A monthly Volume 48, Issue 8 newsletter August 2020 published IMSIMS EXPLORER by the ISSN: 1524-9387 Institute of Maya Studies

Maya enthusiasts Inside this issue: providing public education for Edible Seeds and Edible 2 Institute of Maya Studies 47+ years Institute of Maya Studies Fruit of Gonolobus Lianas, A Community by Nicholas Hellmuth, Partner of Miami FLAAR Dade College – Kendall Campus, (to be continued in September) Miami, FL, USA Uk'ay Ajbuj: Otherworldly 3 August 11, 2020 • Maya Ceremonial Era Long Count: 0.0.7.13.10 • 12 Oc 13 Yaxk'in • G9 Owls in the Mundo Maya, by Harri Kettunen, (cont. from pg. 1) Xkalupococh: A Maler 4,7 Uk'ay Ajbuj: Puuc Site Revisited, by Stephan Merk, Otherworldly (to be continued in September) Owls in the Maya Spirituality • 5,6 by • Part I, continued, by Jim Reed Mundo Maya Harri Membership Application 7 Kettunen Unbundling the Past: 8 Events in Ancient and by Harri Kettunen • Department of World Cultures • University of Helsinki • Finland Contemporary Maya History Photo: Great Horned Owl, by photographer Terry VanderHeiden. Check out his work at: imagelight.com for August, by Zach Lindsey; Maya Exploration Center, Worldwide, owls are considered to be mysterious Owls are enigmatic featuring Dr. Ed Barnhart creatures that are regularly associated with darkness, creatures that are worldwide death, and negative auguries, and the Maya area is not an considered to be bad omens and harbingers of death. exception. However, the relationship between humans According to Hull and Fergus (2011: 48): “Owls throughout and owls appears to be somewhat ambiguous, as owls are negative auguries par excellence. [...] are occasionally attributed with positive connotations, With the Ch'ol Maya, the kuj (tecolote in Spanish), or especially among hunters. Ancient Maya relationship Mottled Owl (Ciccaba virgata) is said to be a ‘sabedor with owls appears to be reflected in modern beliefs, (‘knower’).’ When it cries ‘jukuku jukuku,’ it is a sign as is evident from linguistic and iconographic sources. that someone will die.” However, as regards epigraphy, although In the full article, I explore Maya concepts of owls, to abound terms for different types of owls, only a handful map related linguistic terminology and ethnotaxonomies, of these appear in the written sources. In addition, and to study the artistic representations and epigraphy of representations of owls in Maya writing and iconography owls in the Maya area. Connections to other Mesoamerican share some common features with other traditions in cultures and concepts are briefly mentioned – although Mesoamerica, as well as the rest of the world. more systematically to be discussed in a forthcoming study on owls in the Mesoamerican cultural area. Owls in the Maya Area There are 18 species of owls in the Maya area and 11 in the Maya lowlands (König and Weick 2008; Howell and Webb 1995). The American Barn Owl (Tyto furcata) is the only species in the family Tytonidae present in the area. Typical Owls (Strigidae), however, are abundant. If you access the IMS Program Note: hyperlnk provided at the end It is summer break time The has seven owls, and there are three written of this article, I provide a list at Miami-Dade College, references above owl figures in a set of altogether eight birds on accordingly, there will top of representations of the White Earth Goddess on pages 94-95 (Table 1) that presents these species with their scientific be no IMS public (95c shown) of the codex. The references clearly mark the birds presentation in August. perched on top of the head of the goddess. cont. on page 3

© Jim Reed, 2020 I.M.S. Inc. The IMS Explorer newsletter is published 12 times a year by The Institute of Maya Studies, Inc. The Institute is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. As a member you receive the monthly newsletter and personal access to the Member’s Editor Only pages on our website, access to IMS program videos, photo archives, past issues, and more. Get your password by contacting our Webmaster at: [email protected]. Membership and renewal application on our website. Ignored, Forgotten, or Simply Not Recognized? Edible Seeds and Edible Fruit 2020 of Gonolobus Lianas by Nicholas Hellmuth IMS Board of Directors: In the years I was learning about Fruit of Gonolobus the Classic Maya, I knew Dennis liana with open seed Eric T. Slazyk, AIA, Puleston while I was working at pod growing in Aldea NCARB, LEED AP BD+C Cruz Blanca, San Juan President/Membership/Website in 1965 and 1966. So I am [email protected] familiar with his research on