THE SACRED STONE OE THE FIVE DEITIES, IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM, MEXICO. n,_ °C? °o° °o° °0° °° C^> °o° c^) °o° C^5 ° 0 ° C^> ° °_O U O O 0 O 1 % i 1 1 1 '1 1 °°w 1 °/m I 4 : 1 S o o ^ T o „„ c if * p 1 1 f 1 § 1 f l _ Headpiece of a Slab from Tileal. Susie Museum. §> T.HE Sacred Maya Stone of Mexico i §> § J AND ITS SYMBOLISM. 9 J BY | \ FRANCIS PARRY, j Late Member of the Legislative Council, Hong Kong; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. ( ) WITH EIGHT PLATES AND NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. € ) € € 0 ° 0 o°o <^3 o°o <^3 o°o ^ The Initial Glyph of the God of the Air. How vapours turned to clouds obscure the sky, And clouds dissolved the thirsty ground supply. From the middle of the world The sun's prolific rays are hurled; ’Tis from that seat he darts those beams Winch quicken earth with genial flames. See dying vegetables life sustain, See life dissolving, vegetate again: All forms that perish other forms supply, (By turns zve catch the vital breath and die,) Like bubbles on the sea of matter borne, They rise, they break, and to that sea return. Nothing is foreign; parts relate to whole ; One all-extending, all-preserving soul Connects each being, greatest with the least; Made beast in aid of man, and man of beast; All served, all serving; nothing stands alone: The chain holds on, and where it ends unknown. Pope. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS The Sacred Stone of the Five Deities, in the National Museum, Mexico Frontispiece. Chan Priests. From a Usumacinta Slab . Priests ; the Chief wearing the Effigy of Kukulcan Plate I. „ II. Stela I, at Copan „ III. Stela A, at Copan ... „ IV. Kukulcan ;—and a Priest provided with Tongue Cutters „ V. Aztec Hieroglyphics containing Maya Emblems ... „ VI. The Idol at Tiahuanaca, Peru „ VII. The Five Emblems at Chavin, Peru „ VII. An Inca Priest, Peru „ VII. Restored Temple, Peru „ VII. ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Stone No. 58, National Museum, Mexico ... 1 Nantzinlan, an Aztec Name ... ... ... 5 The Archaic Form ... ... ... .. ... 5 Cruz de Serpientes. Chayero ... .. ... 10 The Goggle-Eyed Mastodon Form ... ... 11 The “ Sacred Stone ” laid flat ... ... ... 11 The Sun God of the Codex Dresden ... ... 12 The Setting Sun. Chavero ... ... ... 12 The God with a Condor’s Head ... ... ... 13 The God with a Man’s Head ... ... ... 13 Bone Pin in the British Museum ... ... 14 The Last Form of the Stone ... ... ... 14 The Dresden Codex Figure of the Five Gods ... 20 The Sun God of Santa Lucia ... ... ... 25 The Goddess of Fecundity. Santa Lucia ... 26 Sun Mask; Santa Lucia Slab ... ... ... 26 Incised Rock, Forsyth County, Georgia ... ... 28 The Serpent Dancer’s Head-board ... ... 29 The Sacred Quetzal . 33 Diagram of the Palemke Cross ... ... ... 34 The Water God; one of the forms of Kukulcan... 35 The Running Water Sign ... ... ... ... 35 The Foliated Cross of Palemke ... ... ... 37 The Winged Serpent God of Osocinga ... ... 40 Hieroglyphics from the Usumacinta Slabs ... 40 Kulculcan. Part of a Copan Slab ... ... 41 Kinich~Ahau. Ornament on a Stairway at Copan 43 Bird Figures as Sun Symbols ... ... ... 44 Religious Ceremony — Opening of an Aqueduct. Chavero ... ... ... ... ... 45 Record of an Inundation ... ... ... ... 48 Cluster of Symbols... Hieroglyphic; imix Yax-coc-Ahmut; a terra-cotta A Plaque from Quirigua ... Initial Profiles of the Idols Mythical Panel. Copan ... The Five, at Labnah Symbols, Casa del Gobemador, Uxmal ... The Sun and Serpent, Uxmal Diosa de la Generacion. Chavero Sun Statue at Juigalpa Clouds, Bolts, Lightning. Mitla... Aztec Hinich-Ahau. British Museum ... The Aztec Coatlicue, the Goddess of the Moist Earth ... ... . Kukulcan in bronze, from the Argentine Provinces. British Museum The Cloud, Wind, Sun, and Fecundity Symbols of Peru... The Crab, Plumed Serpent, Sun, and Cloud forms, from Peruvian textile fabrics A Peruvian Clay Bottle ; the Water God Colossal Head at Collo-Collo, Peru, and the Incense Burner of Copan Varieties of the sign Chicchan. From the sculptures Initial Glyph and Kukulcaris sign. From the Foliated Cross ... Possibly an effigy of Kukulcan. Also six caste marks. From the tablet of the Foliated Cross The Five Maya Symbols, from Chichen Itza 51 51 53 53 54 55 55 56 57 57 57 59 67 Stone No. 58, National Museum, Mexico. THE SACRED MATA STONE AND ITS SYMBOLISM. CHAPTER I. Progress in the matter of giving to the scientific world the true meaning of the mysterious carved monuments of ancient Mexico has been so long delayed that we almost despair, fearing this attempt to unveil it may not gain general acceptance and he ranked as unsuccessful, and become consigned to the limbo of the many failures which have hitherto attended all efforts to produce a well-formulated conception of the groundwork of the religious sentiment of Central America, or of the writings of a priesthood who were the