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towards the right but towards the left, and generalize it as a rule to be adopted also for the chronological cycles of the Mayas, we should come to the conclusion that the Mayas in some of their former chronological epochs counted their Ahaues in that natural order. Who shall say that the reversed counting did not originate from a misunderstanding on the part of the Spaniards? We do not claim to have finally disposed of the question. Every new attempt, will be a welcome addition to the cause, for each new investigator is obliged to descend deeper into the dark mine where Maya history lies buried.
Señor Perez's Translation of the Manuscript.
Señor Perez is thus far the only interpreter of the Maya Manuscript, and his Spanish text found a skilful translator in Mr. John L. Stephens, l^either the Spanish text nor the special chronological analysis of each paragraph composed by Sefñor Perez, have hitherto been made public; we owe the possession of both these documents to the kindness of our friend. Dr. Carl Hermann Berendt, lately deceased, who, during his long residence in Yucatan, was occupied in amassing a large collection of matters relating to Maya literature and history, in original form or in authentic copies. In comparing the Spanish with the English translations, it seems that many things, not clear in the first, had been made more intelligible in the last. It is evident that Señor Perez sought to translate the Maya text as liter-
marks: Le cercle interieur offre les viugt signes du jour: en se souvenant que Cipactli est le premier et Xochitl le dernier, on voit qu'gu'ici, comme partout ailleiirs, les Mexicains out range les hieroglyphs de droite a gauche." The great scholar has clothed in the form of a proven statement that which at the beginning of this century was an opinion generally prevalent among Americanists, and which does not bear the test, when the numerous copies existing of the Mexican calendar days are examined. They all show the arrangement of the days from the left to the right. The sculptured calendar is the only exception.
