The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-03-23

portation of monuments from these
countries.
The Mayas divided the year into 1865
days, 20 days to each month and IS
months to the year, but five days were
added to each year Ga short month"; to
fill out the sum. Each day had a
name, as did each month. The days
had numbers, written by means of dots
and dashes. These signs were given
place value, as are numbers in the deci-
NAL system. Thus, there was a triple
check on all dates, and sometimes. even
though one of the hieroglyphs had dis
appeared, there still remained one, of
the others and date could be accu-
rately determined by the student. Aft
er the first date had been obtained,
that of GLIB B. c., the Mayans counted
back seven cycles in time, using as
their method of count the day, instead
of the year. This brought them back
to their day of creation, the fourteenth
of October, 1878 B. c.
An Independent History
The history of this early civilizat ton
is absolutely independent. in no wise
related to that of Europe, save in the
distant periods of the earliest known
men. The culture of our tropics is far
World, due to the fact that the warm
area is far wider in the other con-
tinent than in this. There is, however.
belt of tropical civilization, the old
est of our continent, that stretches
across Central America and the islands
near it. There is a distinct relation
ship between the civilizations.
Among the most interesting and dra-
matte of the discoveries among the
monuments was the finding of eight
monuments at Copan, Honduras, which
celebrate the resetting of the astronom-
ical base-line from which the corrobora-
ton for the calendar was secured. The
figures on the monuments represent
astronomers who went from all over the
territory to Copan in SOB A. D. to de-
eide on the calendar for all the Magyar
cities.
In 392 A. d. two monuments were
set up ON hills on either side of the
Valley of Copan, with the western one
showing clearly on the skyline. The
monuments are about four or five miles
apart, and person standing before the
eastern one. or at any point in the city
on the direct line between the two,
would see the sun set exactly behind
the eastern one, or at any point in
the city on the direct line between the
two, would see the sun set exactly be-
kind the western monument twice dur
ing the year-April 8 and September
2 in the Gregorian calendar.
The arrival of the first of these posi-
tions indicated to the farmer that the
time for opening the spring work was
at hand. 1t showed him that there was
time to burn brush and plant his first
crop before the rainy season began. The
second occurrence, September 2, marked
the time when he should begin his Sec
ond planting, SO that the crop might get
a good start with the last rains.
Dates Generally Recorded
Both of the dates are recorded at
Copan. and they also appear on monu-
ments in other cities. They are directly
connected with calculations that lead to
the days of the equinoxes and the sol
stices.
Other dates that are stressed in the
Magyar records are March 81 and Sep
TENDER %, the points of the equinoxes,
and December % and June %, the
points of the solstices. The famous
tablets at Palenque carry backward
from September %, 430 A. D.. the day
of the autumnal equinox, to 1878 B. c.,