n LXVIII, 11, from the Palenque Tablet.

[Illustration: PL. LXIX SHELL BEARING MAYA GLYPHS

This shell, on which are engraved seven Maya hieroglyphs, was found in
Belize and courteously sent to the Bureau of American Ethnology by Sir
Alfred Moloney, Governor of British Honduras. The shell is here figured
for the purpose of placing it before students of Central American
paleography[TN-3]]

The Maya and Tzental names signify "king, lord, sovereign." The
derivation of the word has been explained in various ways. Brasseur
explains it by "the lord of the collar," _ah-au_, as does Dr Brinton;
Stoll gives "lord of the cultivated lands," from the Ixil, _avuan_, "to
sow." Dr Seler, however, is disposed to derive the name from the
masculine prefix _ah_ and _uinic_ or _vinak_, "man." His method of
reaching this conclusion is as follows:

For the Tzental word _aghual_, standing parallel with the Maya
_ahau_, which doubtless corresponds to the abstract form _ahaual_
of the word _ahau_, is to be referred rather to a primitive form
_avu_, _a'ku_, _ahu_, than to _ahau_. In the Tzental Pater Noster
which Pimental gives, we find the phrase "to us come Thy kingdom
(Thy dominion)" expressed by the words _aca taluc te aguajuale_.
The primitive meaning of _ahau_ is certainly "man," "lord," and the
two roots of similar significance, _ah_ and _vu_ (see _uinic_,
_vinak_, "man") seem to concur in this word.

He explains the Quiche-Cakchiquel _hunahpu_ by _hun_, "one," and _ahpu_
"lord of the blowpipe," or "blowpipe shooter." Dr Brinton translates it
the "One Master of Power." He brings the Mexican name into harmony by
rendering it "the flower of the day"--that is, the sun; and the Zapotec
by rendering it "eye," meaning "the eye of the day"--i. e., the sun.

When we attempt to bring the symbol of the day into harmony with the
Maya name, we encounter a difficulty which can be overcome only by
following a different line from that suggested by Dr Brinton or Dr
Seler. That the character shown in LXVIII, 12, is the symbol for the
cardinal point "east," which in Maya is _likin_, is now generally
admitted, and that the lower portion is the symbol for _kin_, "day" or
"sun," is also admitted. We are therefore justified in concluding that
the upper portion, which is the _Ahau_ symbol, stands for _li_, and that
_l_ is its consonant element. If Landa's second _l_ (shown in LXVIII,
43) is turned part way roun