centre and life of an active civilization, held powerful position, sustained belief in their sacerdotal mysteries, built up a system of government, art, and letters, leaving their traces in the ruins of the huge temples they constructed, whose sculptured combinations of grotesque forms and undecipherable hieroglyphics have excited the interest of antiquarians since the period of the conquest of Mexico by Spain. The explorers and historians of that time, being earnestly engaged in the propagation of the Christian faith, consigned all else to a secondary place, holding other creeds to be little worthy of consideration or study. They recorded some facts, but provided no materials that can be formed into a satisfactory sketch of the past history of the country, or that can be added to, as they caused the ancient writings to be destroyed for the most part, the few that escaped being still but partially understood, and they are divided into two groups. There is, therefore, left to us much to do before we can penetrate the obscurity enveloping a paganism which the Conquistadores conceived it to be their duty to demolish, as the bequest that has come down to us consists of a tangled mass of information intermingled with monkish theories and rhapsodies. A separation of these as an aid to the elucidation of the ancient mysteries has often been attempted. Our countryman, Lord Kingsborough, though doing important work more than half a century ago, in collecting materials for future use, being imbued with a desire to discover many analogies in Mexico according with Jewish history and the records of the Old Testament, took a course which did little towards reaching a solution of the hidden meaning of the mysticism 5*352 2 THE SACRED MATA STONE AND ITS SYMBOLISM. of the ancient beliefs. The comparisons made, however, show religious evolution to have been in some respects similar in the Eastern and Western hemispheres, without inter¬ communication having taken place between those far separated points. The occupation of Mexico by the Erench, and the appointment of a special mission, of which the Abbe Brasseur de Bourbourg was a conspicuous member, gave hope of the accomplishment of serious work. Nevertheless, as in the case of his predecessors, a fixed notion as to the method of deciphering the manuscripts which was abortive took possession of the abbd, and, notwithstanding his admitted ability, this has for a time unfairly cast a shadow over his other excellent work. The theory of the formation of the Central American continent, a legendary narrative, he sought to prove to be confirmed by his translation of the MSS. Troano, made with the assistance of what was supposed to be a Maya alphabet. This attempt excited attention and criticism; finally, the whole was rejected as incorrectly rendered, as the precious document, being partially read by other sinologues, was shown to be connected with religious observances, feast days, and the like. The important error had been an incorrect arrangement of the order in which the hieroglyphics should be read. However, while thirty years ago few persons were found engaged in this field of research, a legion are now at work. In England, Erance, the United States of North America, Germany, and Mexico, societies with professors, students, travelling members and a funded income are peering into the innermost recesses of ancient Mexico; consequently, anyone entering the controversial arena will have to submit to a severe scrutiny, and perhaps discouragement. This occurred when the views to be embodied here were privately submitted to the inspection of good critics. Certainly, what was shown them was a first glimpse, and there were enigmatical and obstructive points connected with the theory put forward; but when further investigation had been prosecuted, they assumed a form in conformity with the first idea, and permitting as they do of an extended view into the past religious history of a part, and that the most ancient, of Mexico, the result is given to the public as a contribution to general knowledge, which it is hoped will serve as a step towards a desired goal—namely, an unfolding of the hidden purport of the most interesting undeciphered stone records of ancient times, that remain as yet as a sealed book. This essay will in some respects be a history of a stone, an object familiar to archaeologists, and of which examples may be seen in the principal museums of all countries. It will in the first place be considered as it was when seen in the city of Mexico, where the ideas regarding it had birth, as fortunately a stone in the National Museum there has qualifications suitable to enable it to do service as the keystone of an argument. Concerning a group of these rubbed or carved stones, there is in the translated Mexican official catalogue a description which is rather misleading; still, it seems to have been widely accepted, and set's forth that these relics were probably connected with Aztec sacrificial rites. It reads thus: “ Yokes or collars that served in human sacrifices by placing them under the back of the victim to make the chest protrude, and thus facilitate the extraction of the heart, or by applying them upon the necks of victims to produce asphyxia or at least to obtain immobility These yokes are found in Mexico, Tlaxcala, Orizaba, and Chiapas.” Dupaix and other authors with the learned societies have, in the absence of a better classification or explanation of their use, permitted this description—a conjectural one-to remain without question; while much thought has been directed to the consideration THE SACRED MATA STONE AND ITS SYMBOLISM. 