which is an image of the crown worn by some of the high chiefs in Mayax. That the central figure was meant to represent these countries, the sign
, that stands in lieu of the mouth, indicates. It is the letter M, pronounced Ma, of the Maya and Egyptian ancient alphabets. It is the radical of Mayax, name of the Maya empire. But Ma in Egypt as in Mayax, is a word that signifies land, country, and by extension universe; and in Mayax as in Egypt
is one of the signs for land.
The head is surrounded by rays divided into groups of four; four on the top, four on each side, and four on the under part. Each ray is terminated by a circle with a dot in the center
, a sign very often met with on the monuments of Mayax; particularly on the trunk of the mastodon's heads. It is the first letter of the ancient Maya and Egyptian alphabets, and correspond to our letter A, the initial of the Maya word Ahau, king.