Page:A Study of the Manuscript Troano.djvu/95

Rh of the 8th Ahau is the year 1435, and that by adding-the 43 years—the number Perez has antedated the death of Ajpula—all the dates agree substantially, and also drop into their proper places in the Maya Calendar.

As the authorities to whom Perez refers obtained their information from the Indians, the date was as a matter of course given according to the Maya method of reckoning time; hence the "year 7 Cauac and 8th Ahau" are most likely to be correct. It is very probable this was the date of some notable event in the history of that people, and as it gives when corrected the year 1435, I am of the opinion it relates to the destruction of Mayapan, which, according to the manuscript translated by Stephens, occurred in the 8th Ahau.

Another error arising from this mistake on the part of Perez was that he was forced to place the death of Ajpula in the 6th year of the 13th Ahau, instead of in the 18th as given by his manuscript, in order to get it in 4 Kan. An examination of Tables No. XVIII and XIX, which are constructed according to his theory, will show that there is no Ahau but, number I, in which 4 Kan is the 18th year. This is true no matter where we commence dividing the grand cycle, according to his idea.

As Table XVIII commences the division with the last year of a grand cycle, I have given at the same place another (XIX) on his plan, commencing with the fourth year of this period, in order to illustrate the above statement.

Taking into consideration all the evidence I can obtain bearing upon the points now under consideration I am forced to the following conclusions:

1st. That the series of years began with Cauac.

2d. That the first year of a grand cycle was also the first year of an Ahau.

3d. That the thirteen Ahaues of a grand cycle were numbered as shown in Table XVII.

4th. That they were numbered according to the number of their first years respectively.

But it is best perhaps for me to call attention here to the following facts in reference to the numbering of these periods.

First. That the division of the grand cycle according to the plan I