File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (17537330754).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo14amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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28 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL so far as the length of the katun is con- cerned, but by another system of naming the katuns the danger of confusing the 260-year cycles is overcome. Dates in the archaic calendar are exact over vast stretches of time. The most valu- able data are found in what is called Initial Series and of these over fifty have been deciphered. The Initial Se- ries is really a number which records the days which intervene between a begin- ning day, in all cases the same, and the day given in the inscription. We count the years from the birth of Christ, the Maya count the days from a beginning day that according to our system falls about 3600 b. c. Nearly all the Initial Series dates known occur at the southern cities of the Maya area but one very important date of this sort occurs at Chichen Itza. Indeed it is this date which has made possible a correlation of the archaic Maya calendar with the calendar used in the Books of Chilan Balam. But dates that are simply dates mean very little; to be of value they must be associated with events. Now while we can read the dates in Maya inscriptions, we can do verv little with the remaining
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Photo by F. M. Chapman Temple of the Tables showing sculptured door jambs and stone figure used as altar support

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