Page:Journal of American Folklore vol. 12.djvu/387

 Record of American Folk-Lore. 55

Rosny. This Codex, resembling (but less perfect than) the " Codex Vaticanus," contains a ritual calendar, a tonalamatl or astrological part, and a historical section treating of the events in the Mexican empire during the period 1197-1561 A. d. The MS. itself seems to be a copy of the native paintings dating (to judge by the paper and other evidences) from about 1562.

CENTRAL AMERICA.

Mayan. In the " Verhandlungen der Berliner Gesellschaft fur Anthropologic" (Jahrgang, 1898, pp. 346-383), Dr. E. Seler dis- cusses " Die Venusperiode in den Bildschriften der Codex Borgia- Gruppe." — Part x. ("Archaeology," text 31-38 pp., plates 74-93) of the " Biologia Centrali-Americana," by A. P. Maudslay, published in London in the month of January, 1899, is devoted to the consid- eration of the Temple of the Cross, the Temples of the Sun and the Foliated Cross. Previous numbers dealt with other Palenque re- mains and with the sculptures at Copan. The plates and drawings are most welcome to the archaeologist and enable comparisons to be made between the two series of hieroglyphic and architectural remains. Satisfactory interpretation of the inscriptions is, however, very far from achievement. — In the " American Anthropologist " (vol. i. N. S. pp. 552-561) for July, 1899, Prof. Cyrus Thomas discusses " Maudslay's Archaeological Work in Central America," or rather that portion of it relating to Copan. It is interesting to learn that " at neither Copan nor Palenque are there any indications of war or military achievements," the cities being evidently "sacred centres." It appears, also, that we must "give a still higher estimate of the culture of the Mayas than heretofore." — In the " Zeitschrift fur Ethnologie " (vol. xxx. p. 377) Dr. E. Seler has an illustrated article on " Quetzalcoatl-Kukulkan in Yucatan." The author holds, and supports his thesis with great skill, that Kukulkan represents the influence of Mexico in the Maya country, that he is, in fact, neither more nor less than the Mexican Ouetzalcoatl transplanted into Yu- catan. Dr. Seler detects much evidence of Mexican influence in the architecture and sculptures of Chichenitza and Mayapan.

SOUTH AMERICA.

Araucanian. As a reprint from the " Afiales de la Universidad de Chile," Dr. Rodolfo Lenz publishes " Critica de la Lengua Auca del Senor Raoul de la Grasserie" (Santiago, 1898, pp. 21, 8vo), the same article appearing as " Kritik der Lengua Auca des Herrn Dr. iur. Raoul de la Grasserie," reprinted from the "Verh. des Deutschen wissensch. Vereins in Santiago, Bd. IV." (Valparaiso, 1898, pp. 53, Svo). These articles are a scathing criticism of the

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