The Initial date of this inscription therefore reads as follows:
| 54th | Great Cycle. | |
| (1) | 9th | Cycle. |
| (2) | 15th | Katun. |
| (3) | "Full count" | Ahaus. |
| (4) | "Full count" | Chuens. |
| (5) | "Full count" | Days. |
| (6) | 4 Ahau (day). | |
| (7) | 13 Yax (month). |
As a "full count" of days (twenty) is a Chuen, a "full count" of Chuens (eighteen) is an Ahau, and a "full count" of Ahaus (twenty) is a Katun. The foregoing inscription may be read thus:—
The 15th Katun of the 9th Cycle with no Ahaus, Chuens, or days added, begins with 4 Ahau 13 Yax.
A reference to Mr. Goodman's Chronological Calendar shows that the 15th Katun of the 9th Cycle of the 54th Great Cycle commences with the day 4 Ahau, the 13th day of the month Yax, the date which is here given in the inscription. The combination 4 Ahau 13 Yax can only occur once in a period of fifty-two years.
The second example on the plate gives the commencement of an inscription from the east side of Stela F at Quirigua.
The Great Cycle sign (54th) extends over the two columns of glyphs.
The signs for the Cycle, Katun, &c. are not in this case preceded by bar and dot numerals, but by grotesque human faces; Mr. Goodman has discovered that these faces are also numerals, and, although the whole series has not yet been satisfactorily established, the inscription may with some confidence be read as follows:—
| The 54th Great Cycle. | |
| (1) | The 9th Cycle. |
| (2) | The 16th Katun. |
| (3) | The 10th Ahau. |
| (4) | "Full count" Chuens. |
| (5) | "Full count" Days. |
| (6) | 1 Ahau (day). |
The following glyphs are not yet satisfactorily deciphered, and it is not until the 12th glyph that the month sign is arrived at.
| (12) | 3 Zip (month). |
A reference to Mr. Goodman's Chronological Calendar would show that 1 Ahau 3 Zip is the first day of the 10th Ahau of the 16th Katun of the 9th Cycle of the 54th Great Cycle.