3 of the, in some instances, profuse ornamentation of the stones, which forms a strong contrast to the plain condition of others. But as no definite conclusion has been reached, the subject remains open for discussion, and an account may yet he written of their use and of their significance. The President of the Anthropological Society of London, who visited Mexico many years ago, has stated in a hook of travels “ that the so-called yokes were put over the wrists and ankles of the victims to hold them down on the sacrificial stone ”—without, however, mentioning from whence this precise and circumstantial information as to the mode of their employment was obtained. The illustration at the head of this chapter is of one of these stones, which is No. 58 in the National Museum of Mexico, and a cast of it is in the Trocadero collection in Paris ; the cast is deficient in the matter of the omission of glyphs on the end of the butts. This specimen possesses several features to be hereafter pointed out, and in respect of being decorated occupies a middle position between the plain and the ornate examples; it will form the theme of this discourse, it being a representative specimen of the whole series of stones in the possession of scientific associations, their dimensions varying little. A new phase of the subject will he entered upon, and the old theories, though holding a prescriptive right to respect, are challenged—because the stone has not weight sufficient to he employed in holding the victims pinioned and prostrate; its use as a sacrificial stone over which a victim was bent is unlikely, as, for such a purpose, it would have to he placed deep in the earth or attached to a larger stone. The stone does not exceed eighteen inches in height and could not have been sacrificially used when partially buried, and there being no trace of setting in masonry it is no doubt a special stone of some interest, as the pointers are carved at the butts with hieroglyphics and profiles in several instances, and it has been found inferred with the remains of chief personages. Moreover, we are informed as to the form of the Aztec sacrificial stone by the Spanish historians who, with Cortes, saw and described it; also the testimony of the ancient picture writings being in accord with their statements, it is established to have been a plain breast high column, rounded at the top, on which the victim was placed outstretched by assistants who held the arms, legs and head, the latter kept down by a curved wooden neck holder, passing under the chin, and grasped on either side. The appellation of yoke applied to the stone is not shown to have had a traditional or a historical source, no one attempting to show by records or report that anciently such a custom as its use prevailed; consequently, there is no doubt it was given because the term was appropriate to the form. Of nomenclature, without reference to use, another notable instance is found in the arrangement of the Latimer collection of rubbed stones of prehistoric times in the museum at Washington, consisting of twenty-seven from Porto Bico and other islands in the West Indies; the early examples are almost circular, while the more artistic of a later period, being of the form, are called horse-collars, and are supposed to have encircled the necks of dead chieftains—a surmise based upon the shape which may he far from aiding to the discovery of the truth regarding them. At any rate, it can he shown that reasons exist for endeavouring to set aside the names given to the Mexican collar, and this being so, it will take the name of the Sacred Maya Stone in this narrative. The doubt attaching to its ancient use leaves ample room for further inquiry regarding its place in the religions worship of the past, and it may he well to take note that there is a void to he Med, as the districts in which the ruins of the chief Maya temples are situated have throughout yielded but a small number of figures or idols notwithstanding the certainty of the former existence of shrines with buildings attached for priests and women, and of the resort of crowds of devotees to these sacred places—evidence of the existence of a well-rooted belief we think symbolically