INITIAL SERIES ON STELA J, COPAN

The superfix of figure [16], o, p, has been retained unchanged as the superfix in A5b. The element (*

) appears just above the eye of the grotesque head, and the element (**) on the left-hand side about where the ear lobe should be. The whole glyph unmistakably records a head variant of the month glyph Chen, and this Initial Series therefore reads 9.15.5.0.0 10 Ahau 8 Chen.

The student will note that this Initial Series records a date just 5 tuns later than the Initial Series on Stela B at Copan (pl. [7], A). According to the writer's opinion, therefore, Stelæ B and D marked two successive hotuns at this city.

We come now to the consideration of Initial Series which are either unusual or irregular in some respect, examples of which it is necessary to give in order to familiarize the student with all kinds of texts.

The Initial Series in plate [15], A,[[164]] is figured because of the very unusual order followed by its glyphs. The sequence in which these succeed each other is given in B of that plate. The scheme followed seems to have been that of a mat pattern. The introducing glyph appears in position 0 (pl. [15], B), and the student will readily recognize it in the same position in A of the same plate. The Initial Series number follows in 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (pl. [15], B). Referring to these corresponding positions in A, we find that 9 cycles are recorded in 1, and 13 katuns in 2. At this point the diagonal glyph- band passes under another band, emerging at 3, where the tun sign with a coefficient of 10 is recorded. Here the band turns again and, crossing backward diagonally, shows 0 uinals in 4. At this point the band passes under three diagonals running in the opposite direction, emerging at position 5, the glyph in which are recorded 0 kins.

This number 9.13.10.0.0 reduces by means of Table [XIII] to units of the first order, as follows:

1 = 9 × 144,000 = 1,296,000
2 = 13 × 7,200 = 93,600
3 = 10 × 360 = 3,600
4 = 0 × 20 = 0
5 = 0 × 1 = 0
————
1,393,200