aribbean Islands,
and so to Yucatan. He states that the traditions of the Mayas uphold
this view.<90> But others are not ready to admit it. We have found
a number of points of resemblance between the Mayas and the Nahuas.
Differences we would, of course, expect to find; but still the points of
resemblance are sufficiently strong to indicate either that the tribes
were once subject to the same influence, from whence they derived their
culture, or else that they are descended from the same stock. We have
reverted to the worship of Quetzalcohuatl, and shown how the Quiches,
under the name of Gucumatz, worshiped a similar deity. We have also
referred to the great similarity of the calendar system.

From the limited space at our command, it is not possible to refer to
the traditions of the Maya tribes. We will refer to but one manuscript
bearing on this question; but this is, probably, the most important one.
This manuscript was written by a native with the Spanish letter, but in
the Maya language. It was written not far from the time of the conquest
of Yucatan by the Spaniards, and the account is, doubtless, as full a
one, from the native stand-point, as can be given. The period of time
used by the author is Ahau, which we have seen is either twenty, or
twenty-four years.

Carefully going over this manuscript, Prof. Valentine arrives at the
following conclusions: About the Year 137, A.D., the Mayas started from
some place they called Tulla, or Tullapan, on their migration. Where
this place was we do not know. The traditions of all the civilized
nations refer to this place as a starting-point. It was a "land of
abundance." It may be that this was but some fabled place, such as
almost all primitive people have traditions of.<91> About the year
231, A.D., they arrived on the coast of Central America, and spread
themselves over a large part of it. This same manuscript speaks of the
"discovery" of Chichen-Itza, 522, A.D. The date of the founding of Uxmal
is given as about the year 1000, A.D. From 1000 to 1200, A.D., was the
golden era of the Mayas in Yucatan.

The tribes at Uxmal, Mayapan, and Chichen-Itza formed a confederacy
of which Mayapan seems to have been the head. About the year 1200,
inter-tribal war broke out. It seems to have been caused by the arrival
of Nahua tribes, who established themselves in Mayapan. They were
finally expelled, but they left the Mayas in such a state of exhaustion
that they could not present