expressed in this stone. The early Spanish records, for the most part, do not yield a minute description of the religion peculiar to the tribes south of the country; more particularly, omission is made of those far removed from the actual centre of the Aztec sovereignty. It is evident, however, it was to a great extent a nature worship, debased and brutalized at the time of the advent of the conquerors, and they used strenuous efforts to eradicate it root and branch; con¬ sequently, of the idols, the less bulky forms are conspicuously wanting—no doubt they were destroyed, and the small wooden effigies said to have been made of cedar were burnt. But this determination to supersede heathen rites by a superior system of worship does not altogether account for the absence of large dethroned stone idols among the vast ruins of the more ancient temples: had they existed, many must have escaped destruction in this the country of the Mayas, for even in the centre of the Aztec territory, where Cortes and the Inquisition held sway, idols, sacrificial and calendar stones have been found that at present perform an important part in bringing vividly before us the rites and ceremonies of the great temple of the city of Mexico. The paucity of sculptured stone idols and the fact of monoliths having been thrown down in the quadrangles at Palemkd, Cholula, and other places, led to a reflection as to whether any less large stone of a phallic character had existence and held a place within the walls of the sanctuary, that is, in the chamber or chambers usually occupying the summit of the pyramids. If a smaller stone had held a prominent or chief position, there was a probability of finding it. Where was it likely to be ? It was not in the museums of Mexico, and the collections of other countries made no mention of it; therefore to search there on ground so well known, on a beaten path, was of no avail, unless the hypothesis respecting the yoke was wrong, and this stone might be discovered to be of another order than that assigned to it; yet it suggested nothing in the required direction, standing with arched back as though defiant of criticism. The doubt attaching to its classification was, however, not slight, and so it was pondered over, and on being turned over bodily for inspection, although it bore no resemblance to any other carved stone associated with Central America, it seemed to the writer to be an emblematic combination, having the religion already named for the principal feature and base. Could this be demonstrated, then there had been misapprehension in the museum classification, and the time had come when it would occupy a better place in prehistoric history, and be rescued from a false position. The fact is it had, so to speak, been standing on its head from the time of its falling into the hands of the scientists, for the reason that thus an upright exhibition was obtained; in this manner it was easily placed in show eases with other objects, and, What were the pointers for if not to perform the part of supporters or legs ? The misadventure of being seen from a wrong point of view has, therefore, been the drawback, preventing this relic being rightly suggestive of its origin. Place it as shown on the first page, then the bow ceases to convey the supposititious idea of a sacrificial yoke; the pointers may be shoots of a vegetable form, as well as another type of nature worship, THE SACRED HAY A STONE AND ITS SYMBOLISM. TEE SACRED MAYA STONE AND ITS SYMBOLISM. 5 the helm-like protuberance with an eye has a serpent-like appearance, the lower figure is of an outline resembling the horns of an insect, while the extreme base has a head of a proportion larger than the rest. Here are enigmas to which no clue has been found; still, having consecrated the stone by conferring upon it a sacred name, it is requisite to proceed to a demonstration of its properties, and adduce something like sufficient evidence of its ancient character so as to obtain from the students of the Central American history their endorsement of the opinion that it was a stone of worth, not merely an object among the sacrificial instruments of the temple, used occasionally, but the corner-stone of a religious belief. Evidence favourable to the acceptation of a change of name can be forthcoming from deduction only, a manner of proceeding attended by innumerable difficulties, making the task weighty and the work peculiarly open to an adverse criticism. The matter has been in part discussed before the Sociedad de Geograpliia y Estadistica of Mexico, at a meeting of the Eellows held in February of the year 1891, when an analogy was drawn between the ancient religion of the Maya tribes and that of the Hindoos. The adoration of an emblematic stone was suggested, the absence of idols so numerous with the Aztecs, the rarity of sacrificial stones or altars was remarked upon and admitted; the number of priests, the existence of