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273 N o t e s o f M i d d l e A m e r i c a n A r c h a e o l o g y a n d E t h n o l o g y Carnegie Institution of Washington Division of Historical Research No. 71 October 5, 1946 The Dating of Structure 44, yaxchilan, and its Bearing on the Sequence of Texts at That Site J. Eric S. Thompson sign of the Initial Series of Lintel 46 was Kankin, not Mac. Below are given the decipherments as I see them. Those that are new readings are marked with an asterisk; the others are according to prior decipherments by Morley or Bowditch. I have omitted divisions of glyph blocks. MiDDlE DOORwAy Upper step A A1–D2 9.12.8.14.1 12 Imix 4 Pop I.S. D8–C9 12.0 B C10 9.12.9.8.1 5 Imix 4 Mac Lower step C M1–N1 9.11.18.15.1 7 Imix 14 Zotz’ Lintel 45 D R1–S1 9.12.8.14.1 12 Imix 4 Pop SOUTHEAST DOORwAy Lower step E F’1–G’1 *9.11.3.8.1 5 Imix 9 Pop? Upper step F V1–W1 *9.6.10.14.15 4 Men 3 Mac V5–W5 *7.11.2.19 G (*9.14.1.17.14 5 Ix 17 Kankin) see L.46 Y4–X5 15.15.17 H Y5–X6 *9.14.16.15.11 2 Chuen 14 Mol Lintel 44 I L’1–L’2 9.12.17.12.0 13 Ahau 3 Muan? ThehieroglyphictextsatYaxchilanarethemosttantalizing of all Maya inscriptions. Most of them, despite their generally fine state of preservation, cannot be used with assurance, for the Calendar Round dates, fully rigged with explanatory dates, are in general adrift, bereft of the anchors of Initial Series or the fair havens of Period Endings. Until the bearings of such dates are known, the investigation of the explanatory glyphs of unknown meaning which accompany them can have but meager results. The longest text in a reasonable state of preservation at Yaxchilan is situated in Structure 44, where it occupies three lintels and six doorsteps, and reaches a total, according to Morley, of 174 glyph blocks. Morley (1938:2:440–60) discusses this inscription at length. He expresses his certainty that it dates from the Middle Period, and states his belief that it was dedicated in 9.13.0.0.0. The decipherments which I propose differ radically from those which are published by my colleague in epigraphy and to which the reader is referred. This spring Mr. Giles G. Healey paid a visit to Yaxchilan, largely to comply with my request for photographs of several sculptures at that site. Among them were splendid photographs of the upper step of the southeast doorway of Structure 44; these, with his wonted spirit of disinterested generosity , he placed at my disposal (Fig. 71.1). It was immediately clear that there were serious errors in Money’s decipherments of the dates on this step. Furthermore, the photographs supplied confirmation of a belief I had long held that the month J. Eric S. ThompSon 274 nORTHwEST DOORwAy Lower step J W’1–X’1 *9.8.0.15.11 4 Chuen 9 Xul X’4–Y’4 12.2.9 K W’6–X’6 *9.8.13.0.0 5 Ahau 18 Zec Upper step L M’1–N’1 *9.10.14.11.8 8 Lamat 1 Mol? O’2 6.12 M (*9.10.15.0.0 6 Ahau 13 Mac) P’3–O’4 *4.5.12.0 N O’4 *9.15.0.12.0 10 Ahau 18 Zotz’ O O’7–P’7 *9.14.19.14.18 7 Etz’nab 11 Yaxkin O’6–P’6 3.2 P P’8 *9.15.0.0.0 4 Ahau 13 Yax 12.0 (*9.15.0.12.0 10 Ahau 18 Zotz’ Not repeated Lintel 46 GA’’1–G’’2 *9.14.1.17.14 5 Ix 17 Kankin I.S. These dates will be discussed in order, although I am not sure that the sequence as given above is necessarily correct. I have started with one Initial Series and finished with the other. Attention is called to the relationship with the dates of Structure 23 (Lintels 24, 25, 26, and Altar 7), the dedicatory date of which has been firmly placed by...

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