"TABLEAU DES BACAB."
Having recently come into possession of Leon de Rosny's late work
entitled "_Les Documents ecrits de l'Antiquite Americaine_,"[1] I find
in it a photo-lithographic copy of two plates (or rather one plate, for
the two are but parts of one) of the Maya Manuscript known as the _Codex
Cortesianus_. This plate (I shall speak of the two as one) is of so much
importance in the study of the Central American symbols and calendar
systems that I deem it worthy of special notice; more particularly so as
it furnishes a connecting link between the Maya and Mexican symbols and
calendars.
This plate (Nos. 8 and 9 in Rosny's work), is entitled by Rosny
"_Tableau des Bacab_" or "Plate of the Bacabs," he supposing it to be a
representation of the gods of the four cardinal points, an opinion I
believe to be well founded.
As will be seen by reference to our Plate No. 1, which is an exact copy
from Rosny's work, this page consists of three divisions: _First_, an
inner quadrilateral space, in which there are a kind of cross or sacred
tree; two sitting figures, one of which is a female, and six characters.
_Second_, a narrow space or belt forming a border to the inner area,
from which it is separated by a single line; it is separated from the
outer space by a double line. This space contains the characters for the
twenty days of the Maya month, but not arranged in consecutive order.
_Third_, an outer and larger space containing several figures and
numerous characters, the latter chiefly those representing the Maya
days. This area consists of two distinct parts, one part containing day
characters, grouped together at the four corners, and connected by rows
of dots running from one group to the other along the outer border; the
other part consisting of four groups of figures, one group opposite each
of the four sides. In each of the four compartments containing these
last-mentioned groups, there is one of the four characters shown in Fig.
1 (_a_ _b_ _c_ _d_), which, in my "Study of the Manuscript Troano," I
have concluded represent the four cardinal points, a conclusion also
reached independently by Rosny and Schultz Sellack.[TN-1]
Before entering upon the discussion of this plate I will insert here
Rosny's comment, that the reader may have an opportunity of comparing
his view of its signification with the opinion I shall advance.
I intend to close this report with some observations on the
criticisms which have been written since the publication of my
"Essay on the Decipherment of the Hieratic Writings," as much,
regarding the first data, for which we are indebted to Diego de
Landa, as that of the method to follow in order to realize new
progress in the interpretation of the Katounic texts. I will be
permitted, however, before approaching this discussion, to say a
word on two leaves of the _Codex Cortesianus_, which not only
confirm several of my former lectures, but which furnish us
probably a more than ordinarily interesting document relative to
the religious history of ancient Yucatan.
The two leaves require to be presented synoptically, as I have done
in reproducing them on the plate [8 and 9[2]], for it is evident
that they form together one single representation.
This picture presents four divisions, in the middle of which is
seen a representation of the sacred tree; beneath are the figures
of two personages seated on the ground and placed facing the
katounes, among which the sign of the day _Ik_ is repeated three
times on the right side and once with two other signs on the left
side. The central image is surrounded by a sort of framing in which
have been traced the twenty cyclic characters of the calendar. Some
of these characters would not be recognizable if one possessed only
the data of Landa, but they are henceforth easy to read, for I have
had occasion to determine, after a certain fashion, the value of
the greater part of them in a former publication.
These characters are traced in the following order, commencing, for
example, with Muluc and continuing from left to right: 6, 2, 18,
13, 17, 14, 5, 1, 16, 12, 8, 4, 20, 15, 11, 7, 19, 3, 9, 10. * * *
In the four compartments of the Tablet appear the same cyclic signs
again in two series. I will not stop to dwell upon them, not having
discovered the system of their arrangement.
Besides these cyclic signs no other katounes are found on the
Tablet, except four groups which have attracted my attention since
the beginning of my studies, and which I have presented, not
without some hesitation, as serving to note the four cardinal
points. I do not consider my first attempt at interpretation as
definitely demonstrated, but it seems to me that it acquires by the
study of the pages in question of the _Codex Cortesianus_, a new
probability of exactitude.
These four katounic groups are here in fact arranged in the
following manner:
[Illustration: FIG. 1.--The four cardinal symbols.]
