluc_, (7) _Oc_, (8) _Chuen_, (9) _Eb_, (10) _Ben_, (11) _Ix_, (12) _Min_, (13) _Cib_, (14) _Caban_, (15) _Ezenab_, (16) _Cauac_, (17) _Ahau_, (18) _Imix_, (19) _Ik_, (20) _Akbal_. Thus it would seem that if the week began with _Kan_, it would finish with the 13th day _Cib_, and a new week would start with the 14th month-day _Caban_ as the first day. This cutting up of the year, irrespective of the months, into "weeks" of thirteen days involved further difficulties at the end of the year. At the end of an _ahau_ (360 days) there would have been twenty-seven of these 13-day weeks with an odd nine days. Again, after the "interlacery" days had been added and the solar year was complete, there would be twenty-eight 13-day weeks and one odd day.

To further complicate matters these Mayan time-counts disclose yet another week of five days; but this works in with the 20-day months, the _ahau_ (360 days), and the solar year accurately, so that it is easier to understand. From these generally accepted statements we draw up the following table, showing the days and months as they would appear to make up the solar year.

+---------+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+ |Names |P |U |Z |Z |Z |X |Y |M |C |Y |Z |C |M |K |M |P |K |C |N o| |of |o |o |i |e |e |u |a |o |h |a |a |e |a |a |o |a |a |u |u f| |Months. |p |. |p |s |e |l |x |l |e |x |c |h |c |n |a |x |y |n |m | | | | |. |s |c |. |k |. |n |. |. |. |. |k |n |. |a |k |b D| | | | | |. |. | |i | |. | | | | |i |. | |b |u |e a| | | | | | | | |n | | | | | | |n | | |. |. |r y| | | | | | | | |. | | | | | | |. | | | | | s| +---------+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+ |Number of| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9|10|11|12|13|14|15|16|17|18| | |Months. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +---------+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+ |NAMES | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |OF DAYS. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Kan | 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3| 1| |Chicchan | 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4| 2| |Cimi | 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5| 3| |Manik | 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6| 4| |Lamat | 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 5| |Muluc | 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 6| |Oc.. | 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 7| |Chuen | 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 8| |Eb.. | 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 9| |Ben |10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 10| |Ix.. |11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 11| |Men |12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 12| |Cib.. |13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 13| |Caban | 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3| 14| |Ezenab | 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4| 15| |Cauac | 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5| 16| |Ahau | 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6| 17| |Ymix | 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 18| |Ik.. | 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 19| |Akbal | 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 3|10| 4|11| 5|12| 6|13| 7| 1| 8| 2| 9| 20| +---------+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+ | |Intercala- |Kan.... |10| 1| | |ted Days to |Chicchan.. |11| 2| | |complete |Cimi.... |12| 3| | |the year |Manik.... |13| 4| | |of 365 days. |Lamat.... |1 | 5| +---------------------------------+--------------+-----------+--+---+

We have followed the generally accepted view and begun the year with the day _Kan_, though some students follow Mr. J. T. Goodman in his belief that _Ik_ represents the first day. Whoever is right, it is certain that the year can begin with its first day-name only once every four years.

If a year begins with _Kan_, it must, as shown in our table, inevitably finish with the day _Lamat_. Thus the following day, the first in the New Year, would be _Muluc_. In the same way the second year will finish with _Ben_ and the third year will commence with _Ix_. This will finish with _Ezenab_ and the new one would commence with _Cauac_ and finish with _Akbal_, when _Kan_ would again begin the year. In Goodman's theory these days would change. The beginning days would be _Ik_, _Manik_, _Eb_, and _Caban_; while the last days of the year would be respectively _Cimi_, _Chuen_, _Cib_, and _Imix_.

One of the things that the Mexicans seem to have adopted from the Mayans was the twenty-day period. The double meaning of the days of the two countries often is seen in the Zapotec country, where it would seem the knowledge of the Maya Calendar had not entirely died out through the invasion of the Aztec, "unless," says Dr. Seler, "we ought to accept the theory that the Zapotecs or their kindred were those among whom the calendar was invented, and by whom the knowledge of it was originally communicated to both the Mexicans and the Mayas" (_Bureau of American Ethnology Report, Bulletin_ 28, p. 274).

DAY SIGNS

[Ill.u.s.tration]

1st. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Kan._ D. G. Brinton says this was the word in Maya to denote polished stone, sh.e.l.l pendant, or bead. It was their medium for bartering. Seler says it represents an eye, Bra.s.seur de Bourbourg a tooth, and Sch.e.l.lhas a grain of Indian corn.

2nd.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

_Chicchan._ Brinton thinks this day was called after the Maya _chich kuck_, "twisted thread," whilst Bra.s.seur thought it to represent a woven petticoat and Seler a "serpent's skin."

3rd. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Cimi._ Supposed to have its root in _cimil_, "closed in death."

4th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Manik._ "A hand in the act of grasping," now spoken of in Maya as _mach_.

5th. [Ill.u.s.tration]

_Lamat._ Generally supposed to have had its origin in _lamal kin_, "sun-setting."

6th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Muluc._ Having same root as month _Mol_, probably _molay ik_, "the winds united."

7th. [Ill.u.s.tration]

_Oc._ Brinton says it means "footprints," but Bra.s.seur says the Maya word _oc_ means "dog."

8th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Chuen._ Brinton says it was derived from _chi_, "with fangs," or _chu_, a calabash. Bra.s.seur and Seler say it is a monkey, Sch.e.l.lhas "a snake." We would say this came from _chi_, "mouth,"

and is to represent a snake's mouth.

9th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Eb._ In Maya means "ladder," but the glyph is supposed to represent "an old man."

10th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Ben._ Brinton suggests the lines across the glyph to represent a "wooden bridge," Maya _be che_, Seler a mat or straw roof, and Bra.s.seur "a path," _be_.

11th. [Ill.u.s.tration]

_Ix._ Seler has seen in this the "spotted skin of a jaguar," while Brinton derives it from _xiix_, "scattered grain-husks."

12th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Men._

13th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Cib._

14th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Caban._ Said by Brinton to mean the "cork-screw curl" of women.

15th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Ezenab._ Probably represents the flint sacrificial knife known by the same name.

16th. [Ill.u.s.tration]

_Canac._ Seler thinks this the sign of the _Moan_ bird.

17th. [Ill.u.s.tration]

_Ahau._ Supposed to be the "conventional drawing of the full face."

18th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Imix._

19th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Ik._ Meaning air, breath, soul, or life.

20th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Akbal._ It is suggested that this has a near resemblance to _akab_, meaning in Maya, "night."

MONTH SIGNS

1st. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Pep._ Brinton says means "mat."

2nd. [Ill.u.s.tration] _No._ Suggested as meaning a "p.r.i.c.kly pear" or frog.

3rd. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Zip._

4th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Zodz._ Brinton says means "bat," and Seler has later connected it with Maya "Bat G.o.d."

5th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Tec_ or _Tzec_.

6th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Xul._

7th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Yaxkin._ In Maya means "new moon or high sun."

8th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Mol._ Probably derived the same as day name _Muluc_.

9th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Chen._ Means "spring or well."

10th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Yax._ Known as the "feather sign."

11th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Zac._ Meaning "white."

12th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Ceh._ Meaning in Maya, "deer."

13th. [Ill.u.s.tration] _Mac._ The first character is supposed to represent the lid of a jar known as _mac_ among the Mayas. The second character is much like the day sign _Kan_, with a "comb"-shaped design underneath.