The Annals of the Cakchiquels | Page 9

they were adopted later to
assign the days of worship of their divinity (see Sec. 44). Brasseur is of
opinion that the thirteen divisions refer to the Pokomams,[34-1] but
that such a subdivision obtained among the Cakchiquels as well, is
evident from many parts of their Annals. The same division also
prevailed, from remote times, among the Quiches,[34-2] and hence was
probably in use among all these tribes. It may have had some
superstitious connection with the thirteen days of their week. The
[c]hob may be regarded as the original gens of the tribe, and the
similarity of this word to the radical syllable of the Nahuatl calp-ulli,
may not be accidental. I have elsewhere spoken of the singular
frequency with which we hear of seven ancestors, cities, caves, etc., in
the most ancient legends of the American race.[34-3]
Terms of Affinity and Salutation.
In the Cakchiquel grammar which I edited, I have given a tolerably full
list of the terms of consanguinity and affinity in the tongue (pp. 28, 29).
But it is essential to the correct understanding of the text in this volume,
to recognize the fact that many such terms in Cakchiquel are, in the

majority of cases, terms of salutation only, and do not express actual
relationship.
Examples of this are the words tata, father, used by women to all adult
males; and tee, mother, employed by both sexes in addressing adult
women. In Xahila's writings, we constantly find the words nimal, elder
brother, and cha[t], younger brother, inserted merely as friendly
epithets. The term mama, grandfather, almost always means simply
"ancestor," or, indeed, any member of an anterior generation beyond
the first degree. This word must not be confounded with mam (an error
occurring repeatedly in Brasseur's writings), as the latter means
"grandchild;" and according to Father Coto, it may be applied by a
grandparent of either sex to a grandchild of either sex.
Titles and Social Castes.
There are a number of terms of frequent recurrence in Xahila's text,
expressing the different offices in the government, rank in social life
and castes of the population, which offer peculiar difficulty to the
translator, because we have no corresponding expressions in European
tongues; while to retain them in the version, renders it less intelligible,
and even somewhat repulsive to the reader. I have thought it best,
generally, to give these terms an approximate English rendering in my
translation, while in the present section I submit them to a critical
examination.
The ordinary term for chief or ruler, in both the Cakchiquel and Maya
dialects, is ahau. Probably this is a compound of ah, a common prefix
in these tongues, originally signifying person, and hence, when
attached to a verb, conveying the notion of one accustomed to exercise
the action indicated; to a noun of place, a resident there; and to a
common noun, a worker in or owner of the article; and u, a collar,
especially an ornamental collar, here intended as a badge of authority.
Ahau is, therefore, "the wearer of the collar;" and by this distinction
equivalent to chief, ruler, captain, lord, king, or emperor, by all which
words it is rendered in the lexicons. It is not a special title, but a general
term.

Scarcely less frequent is the term ahpop. This is a compound of the
same prefix ah, with the word pop, which means a mat. To sit upon
such a mat was a privilege of nobility, and of such dignitaries as were
entitled to be present at the national council; ahpop, therefore, may be
considered as equivalent to the German title Rath, counsellor, and
appears to have been used much in the same conventional manner. In
the Cakchiquel lexicons, popoh is "to hold a council;" popol, a council;
popoltzih, "to speak in council," etc. All these are derived from the
word pop, mat; from the mats on which the councillors sat during their
deliberations.
Personages of the highest rank, of the "blood royal," combined these
titles. They were ahau ahpop, "lords of the council." Uniting the latter
title to the family names of the ruling house, the chief ruler was known
as Ahpo' Zotzil, and the second in rank and heir-apparent, as Ahpo'
Xahil. The oldest son of the former bore the title Ahpop-[c]amahay,
which is translated by the best authorities "messenger of the council,"
and ordinarily was applied to an official who communicated the
decisions of the councils of one village to that of another.[37-1]
Another title, mentioned by Xahila, is ahpop-achi, the last word means
man, vir.
A third article, which distinguished the higher classes, was the seat or
stool on which they sat during solemn ceremonies. This was called
[t]aalibal, an instrumental noun from the verb [t]al, to be visible or
prominent, persons so seated being elevated above, and