Numeral systems of Mexico and Central America / by Cyrus Thomas.

  • Cyrus Thomas
Date:
[1901]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Numeral systems of Mexico and Central America / by Cyrus Thomas. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    45/116 page 891
    exception, the numbers from 10 to 19 are formed ]>y the addition of 1, 2, 3, etc., to 10, the decimal .s^’stem api)!}^!!^ here. Twenty ha.s a distinct name—hil. From 21 to 39 the numbers arc formed by the addition to 20 of the numbers from 1 to 19; and 10 is twice 20. Before alluding to the change which occurs in the next step, atten- tion is called to the name tor 10. Dr Brinton ’ says it is appar- ently a compound of lah and A?<n, and gives as the probable significa- tion, “it finishes one (man).” As to its derivation, I think he is cor- rect, as lah^ as a substantive, signifies “ end, limit, all, or the whole,” and ?mn “ one.” The signification of the term w'ould therefore seem to be “ one finish,” or “ ending,” or “ all of one count,” but not “ one man.” Henderson, in his manuscript Maya-English Dictionarv, under lah, says, “ whole hands,” and this is doubtless the true rendering when used in this connection. Kal, 20, as a verb signifies “ to fasten, shut, close,” as a substantive, “a fastening together, a closing or shutting up.” Calling 20 a score, for the sake of simplicity, the count from 21 to 39 may be illustrated thus: hun-tu-hal, 1 on the score, or first score; ca-tu-hal, 2 on the score, etc. Here the addition is to the score already reached, but the additions to 10—ca-hal—or second score are counted differently, for 11, instead of being hun-tu-cahal, is hun-tu-yoxhd, the latter—yoxkal or odckal—being the term for 6<), or third score (3X20). As it is evident that this can not signify 1 added to 60, there has been a difi'erence of opinion as to the true meaning of the expression and as to its correctness. Perez, as quoted by Dr Brinton, says, in an unpublished essay in the latter’s possession, that Beltran's method of expressing the numbers is erroneous; that 11 should be hun-ta-cakal; 12, ca-ta-cakal; 83, ox-tu-canhal, etc. Nevertheless, as Dr Brinton has pointed out, the numerals above 10 are given in Perez’s Dictionary of the Maya Language according to Beltran’s system, which appears from other evidence to be correct. Leon de Rosny^ suggests that hnn-tu-yoxkal should be explained thus: 6(>—20-1-1. However, the correct rendering appears to be 1 on the third score, or third 20. It is possible that an old and a new reck- oning prevailed among the Mayas, as apparently among the Cakchi- (piels. According to StolD the latter people had an old and a more recent method of enumerating, which may be represented as follows: old New 41 hun-r-oxc’al 42 cai-r-oxc’al ca-viiuik-lmn ca-vinak-cai, etc ' Maya Chronicles, p. 88. 2Xum<5ration des Anciens Mayas, in Comiite-Uendu Cong, internal. .\mericaniste.'i, p.-iT'J; Nancy, l.H/.i. ^ Zur. Ethn. der Guatemala, p. 136.
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