the Sacatepequez. Photo ramon nut as an overlooked Rosa Sequen/FLAAR. Marta Barber Executive Vice President/ edible food of the Classic Maya. Mention of this Programming tree by Cyrus Lundell three decades earlier was an [email protected] inspiration. But now I have found a food source not mentioned by Lundell nor by Puleston: seeds and Keith Merwin Administrative Vice President/ fruit of the Gonolobus liana. There are many species Website Chair • webmaster@ of this woody vine in most areas of Guatemala, instituteofmayastudies.org , Belize, , etc., and several are edible. Janet Miess, MLS Different species are in Peten, Alta Verapaz, Izabal, Secretary/Treasurer/Website Sacatepequez, and most Highland and Boca Costa [email protected] areas of Guatemala. I was not aware of Gonolobus being a food source until about 2014. And now, today Jim Reed Newsletter Editor in 2020, I am getting recipes from Kaqchiquel Maya [email protected] and Pokomchi Maya families. Plus one of our plant scouts in Peten is saying the same thing: Cuchamper (a local Spanish name) is also eaten throughout Peten. Medicinal potential for Gonolobus In the section on plant family Apocynaceae in the helpful coverage The Maya people have between 550 and of Peten Itza Maya edible and medicinal plants, not one Gonolobus is listed. 650 or more local native medicinal plants Plus none of the other close relatives that may also have at least one edible available to them (the number depends species are listed whatsoever in this very impressive research project on on whether in the Highlands or the Plants of the Peten Itza' Maya (Atran et al. 2004: 150-151). Yet, our Peten Lowlands, whether in a seasonally dry plant scout, Teco (Moises Daniel Pérez Díaz) knows of three species in area or an area with more moisture Peten, of which one is edible and another is medicinal. much of the year). In monograph after monograph on edible plants of the Americas, no In the helpful monograph on Gonolobus fruits or seeds are listed, despite the fact that botanists Standley Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Belize and Williams clearly indicated in 1969 that some species of vines of the (2000: 123-124) Balick, Nee and Atha list Apocynaceae family, specifically of Guatemala, are edible. But, somehow the medicinal use for Gonolobus fraternus. edible aspect of Gonolobus never was “noticed” by the Carnegie Institution And, on their page 192, Balick and Arvigo of Washington scholars, and I bet list the specific medicinal use for this it is missing from 99% of any chapters Gonolobus fraternus (Messages from on food in all textbooks on “The the Gods, 2015). Classic Maya.” But, for the edible aspect, no The Gonolobus vines throughout Gonolobus is listed in the comprehensive our ethnobotanical research garden book of Edible Wild Plants (Medsger 1939). have been producing seeds, floating No Gonolobus is listed in the index on kapok-like fluff for up to 50 or of Cornucopia II: A Source Book of Edible more meters from the seed pods. Plants (Facciola 1998). This daily rain of seed “parachutes” Josefina Sequen, a Kaqchiquel floating through the air in front of Maya student who helps us with our my home-office is what reminded projects, gave us a complete set of me of this fruit. So our team has recipes for Gonolobus. When we asked if been working this week to rescue her sister Rosa Sequen could photograph this plant from obscurity. some fruits, she simply went into the Fortunately the list of all forest, found the fruits, photographed them Belize plants reminds the world (and then she ate some: seeds and fruit). that there are 6 species of The Pokomchi Maya family who Gonolobus in Belize and two are helps us learn about edible and usable Fruit of Gonolobus liana growing in Aldea edible (Balick, Nee and Atha 2000: plants in southern Alta Verapaz also Cruz Blanca, San Juan Sacatepequez. 123-124). So we are now updating sent some recipes to us. Photo Rosa Sequen/FLAAR. lists of Gonolobus for Guatemala. To be continued in the September IMS Explorer. Uk'ay Ajbuj: Otherworldly Owls in the Mundo Maya by continued from page 1 Harri Kettunen Detail from K2796 showing names, followed by their English and the owl-like bird in the headdress Spanish names, based on König and of . Photograph by Justin Kerr. Weick (2008). It is noteworthy that while with a ji phonetic complement (B), English has but one generic term pointing towards a possible kuj ~ kuuj for owls, Spanish has many across reading for the owl sign. the Spanish-speaking world, such Another avian creature with owl as