caste, and the employment of women, who were consecrated to the service of the temple and lived within its precincts, received also a passing allusion—but no identity with Asiatic religion was claimed. Senor Batres, the Inspector of Historical Monuments, took a principal part in rebutting the new conceptions expressed, clinging to the old idea of a sacrificial use of the stone, and requiring an explanation of the profuse ornamentation of the more ornate specimens before changing the opinion recorded in the official list—the general opinion being in favour of the appointment of a sub-committee who were to report to the Society the result of further investigation of the subject. Nothing is knowu of its labours, except that two of the three members composing it withdrew. Through the courtesy of Senor llubino, Director of the Museo Nacional, who was disposed to admit that the old nomenclature might be inexact, a careful inspection of the six Maya stones under his care was permitted, he being present to the strengthening of his inclination to alter then* classification, which, however, could not be done without the concurrence of Senor Batres. Of these stones, one is worthy of particular notice, namely, that bearing the number 55, as it was attractive because specially suggestive of the true meaning intended to be conveyed, and likewise on account of its being of a normal type, without the later addition of ornamentation, and for this reason probably the oldest specimen of its kind in the museum. It is an archaic work of the unpolished period, roughly made of solid limestone, a block having been selected in which was imbedded a pebble well adapted to represent a head, and the workman, in its construction, brings it into position, making a second pointer, headless. The space between the pointers has, probably, some relation to the “ yoni ” emblem, or there may be a meaning such as is understood in the Aztec hieroglyphic,—Nantzinlan, the upper part of which is a “ sacred stone,” slightly cut down, conveying the idea of “a j)lace The Archaic form. TEE SACRED MAYA STONE AND ITS SYMBOLISM. of fruitfulness.” This hieroglyphic is described by Penafiel as “ Una especie de recepticulo lleno de puntos negros simbolo de la maternidad, la reproduction, la fecundidad; debajo un medio cuerpo de mujer vestido, ya para indicar el sexo.” Having given examples of both the primitive and the ornamented Maya stone, it is advisable to anticipate an objection to the double emblems of the latter which may lead to the query “ Why double ? ” It is not possible with our present knowledge to explain the reason of this, but that it was employed as a double symbol in the sacred service of the temples is proved by reference to the historical data brought down to us in the story told by a carved stone from Palemke. A fac-simile reproduction from an engraving “ Lamina A ” is to be found in the blue book issued lately by the Secretario de Justitia of the Republic of Mexico, which contains among other reports one of the date of the year 1889, on the smaller ancient archaeological specimens in the National Museum of the capital.* This relief represents a Maya priest kneeling, and, with his hands raised, presenting an offering of a tree-cross or tree of life. The head-dress of the figure is of the usual feathers, and a macaw’s head—not a “ quetzal ” as Senor Batres would have it—with two large emblems conspicuously displayed on the head and left shoulder. This act of worship may have been before the stone which is now the subject of discussion. There is also in Case E, British Museum, an example in the head-dress of a small clay figure where the pointers are horizontally placed right and left. To look for double examples of the symbol in other countries is not a vain search, as ancient Etruria furnishes them, and among the Roman antiquities of the museum at Avignon the duplex form is seen in bronze ornaments said to have been worn as pendants by barren women desirous of progeny, and in plate 85 of Eergusson’s “Tree and Serpent Worship ” the principal figure has a head ornament so much resembling the Mexican form, it might have been coined from the stone. As to the Maya stone being cc sacred ” and an object of worship there is as yet no testimony except what is negative; that is, there have been few, if any, idols discovered in the Maya country, namely, among the ruins of Palemke in Chiapas, Uxmal in Yucatan, and Copan in Honduras. The American writer on Central America, Mr.H. H. Bancroft, Yol. IV. “Native Races,” quotes from the writings of the most noted explorers of the Maya temples; drawing from that information the inference that nature worship had been established there from prehistoric times, and alluding to the absence of idols in all the ruined temples, says, “ If there were any they must have been very small.” Large monolithic stones are found in the centre of the courtyard of the chief temples, images