The cubit, chumay, was measured from the point of the elbow to the extremities of the fingers. We are expressly informed by Father Coto that this was a customary building measure. “When they build their houses they use this cubit to measure the length of the logs. They also measure ropes in the same manner, and say, Tin chumaih retaxic riqam, I lay out in cubits the rope with which I am to measure.”
The different measures drawn from the arms were:
chumay, from the elbow to the end of the fingers of the same hand.
hahmehl, from the elbow to the ends of the fingers of the opposite hand, the arms being outstretched.
telen, from the point of the shoulder of one side to the ends of the fingers of the outstretched arm on the other side.
tzam telen, from the point of the shoulder to the ends of the fingers on the same side. Tzam means nose, point, beak, etc.
ru vach qux, from the middle of the breast to the end of the outstretched hand.
hah, from the tips of the fingers of one hand to those of the other, the arms outstretched.
Another measure was from the point of the shoulder to the wrist.
The hah, or fathom, was one of the units of land measure, and the corn fields and cacao plantations were surveyed and laid out with ropes, qam, marked off in fathoms. The fields are described as of five ropes, ten ropes, etc., but I have not found how many fathoms each rope contained.