autillo, búho, cárabo, cuscungo, characteristics can be found in the estucurú, lechuza, mochuelo, múcaro, (C), with a potential ñacurutú, tecolote, tuco, and tucúquere. phonetic value kuy. In the Maya context tecolote, As regards the naming practices búho, and lechuza are the most in the Maya area, few common, of which tecolote and búho names incorporate appear to refer (generally) to larger terms for owls. In “horned” owls (i.e., owls with ear ancient Maya texts, tufts) and lechuza to smaller owls names that have without ear tufts and/or to Barn owls in them can be Owls with distinctive facial disks. found at , A B C However, in a strict (ornithological) , Río Azul, A) Owl sign on Tikal Marcador (F9). Drawing by Christophe Helmke. sense, the Spanish lechuza refers only , , B) Owl sign on an unpublished monument from Tonina. Drawing by to the family Tytonidae, i.e. Barn Owls and Jaina. Harri Kettunen; based on a photograph provided by INAH/Ajimaya/ (Bernis 2000: 123), and not to the It is also worth C.N.A./Carlos Pallán Gayol. C) 13-KUY on Dresden Codex, page 18. various owls in the Strigidae family noticing that names Drawing by Harri Kettunen. that the term lechuza frequently with animal components refers to in common usage. on them are common around What is important regarding the Maya area, but at the same the linguistic work done on Maya time highly concentrated, languages (and Mesoamerican particularly in the languages in general) is that, when Usumacinta area not specified, the termlechuza could (Kettunen 2016). refer to different owls in different One of the areas, based on the identification well-known names of different informants. that has owl Owls, or owl-like birds, have characteristics in it is been identified in Maya monuments Spearthower Owl. However, and architecture. Stela 2 in some cases Spearthrower portrays a frontal image of a bird Owl does not look like an with ear-tufts; Piedras Negras Stela 9 owl, nor does the atlatl depicts a bird with large eyes in the Variant spellings of “Spearthrower Owl”. look like an atlatl. headdress; and in the Terminal Classic Drawing by Christophe Helmke. owls with spread wings References König, Claus, and Friedhelm Weick adorn the West Pier of the Temple Howell, Steve N. G., and Sophie Webb 2008 Owls of the World. 2nd Edition. of the Owls (Stone and Zender 2011: 1995 A Guide to the Birds of Mexico London: Christopher Helm. 212-213). and Northern Central America. Hull, Kerry, and Rob Fergus Depictions of owl-like birds Oxford: Oxford University Press. in Maya art include the famous 2011 Ethno-ornithological headdress of God L (top right). The Bernis, Francisco, Eduardo De Juana, Perspectives on the Ch'ol Maya. headgear on the owl belongs to God L, Josep Del Hoyo, Manuel Fernández- Reitaku Review 17: 42-92. an Underworld deity, and owls are, Cruz, Xavier Ferrer, Ramón Sáez- Stone, Andrea, and Marc Zender of course, related to underworld gods. Royuela, and Jordi Sargatal 2011 Reading Maya Art: A Hieroglyphic We have two frontal view owl 2000 Nombres en castellano de las Guide to Ancient Maya Painting signs in Maya writing. One of them is aves del mundo recomendados and Sculpture. New York: the well-known -inspired por la Sociedad Española de Thames & Hudson. owl sign with Tlaloc-style goggle eyes Ornitología (Quinta parte: Source: Access the original 38-page PDF (A center right) that still eludes Strigiformes, Caprimulgiformes posted by Harri Kennuten at: https://www. secure decipherment. Another one y Apodiformes). Ardeola 47 academia.edu/33200993/Uk_ay_Ajbuj_Other- is a recently found owl sign at Tonina (1): 123-130. worldly_Owls_in_the_Mundo_Maya Xkalupococh:Xkalupococh: AA MalerMaler PuucPuuc SiteSite RevisitedRevisited byby StephanStephan MerkMerk

Detail of Xkalupococh I by Explorador Maya Eduardo González Arce, 2018. The German-Austrian explorer Teobert Maler (1842-1917), to whom in 1989, and in 1992, Prem we owe first notice of so many together with Peter Schmidt Maya sites on the Yucatan peninsula, and Nicholas P. Dunning, visited in June of 1889 two groups of rediscovered Xkalupococh I ruins, which he named Xkalupococh (George F. Andrews, 1989). “I und II Ruinengrund” (Groups I Unfortunately the location and II). Six years later, in 1895, Maler of Xkalupococh II could not saw a third group and baptized it be verified until today, due Xkalupococh “III Ruinengrund”. to the German-Austrian He published a description of the explorer’s vague description complete site together with one and the dense vegetation in photograph 1902 in the German that area. Aside of Maler, to magazine