of a like character were built into the structure of the buildings; there is, however, nothing from the interior of the Maya temples of the character of an idol standing apart as supreme. The temples contained some portable sacred emblem without doubt, and as these stones have been found near to the sites of sacred buildings, it may be further enquiry will lead to the discovery of their having been venerated and, therefore, should bear the designation provisionally given to them of “ sacred Maya stones.” The lingam which finds a place in the sanctum sanctorum of a group of temples at Benares stands in the centre of the innermost chamber encircled by a barrier; crowds of devotees pass by, offering the sacred water of the Ganges and flowers; the stone * Library, Royal Geographical Society. THE SAC BEE MATA STONE AND ITS SYMBOLISM. 7 haying no significance except to the initiated, it being as small as the Maya relic, and, consequently, might have been set aside as unimportant had it not been known in modern times—in fact, an American professor jokes about the Englishman who lived many years in India, and without inquiry into its antecedents, thought it strange that the natives should worship “a Jew’s harp sort of a stone.” Had it been a tiling of the past upturned by the antiquarian, its import would never have been guessed, and there being few idols it would have been difficult to have traced the elements of the religion of the greater part of India. History tells us of many instances of simple religious emblems becoming in the course of time profusely covered with ornamentation. The Maya stone is, therefore, not singular in being originally of a plain and suggestive outline, or in being partially changed when brought into combination with the serpent’s head and the so-called mastodon’s head. Even later, when the profile of a priest is added, and figures more or less ornament the length and it is further removed from the normal type, the original outline is but obscured, not lost. This inquiry had progressed so far when an article on the subject of these stones from the pen of Herr Strebel, of Hamburg, was seen in the third volume of the “ Archives internationales d’Ethnograpliie,” published in Leiden. Herr Strebel is an authority on Mexican antiquities, and his exhaustive disquisition having been examined, together with the conclusions derived from his search through all available historical records for rejecting the classification of the stone as a yoke, it is interesting to find that he is a fellow-worker who coincides in this respect, and that by close investigation he has demolished the slight foundation on which the sacrificial theory rested, and a common sense view of the matter will eventually bring everyone to a like inference. But he propounds no new theory, leaving the general question of its use almost as he found it. A Maya relic, and of considerable antiquity, having belonged in all probability to a primitive period prior to the Aztec era, the stone has been perpetually and erroneously associated with the comparatively recent archaeological remains of Mexico, which led to a search for a solution of its mysteries in the Naliua picture waitings, where it will be shown later on its component parts exist, not, however, visible unless approached by an ancient route. “Aztec and sacrificial,” these words wrongly imposed have held us back from a correct comprehension of the situation, to the creation of a stumbling-block now, happily, to be removed. Herr Strebel says, “ Hatte das Steinjoch uberhaupt eine Bolle bei denselben gespielt so wiirden wir fraglos in den hier angefuhrten alteren Autoren eine Andentung daruber finden.” Eaiths assume varied aspects during the historical periods, and especially do religious observances and ceremonies change in the course of ages; incredulity creeps in, ancient forms become partially veiled by a profusion of ornate additions; therefore the attempt to go back to a starting-point in the history of the Maya stone need not be abandoned because the Conquistadores overlooked it, and it may be, notwithstanding the obstacles encumbering the way, a right place may be found for it in the remoter history of the country. Let us hope for a modification of the same writer’s idea that “ Eine religiose Bedeutung scheint mil* deshalb unwahrscheinlich, weil sich dann in den Bilderschriften die doch vorweigend religicisen Inhalts sind, Andentungen dieses Zeichens finden miisstten”; which having it must be presumed reference to the Aztecs can have no application to the religious observances of the Maya tribes and hieratic writings peculiar to their priesthood. It has already been said that the simplest form, the normal type of the stone, should be the best foundation for a hypothesis respecting the ancient religion of the Mayas. 