Note 1086 — Chapter III · (continued 2)

“Landa’s alphabet a Spanish fabrication,” appeared in the Amer. Antiq. Soc. Proc., April, 1880. In this, Philipp J. J. Valentini interprets all that the old writers say of the ancient writings to mean that they were pictorial and not phonetic; and that Landa’s purpose was to devise a vehicle which seemed familiar to the natives, through which he could communicate religious instruction. His views have been controverted by Léon de Rosny (Doc. Ecrits de la Antiq. Amér. p. 91); and Brinton (Maya Chronicles, 61), calls them an entire misconception of Landa’s purpose.