Globus. This was a slightly my knowledge, Harry E. D. Fig. 1a: Maler’s image from 1889 showing the well- shortened version of the text he Pollock (1980: 207-208), preserved front façade of Structure 1 in Xkalupococh I had written in his manuscript Andrews (1989), and Courtesy of Ibero-American Institute, Berlin (N-040 s 134). Península Yucatán, which – edited Dunning (1992: 267-269) by Hanns J. Prem – was released published about Xkalupococh as a book, in 1997. but only the latter has visited Maler was most probably not the site; the other texts are the first explorer who mentioned exclusively based on Maler’s this ancient site. John Lloyd Stephens, report and Prem’s personal together with Frederick Catherwood information. On my part, I and Dr. Cabot, paid on his second inspected Xkalupococh in journey to Yucatan, a visit to the 1993, 2011, 2013, 2017, Maya ruins of Xkampon in 1841. and 2018. At the end of his brief description Xkalupococh is a of the place he writes: “From this dispersed place, a loose (Xkampon) old walls were again arrangement of ruin clusters visible, which the Indians called in a generally north to south Kalupok.” (1843, Vol. 2: 80). Stephens direction, situated in a valley Fig. 1b: Flash-forward to 2018: A comparison with Maler’s does not give a direction but, as we and on adjacent hills. It is photo attests that the building’s southern front side has know today, Xkalupococh III lies only treated here as one single site, explicitly suffered since 1889. Photo by Stephan Merk. 2.5 km southwest of Xkampon. Most even though its groups are separated Xkalupococh I likely Stephens saw Xkalupococh only from each other by more than one from the distance; at least he does kilometer distance and so far no This is the southernmost of the not give any description of the site. settlement remains are known in the Xkalupococh groups. It consists of Probably when mentioning the “old areas in between. The rarely visited several platforms with stone mounds, wall”, the U.S. American traveller place deep in the dense Yucatecan indicating fallen former vaulted referred to the still-standing wall forest reveals several structures buildings. Only one building is of a building on a high hill (and with well-preserved front façades, relatively well preserved. It stands on therefore visible) at the south offering a good opportunity to the north side of a platform on top end of Xkalupococh III. study all of the Classic Puuc styles of a gentle rise and has two rooms Exactly one century after Maler’s (Early Puuc, Intermediate style, along an east-west axis. It is 12 m discovery, Hanns J. Prem and his wife Classic Puuc Colonnette, and Classic long and 4.15 meters wide. The Ursula Dyckerhoff, were able to Puuc Mosaic) within one small Maya undecorated and only roughly relocate Xkalupococh III ruin site. continued on page 7 Maya Spirituality • More Belize • continued • by Jim Reed While in Belize, my friends and I carried all across the great lived just 2 kilometers from the plaza! I had discovered the Guatemalan border. On occasion, amazing sound acoustics that we would pass through the border to the ancient Maya had built drive just 50 km to the grand Maya into many structures across site of Tikal. At that time the road the Mayalands. It would take was still unpaved, and clouds of dust scholars and researchers would rise up behind us. The dirt decades to suggest what I road was known as “Bandito Highway”, had witnessed on my own. as there were rumors that one could Certainly a memorable be stopped by some not-so-nice spiritual experience for me! opportunists. But, we always had good luck on our adventures in and The Belizean– out of the jungle. We stayed at Tikal, Guatemalan not in hotels, but in hammocks, Territorial Dispute hanging from the trees in the camping As an aside for you History World-class view looking up along the trunk through the area, once again under a canopy of buffs, I’d like to share some branches of this world-class Ceiba Tree that you encounter beautiful stars. little known facts that I on the trail while walking into Tikal. Photo by George Fery. On one occasion, we entered gleaned from contributors the site together, but when we to online resources and Map of British entered the great plaza of the North enhanced with my territory in the Acropolis, we split up. My friends own experiences. The Yucatan from 1840 wanted to venture off to explore Belizean–Guatemalan that features the the pyramids in an area known as territorial dispute Belize of that time. “Mundo Perdio” (Lost World). I is an unresolved From