Page 20b.
| II | 20 | IX | 19 | II | 13 | II |
| Cauac | ||||||
| Chuen | ||||||
| Akbal | ||||||
| Men | ||||||
| Manik. | ||||||
The hieroglyphs stand thus:—
| 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | |
| 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | |
| 7 | 11 | |||
| 8 | 12 | . | ||
The subject now passes into the province of astronomy. This is already proved by sign 1, which represents the clouds, between which the sun or moon is usually pictured; the sun is probably omitted here merely owing to limited space. Sign 3 suggests the storm-god K (compare pages 7a and 47 left) to which in 2 the Ahau might be appropriately added, inasmuch as it rules the year here under consideration as on pages 25b to 26c. On account of the Ben-Ik sign I see in 4 one of the months of 28 days as a more exact determination of time. Below the Ben-Ik a head is represented with eyes apparently closed, and this head is repeated in 6 and 10, though, probably for lack of space, without the Ben-Ik. In each of the three places a sign is used as an affix which might readily be the year sign, contracted laterally.
The two similar hieroglyphs 5 and 9, which have the following form, are especially worthy of consideration:—
The part on the right recalls by its trisection the sign r, which I regard as the week of 13 days and, in fact, the interval between the two hieroglyphs is 13 days. On the
left is the inverted figure of a person in a squatting attitude, the head surrounded by stars as on pages 57b and 58b and a sign on the back which may be a suggestion of the sun-glyph. In this figure, which occurs also in the Tro-Cort. and in the inscriptions, I see the planet Mercury and I believe that that planet's retrogression (which lasts 17-18 days) or disappearance into the light of the sun during this week, is the subject of this passage. 7 and 8 are the sign for D with the usual Ahau, and 11 and 12 are the hieroglyphs of the death-god A.
Instead of three pictures there is only one here, viz:—a woman with nose-peg, sitting on a mat and apparently waiting for something. We also find figures sitting on mats elsewhere, for example on pages 7b and 68b.