The true northerner., 1882-10-06
Sacred Books Lost.

The american Anttg1Ldrtdn contains
the following in regard to ancient sa-
cred books of Yucatan: The Mayas of
Yucatan are supposed to be the only
one of all the native races OF America
who ever reached that stage of civiliza-
tion where written literature prevailed,
and where letters and characters were
known. Attention has been called to
the fact in two or three pamphlets,
lately published, but the last published
since the characters represented III 1T
are supposed to be genuine Maya
Hieroglyphics.
The annihilation of their sacred book
destroyed many of the records of this
nation, and affected the natives keenly.
These books related chiefly to the
pagan ritual, to heathen tradition, and
to astrological superstitions. A few of
these remain now in European Libraries,
but the most common records are those
which go under the name of "Chilian
Balam." These seem to have been a
sort of reproduction of the books,
made at the time of the Spanish con-
quest, and placed in the different vii
lagos, there being not less than sixteen
of these CURIOUS records. "Chilian
Balam" is title which, in ancient
times, designated the priest who an
nounced the will of the gods, and ex-
planned the sacred oracles to men.
These books, written as they were
after the conquest, contained a mixture
of history and Christian doctrines
taught by the priests, and of prophe-
cies, which are supposed by some to
have been genuine Maya prophecies,
uttered before the conquest, and the
native chronology and tradition. The
contents of these books may be classi-
fed under four heads: Astrological
and Prophetic, Ancient Chronology
and History; Medical Recipes and Di-
rectiOns; Later History and Christian
Teachings. The books are valuable for
the stamp of the native thought which
they contain, but specially for the
chronology of the Mayas which they
contain. This chronology is supposed
to date back as far as the third century,
and was divided into thirteen epochs or
periods, which are estimated by some
as twenty years, and by others as twen-
ty-four years each. Each period was
superintended by chief or king, called
Ahan, and the books above mentioned
give both the names and portrait, drawn
and colored by the rude hand of the
native artist. Their year was divided
into eighteen months of twenty days
each, and five interpolated days. The
names of those days are given in three
pamphlets, hieroglyphics being also
given in the last named, that is, the
hieroglyphic signs for the days and for
the months. There are eighteen signs
for months, arranged on two pages one
from Landa's book, and the other from
Chilian Balam. These however, have
very little resemblance. There are
twenty signs for the days, one column
from Landa, the second from the Codex
Troano, and four from Chilian Balam.
Each of these differ, showing that the
memory of writer's was defective or that
an arbitrary reconstruction appeared in
each. 1t should be said there are more
resemblances to the characters in the
Chilian Balam, to the symbols on the
solstitial stone found in Mexico, which
DR.. Valentine thinks was also a chrono-
logical table, and that the figures on
Landa's columns have striking resem-
blances to the hieroglyphics on the
tablet of the cross found in the temple
of the Cross at Palenque.