Now, not only do these groups include, as I have explained, several
of the phonetic elements of Maya words known to designate the four
cardinal points, but they occupy, besides, the place which is
necessary to them in the arrangement (orientation), to wit:
West.
S N
o o
u r
t t
h h
. .
East.
I have said, moreover, in my _Essay_, that certain characteristic
symbols of the gods of the four cardinal points (the _Bacab_) are
found placed beside the katounic groups, which occcpy[TN-2] me at
this moment, in a manner which gives a new confirmation of my
interpretation.
On Plates 23, 24, 25, and 26 of the _Codex Cortesianus_, where the
same groups and symbols are seen reproduced of which I have just
spoken, the hierogrammat has drawn four figures identical in shape
and dress. These four figures represent the "god of the long nose."
Beside the first, who holds in his hand a flaming torch, appears a
series of katounes, at the head of which is the sign _Kan_ (symbol
of the south), and above, a defaced group. Beside the second, who
holds a flaming torch inverted, is the sign _Muluc_ (symbol of the
east), and above, the group which I have interpreted as east. At
the side of the third, who carries in the left hand the burning
torch inverted and a scepter (symbol of Bacabs), is the sign _Ix_
(symbol of the north), and above, the group which I have translated
as north. Finally, beside the fourth, who carries in his left hand
the flaming torch inverted and a hatchet in the right hand, is the
sign _Cauac_ (symbol of the west), and above, not the entire group,
which I have translated as west, but the first sign of this group,
and also an animal characteristic of the Occident, which has been
identified with the armadillo. I have some doubts upon the subject
of this animal, but its affinity with the qualification of the west
appears to me at least very probable.
We see from this quotation, that Rosny was unable to give any
explanation of the day characters, dots, and L-shaped symbols in the
outer space; also that he was unable to suggest any reason for the
peculiar arrangement of the day symbols in the intermediate circle or
quadrilateral. His suggestions are limited to the four characters placed
opposite the four sides, and which, he believes, and I think correctly,
to be the symbols of the four cardinal points. Whether his conclusion as
to the points they respectively refer to be correct or not, is one of
the questions I propose to discuss in this paper. But before entering
upon this, the most important question regarding the plate, I desire
first to offer what I believe will be admitted to be a correct
explanation of the object and uses of the day symbols, dots, &c., in the
outer space, and the intermediate circle of day characters.
If we examine carefully the day characters and large black dots in the
outer space we shall find that all taken together really form but _one
continuous line_, making one outward and two inward bends or loops at
each corner.
For example, commencing with _Cauac_ (No. 31) (see scheme of the plate,
Fig. 2), on the right side, and running upward toward the top along the
row of dots next the right-hand margin, we reach the character _Chuen_
(No. 32); just above is _Eb_ (No. 33); then running inward toward the
center, along the row of dots to _Kan_ (No. 34); then upward to
_Chicchan_ (No. 35); then outward along the row of dots toward the
outer corner to _Caban_ (No. 36); then to the left to _Ezanab_ (No. 37);
then inward to _Oc_ (No. 38); then to the left to _Chuen_ (No. 39);
outward to _Akbal_ (No. 40), and so on around.
Before proceeding further it is necessary that I introduce here a Maya
calendar, in order that my next point may be clearly understood. To
simplify this as far as possible, I give first a table for a single
_Cauac_ year, in two forms, one as the ordinary counting-house calendar
(Table I), the other a simple continuous list of days (Table II), but in
this latter case only for thirteen months, just what is necessary to
complete the circuit of our plate.
As explained in my former paper[3], although there were twenty days in
each Maya month, each day with its own particular name, and always
following each other in the same order, so that each month would begin
with the same day the year commenced with, yet it was the custom to
number the days up to 13 and then commence again with 1, 2, 3, and so
on, thus dividing the year into weeks of thirteen days each.
For a full explanation of this complicated calendar system I must refer
the reader to my former paper. But at present we shall need only an
understanding of the tables here given. I shall, as I proceed, refer to
Table I, leaving the reader who prefers to do so to refer to the list of
days marked Table II, as they are precisely the same thing, only
differing in form.