[Maya]
[English]7. Cogolludo mentions Rodrigo Alvarez as “Escribano del juzgado,” who came with Montejo (Historia de Yucatan, Lib. III, cap. VI, and elsewhere).
[Maya]
[English]8. U toxol cahob, the distribution of the towns, literally “the pouring out;” Avila translates it by “cuando se repartian los pueblos.” The Spanish system of “repartimientos” and “encomiendas” was adopted in Yucatan,
[Maya]
[English]9. The licentiate Alvares de Caravajal was alcalde mayor from 1554 to 1558. (Cogolludo, Hist. de Yucatan, Lib. V. cap. XV.)
[Maya]
[English]10. This was apparently written by Don Pablo Pech, the son of the writer of the remainder of the history, and inserted in order to corroborate the statement just made by his father, that the latter had transferred the magistracy to him.
[Maya]
[English]11. The holpop, literally “head of the mat,” perhaps because when the company sat around or on the mat his place was at its head, was the official who had charge of the tunkul or wooden drum, with which public meetings, dances, summons to war, etc. were proclaimed, and with which the priests accompanied their voices in reciting the ancient chants (Cogolludo, Hist. de Yucatan, Lib. IV, cap. V). He was called ahholpop, and had charge of the public hall of the village, the popolna, “casa de comunidad,” in which public business was transacted (Diccionario de Motul, MS.)
The ahkulel was the official second in command in a town or district. He acted in place of the batab or the ahcuchcab. The verb kulel means to transact business for another, to act as deputy.
Ahkin was the ordinary word for priest in the old language; kin, sun, day, time; ahkin, he who was familiar with the days and times, with the calendar, and also with the past and the future.
[Maya]
[English]12. U chun u thanob; the chunthan or ahchunthan, literally, he who has the first word, was the member of the village who took the leading part in matters of business. The office and name are still in existence in the native village communities of Yucatan. (See Garcia y Garcia, Historia de la Guerra de Castas en Yucatan, Introd., p. xli.)
The ahkul was an envoy or messenger, who carried the orders of the prince to his people and to foreign princes. The title was usually prefixed to the name of the person.
The holcan, “head caller,” was a military official in each village, whose duty it was when war was announced to summon the men in his district capable of bearing arms (see Landa, Relacion, p. 174). The Spanish writers translate it by alferez.