8 THE SACRED MAYA STONE AND ITS SYMBOLISM. The theory of its use certainly started by a similarity being detected between it and a sacred stone in India: therein lay a danger which has caused many to go astray, that of attempting to force the materials which have to be dealt with into a foreign groove, and complete an examination of a relic well begun by a hasty collection of analogies from countries far away from Mexico. It has often appeared to be a speedy way of arranging the difficulties connected with the subject, resorted to by Kingsborough, Le Plongeon and others, enabling them to claim intimate acquaintance with the religious history of the ancient inhabitants of the world, and to obtain a reputation for erudition—the extent of their gain— as they wandered from the land where the material for a satisfactory solution lay, and taking devious paths, a right spirit of investigation left them. The temptation to follow in their steps is great, more especially with respect to the second emblem of the Maya stone. It will be a preparation for what follows to separate the combined emblems, naming them from the top of the stone downwards. hirst—the male principle of life; second—the female principle; third—the serpent; fourth—the vegetating seed germ; fifth—the mastodon’s head. The first and second have not been recognised universally ; the third being frequently found of larger dimensions, its identity was undoubted; the fourth has been termed the fangs of a serpent, an inappropriate name when we know the channel through which the reptile’s poison flows to be a tooth-duct; regarding the fifth, the general opinion is in favour of the name above given—because, it is stated, but not substantiated that the mastodon was worshipped and must be here represented; an opinion which will, it is trusted, fade away before the fresh ideas to be expounded. The examination of the collection of stones under the care of Senor Itubino in Mexico was the result of a happy inspiration, as we were thereby brought face to face with the groundwork of the combined elements—the simplest, the least artistic form—which led to the conclusion that rather than attack the formidable hieroglyphics, the growth of ages, there was more prospect of success in the search for a clue if a lower position was taken, and an endeavour be made to get at the radicals of the Maya sacerdotal writings by an inquiry into the mannerism of the earliest symbols, as prehistoric rock scratchings, rubbed and traced unhewn stones, frequently have an affinity with the primitive picture writings of aboriginal tribes and the structure of their first hieroglyphics, and contain superstitiously preserved symbols, which, all history shows, often come down to us and are incorporated into the systems, the religious formalism of later days. The inquiry lay but in one direction for the starting-point, and was confined to the scant notes which fell into the hands of the Mission Scientifique au Mexique when in Spain, homeward bound. These notes, discovered among a pile of neglected papers, had been made by Landa, the first bishop of Yucatan, who reached the province a.d. 1541, and were attached to a manuscript known as the MSS. Troano, being inadequate in an attempt to translate the document, consisting in little more than the native signs for the days and months among the Maya tribes, but of their two-fold meaning little is known. Though the art of deciphering the old signs is partly lost, the vocabulary of the native language to which the Abbe de Brasseur applied assiduously during his residence in the country, comes in as an amplification of the bishop’s memoranda, and is applicable in the first instance to the more prominent emblem of the “ sacred stone ”; in one of the signs he gives an early form, known to convey the idea of precedence, masculine priority, divinity and creative power. THE 8AG BED MAYA STONE AND ITS SYMBOLISM. 9 The Maya signs selected for comparison with two of the emblems are capable of conveying in an equal measure the highest expression of supreme place and vitality, in their original application having reference to the Deity. Ahem, in the Maya vocabulary, signifies “ Creator, King,” and is a representation in “ hieratic ” writing of the first and second emblems. To this sign the Abbe Brasseur de Bourbourg appends the remark:— Ahau, “dans la langue quichee offre, sous plusieurs rapports, une etymologie encore plus complete que dans la Maya. II ygy est non seulement la canne, le bambou, le signe du male dans le vase ou bien uni a la femelle, il est encore celui qui a repandu la semence dans le champ, le semeur, celui qui l’a fait croitre et fructifier. * Ahau ’ etait dans la plupart des langues de l’Amerique centrale, ainsi qu’au Yucatan, le titre soverain le plus ancien et le plus estime.” The first and second emblems and “Ahau” being identical, the comparison tends to create a conviction, namely, that of the strong probability of the stone having been a sacred thing. This gains strength when another sign is analysed, and considered as bearing