Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-07-20
THE MAYA INDIANS
Interesting Facts Concerning Old
Inhabitants of Atlantic Coast.
|copic Itud Peculiar Views Ncgnrding
Marriage and other Customs--Their
uicroriyphs Read Somewhat
Like Our UcbuS.

sued . text-hook an archaeological prinl-
so to speak, for the study Of the an
lent writings Of the MAYA Indians who
ave Inhabited tho Atlantic coast plains
southern Mexico and northern Central
n,clica from time immcmorial The BOOK
entitled AN Introduction to the study
the MAYA HieroElyphs." and is
ew form for tho diffusion of knowledge
relation to one branch Of American
rrheology.
Tho author Of this new book, Sylvanus
friswold Morley of the Carnegie lnsutu-
on cf WASHINGTON hcgins his new work
the beginning. explaining what Maya
ieroFlvphs are and how they are mace,
ow these people reckoned time, performed
heir processes Of mathematics, their
hcthod VI Enumeration and inscription
nd SO Of.
In tho frs, chapter Mr. Morley writes
rienv on the habitat. history, and man
ers aud customs of the Maya. in order
hal The student may gain a general idea
" the remarkable people whose Elyphic
md calendar systems are presented for
study. There are now about 20 tribes
Frea king various dialects of the Maya Ian
Euago. perhaps half million PEOPLE in
l, living in the general region their an
estors occupied Nucatau. Campeche,
Tabasco. ,Chiapas. Guatemala and Hon
iuras were all inhabited by the forcbears
pf this race. who were actually the van of
civilization in the new world; but to-day
here is only the remnant of a dWindling
race, their once remarkable civilization
icing a thing of the past, their manners
knd customs practically forgotten.
Emerging from harbarity, probably dur
ne the first or second century of the
hlistian era. with excellent sculpture
and a system of elaborate and involved
lieroglvphs. hcspcakiug both skill and
high mentality which have taken at least
fwo centuries to evolve, they began to
develop. For four hundred years they ex-
banded and grew until. in the sixth cen
fury. the Golden Age of the MAYA was
I-ea he'd But after that their civilization
either collapsed, having ruin its natura
course. or they We're driven from theil
homes ny a stronger people. At any
event. no dates later than those of their
rycle Q. toward the end Of our sixth cen
fury. have been found in their old south
ern cities
PECULIAR CUSTOMS
MIR. Morley mentions many Of the Mayf
customs which are of interest. They dis
figured and tattoocd their faces in az
rordance with their religious beliefs
Epunt-eyc was striven for, and the youths
had their faces scalded to prevent thu
growth of boards. The men decorated
their whole bodies with red paint. ant
the women all except their faces, for Il
that day modesty decreed that the fac
should be left unpainted The womel
were chaste and modest; when passin;
men on the road they stepped aside turn
FL their backs. and hid their faces in
retiring manner on marriage the youn'
husband was obliged to work for hi
board at the home of his wife's parent
for FIVE or six years but the mother-in
law saw to it that her daughter fed hii
well. The Maya were of a jealous nature
md divorces were frequent and easily ei
fected. PolyGamy was unknown. Me
suffered death for adultery. but the wu17
ans infamy was considered sufficient pun
ishmment for her. Widows or wdowcr
might marry without other ceremony tina
Iartaking of meal in the house of tn
espoused. 1t was considered improper fc
p MAYA to marry his mother-in-law, sis
ter-in-iaW. or aunt by marriage, althoug
pitality knew no bounds, and the uppC
classes entertained one another RECALL.
Drinking was so INDUCED in al their bai
quets that the wives of the guests Wei
often obliged to como for their husband
and drag them home. The military eff
cheney Of the Maya was Of a high degree
each city had chosen soldiers, support t,
by the community, who organized al
drilled all the able bodied men in time
war During the nth and 18th centur
three of the embryonic Maya nations a
supposed to have formed a triple allienC
but further Capitalization of governme
failed, and the Spanish invaders found II
country in chaotic state with numb
Of independent petty ch!efstains.
THEIR HIEROGLYPHS.
In taking Ip the Introduction for stud
Ing the horoslypha the author eXplai
that in Maya inscriptions the glyphs a
usually arranged in parallel columns a
read two columns at a time from left
right at the top. Some inscriptions, no
ever, occur in horizontal bands, in viii
case they are read from left to right, ia
ing two Elyphs at a time. Unlike t
VGyp tans. the Maya complicated tn
writing byv arying aud augmentating tn
elemental forms until complete symn
trical picture, filling the whole allott
space, was evolved. For this reason th'
appear TO he many forms with the sa
meaning, which have to be analysed
their essential characteristics, In so
cases two entirely different forms rep
sent the same thing, and again the "
ters' individual peculiarlties in st
,orfot a NH NM -