Animal Figures in the Maya Codices

A number of typographical errors and inconsistencies have been maintained in this version of this book. They have been marked with a [TN-#], which refers to a description in the complete list found at the end of the text.

The following codes are used for characters that are not able to be represented in the text format used for this version of the book.

[)a] a with breve [c] open o [[c].] open o with dot under [=h] h with stroke [p.] p with dot under [^q] q with circumflex [vs] s with caron [vs.] s with caron and dot under [t.] t with dot under [ts.] ts with dot under [+] Dagger [++] Double dagger

PAPERS OF THE PEABODY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY, HARVARD UNIVERSITY

VOL. IV.--No. 3.

ANIMAL FIGURES IN THE MAYA CODICES

BY

ALFRED M. TOZZER, PH.D. AND GLOVER M. ALLEN, PH.D.

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. PUBLISHED BY THE MUSEUM FEBRUARY, 1910

Salem Press: THE SALEM PRESS CO., SALEM MASS. 1910.

NOTE

It has been thought desirable, for the advancement of the study of Maya hieroglyphs, that the interpretation of the conventionalized animal figures, which so frequently occur in the Maya codices, should be undertaken. The Peabody Museum Committee on Central American Research therefore requested Dr. A. M. Tozzer to prepare a paper on the subject, and to secure the valuable cooperation of Dr. Glover M. Allen, a zoologist familiar with the animals of Mexico and Central America, to aid in the identification of the various species of animals which under varying forms are used in connection with the glyphs.

While it is possible that some of the determinations given in this paper may require further confirmation, it is evident that the combined studies of Dr. Tozzer and Dr. Allen cannot fail to be useful to students of the Maya hieroglyphic writing.

F. W. PUTNAM. HARVARD UNIVERSITY, August, 1909.

KEY TO THE PRONUNCIATION OF MAYA WORDS

The vowels and consonants have their continental sounds with the following exceptions:--

=[)a]= like u in hut =ai= like i in island =k= (Beltran's c) ordinary palatal k =q= (Beltran's k) velar k =[[c].]= (Beltran's [c]) ts explosive or fortis =[c]= (Beltran's tz) ts non-explosive =[vs]= (Beltran's x) like sh in hush =t[vs]= (Beltran's ch) like ch in church =[ts.]= (Beltran's c[=h]) ch explosive =[p.]= (Beltran's pp) p explosive =t= (Beltran's t[=h]) t explosive

LIST OF PLATES

Plate. 1. Mollusca: Fasciolaria gigantea, Oliva. 2. Insecta: Honey bee (Melipona). 3. Insecta and Myriapoda. 4. Arachnoidea, Arachnida, Crustacea. 5. Myriapoda, Pisces. 6. Pisces. 7. Amphibia. 8. Amphibia, Reptilia. 9. Reptilia: Rattlesnake (Crotalus). 10. Reptilia: Serpents. 11. Reptilia: Serpents. 12. Reptilia: Iguana, Lizards. 13. Reptilia: Crocodile 14. Reptilia: Turtles. 15. Aves: Herons, Frigate-bird. 16. Aves: Ocellated Turkey (Agriocharis ocellata). 17. Aves: King Vulture (Sarcorhamphus papa). 18. Aves: King Vulture (S. papa), Black Vulture (Catharista urubu). 19. Aves: Vultures. 20. Aves: Harpy Eagle (Thrasaetos harpyia). 21. Aves: Yucatan Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus mayensis). 22. Aves: Yucatan Horned Ow[TN-1] (B. v. mayensis). 23. Aves: Yucatan Screech Owl (Otus choliba thompsoni). 24. Aves: Quetzal (Pharomacrus mocinno). 25. Aves: Blue Macaw (Ara militaris). 26. Aves: Parrots, Turkeys. 27. Aves: Miscellaneous. 28. Various animals. 29. Mammalia: Armadillo and miscellaneous. 30. Mammalia: Deer, Hare. 31. Mammalia: Yucatan Deer (Odocoileus yucatanensis). 32. Mammalia: Yucatan Peccary (Tayassu angulatum yucatanense), Yucatan Deer (O. yucatanensis). 33. Mammalia: Yucatan Peccary (T. a. yucatanense). 34. Mammalia: Jaguar, Puma. 35. Mammalia: Jaguar, Coyote, Bear. 36, 37. Mammalia: Dog (Canis). 38. Mammalia: Leaf-nosed Bat (Vampyrus or Phyllostomus). 39. Mammalia: Monkey (Cebus) and miscellaneous.