the act of watering the parched and dying-maize plants. The Kan character here bears a sprout, or plant, which appears to.be drooping and dying. Although the figure holding the jar is Tlaloc, I think this represents artificial watering, and not rain.
Plates XXXII and XXXIII appear to relate principally to the cultivation of cacao, cotton, and some climbing plant, and to severe drought.
The figures in the upper division I think relate to the cultivation of the cacao, either to the festival held specially by the planters, as described by Landa,[1] the particular part taken by them in the festival held to induce the gods to give them rain, or some incident in the process of cultivation.
Landa, in his description of their special festival in the month Muan, states that "they gave to each of the officers a branch with the fruit of the cacao." This is doubtless represented by the figures holding branches in their hands.
The figures in the second division of these two plates represent two different plants—one evidently a vine supported by a stake, just as grape vines are now supported, on which hang what appear to be pods, possibly beans of some kind. The other plant has a fruit represented by a little circle surrounded by a ring of dots, possibly cotton.
In the third division of these plates there are figures of fox-like animals bearing torches and leaping over a sleeping Zamna figure and an incense-burner. In the place of the eye is a character resembling that for C or Chuen. It is possible that it here stands for the Maya word chocou, "hot," or chocoual, "heat," and that the animal with the torches is a symbol of the scorching, burning heat of the sun.[2] This idea agrees very well with what we see in the division above (second). The figures here appear to represent cultivated vines, which are parched and dying from the effect of heat and drought. The Tlaloc head at the foot of one of. these shows that they are also to some extent symbolic.
The third and fourth divisions of Plates XXXIV and XXXV evidently relate to painting the vessels, &c., alluded te by Landa, where he says that