equal rank with the one mentioned already. The same authority alludes to it thus:—“ Yax, comrne symbole de la fecondite vegetale par la similitude de son germ avec la membre viril,” and in another instance it is said of it, “ e’est ici le roi, le yoni- lingam.” It took several forms derived from the most primitive, and was in relation with the more universally used sign of Ahau . The Drench abbe’s interpretation of these signs selected from the Maya manuscripts is not exceptional, and it is satisfactory to be able to state that many authorities in Europe, and Messieurs Cyrus Thomas and Brinton of the United States, with Professor Leon de Rosny are all in agreement with him on this point. The vocabulary appended to the work entitled “ De Y Interpretation des Ancient Textes Mayas,” by Rosny, has words having for a radical the monosyllable ah, conveying the idea of sacred or chief in a masculine sense— Ah-menul, createur; Ah-aubil, royal; Ah-kin, priest; Ali-auinta-u, regner; Ah-kulel, gardien des choses saintes. A word which does not seem to have application to the name of the Deity in the most remote times is “ Ku ” dieu; it rather belongs to the time when polytheism had set in, or it may have been more often used by the Quichees than the Mayas. Ah-au has another application, ah, man, au, collar; it was a title conferred upon distinguished personages, who were also decorated with large stone necklaces as a mark of preferment. “ Essai sur le dechiffrement de l’Ecriture Hieratique de l’Amerique Centrale,” by the same author as the last-mentioned work, gives expression to the view that the worship of the creative principle had been founded in archaic times, the opinion being his compilation on the subject taken from the best sources of information. “ De part et d’autre, on apergoit, vaguement il est vrai, une deification superieure et immaterielle qui semble avoir precede la divinite solaire et tout le pantheon rattach6 par la suite a cette divinite.” The entire Section VII. of this essay is of the same tenor as this first extract, and, though incurring the risk of prolixity, further quotations from this writer must be given. “ Dans la mythologie des Mayas nous trouvons tout d’abord une Etre supreme et invisible, JBunab-ku, dont le nom signifie ‘le Dieu Unique,’ et que l’on appelait egalement Kincli-ahau, ‘l’oeil du soleil.’ Cette divinite identifi6e parfois avec le soleil, me parait etre le meme que Baklum- Cham , le Priape des anciens Yucateques, adore jadis a Tihoo (Merida de nos jours) dans le magnifique o IS ftlEfettW a W THE SACRED MATA STONE AND ITS SYMBOLISM. temple de Yah.au Kuna, et le plus ancien des dieux Mayas. Le nom de ce Dieu a ete interprets de plusieurs manieres differentes; suivant un vieux vocabulaire il ferait allusion au phallus avec les attributs du sexe feminine.’ II serait de la sorte le Dieu de la vie et de la generation dans la nature. Hunab-ku presente des analogies tres frappantes avec le Tonacateolt de la mythologie mexicaine. Suivant le Codex Telleriano-Remensio, Tonacateolt est le ‘ Dios, sehor, criador, governado de todo .... el dios que dizen que hizo el mundo; y a este solo pintan con corona como sehor sobre todos.’ ” Prom this extract it will be observed that the professor makes a cluster of names represent one and the same idol, though when translated their titles are distinct. That they were distinct yet ordinarily in combination will be shown. Yox represented the rapidly growing shoot of the calibash or gourd, and was typical of vegetable life. Ahem took the precedence as man held the dominion, and power was with him and the animals to a degree not noticeable in the more silent life of the world; so this form and symbol was idolized, and, being set up as an object for adoration, a nature worship was established in Central America, to eventually become a prolonged polytheism, as the stone records of the ruined temples show, when, as doubtless took place early, it was united to other physical forces recognised as possessing influence and continuity. There is no method of ascertaining the approximate date of this union, although Chavero in his work “ Mexico a traves de los siglos ” has a representation of an upright ancient stone bearing carvings of the third and fourth symbols, those of the serpent and the germ, the latter being “ Yax,” which will henceforth occupy a salient position in the religious history of ancient Mexico. On the “ sacred stone ” the symbol of vegetation is artistically adapted to the available space, and is made to follow the contour of the object which it overlays, and is given the form of a seedling plant, though elsewhere and in the annexed figure it almost retains the written outline. The “ sacred stone ” therefore, being in affinity with the Maya hieratic writings in the matter of symbolism, stands out as a mammoth hieroglyphic, a polytheistic monument, embodying in its form the expression of the native idea of