the Berghaus decide to climb Temple 1 and territorial dispute Physikalischer Atlas. meditate in the room high above. between Belize and Guatemala, Within the large doorway at the neighbors in Central America. The top of Temple 1, there are three territory of Belize has been claimed successive rooms. I sat in the Lotus in whole or in part by Guatemala position with my back propped up since 1821. against the inner back wall. I began The present dispute originates meditating and “om-ing”; my oms in with imperial Spain’s claim to all New just my normal volume voice. I was World territories west of the line lost in my own Mundo Perdido. established in the Treaty of Tordesillas Later in the day, when we in 1494. England, like other powers regrouped for lunch, my friends of the late 15th century, did not asked me if I had climbed Temple 1. recognize the treaty that divided the They asked if I was om-ing up there. world between Spain and Portugal. site in the near I replied in the affirmative and After indigenous Maya tribes the Belize–Guatemalan border. pondered, “why do you ask?” They had massacred Spanish conquistadors This site is situated near the Macal replied that they could hear me, and and missionaries in Tipu and River. Further downstream is located the sound of my oms was loud and surrounding areas, shipwrecked the Maya site of Chaa Creek, and as English seamen, then another tie-in, Rosita Arvigo’s land English and Scottish backs up to Chaa Creek! Baymen, settled by Guatemala declared its 1638, making their independence from Spain in 1821, presence permanent and Great Britain did not accept the by 1779. Establishing Baymen of what is now Belize as a a short military crown colony until 1862, 64 years alliance with after the Baymen’s last hostilities Amerindians from with Spain. This crown colony the Mosquito Coast became known as “British Honduras”. south of Belize, they A series of meetings, begun in 1969, also often welcomed ended abruptly in 1972 when Britain, The North Acropolis at Tikal, featuring Temple 1, where I did my former British in response to intelligence suggesting “om-ing”. Here, a well-attended Maya ceremony is taking place in privateers. Tipu is a an imminent Guatemalan invasion, the plaza... they’re burning lots of copal incense and spiritual offerings. Maya archaeological continued on page 6 Maya Spirituality • More Belize • continued • by Jim Reed continued from page 5 Britain’s Prince Harry reaches the top of El Castillo announced it was sending an aircraft pyramid at across the river from carrier and 8,000 troops to Belize Benque Viejo del Carmen, on his visit to Belize in to conduct amphibious exercises. March, 2012. Photo by Chris Jackson/Reuters. Guatemala then massed troops Guatemalan side of the river, to meet on the border. Talks resumed in smiling Maya people. The women would 1973, but broke off in 1975 as wash their laundry on the rocks along tensions flared when a Guatemalan the shoreline, while the men bathed in tank entered the plaza of Xunantunich! the crystal-clear pools. Guatemala began massing troops on the border, and Britain responded Benque Viejo del Carmen by deploying troops, along with As with most of Belize, history shows a battery of 105 mm field guns, that the Maya have been occupying anti-aircraft missile units, six fighter Benque Viejo for more than 2,000 years. jets, and a frigate. Following this After the Maya, in the early 17th century, deployment, tensions were defused, British settlers largely as a result of many Guatemalan arrived in the soldiers deserting and returning to country attracted their homes. At the time, Britain to the abundance continued to protect the Belize from of hardwoods in Guatemala, consisting of an army Belize’s dense battalion and No. 1417 Flight RAF rainforests. British of Harrier fighter jets. loggers settled Here is where I enter the in the area near picture, as I was living near the the banks of the border in 1975. I personally Mopan River to By 1878, Benque Viejo is described as “an Indian Village” like this photo witnessed British troops digging cut the valuable from the town’s archives, but it was not until 1904 that Benque Viejo their “fox-holes” along the flat, logwood. As the was officially recognized as a town by the colonial government. sandy areas along the Mopan river demand for logwood decreased, below the town of Benque Viejo. the British set their eyes on the Their rifles were pointed upstream, next prized hardwood – mahogany. towards Guatemala. On more than The logs were floated downstream one occasion, I saw Harrier jets fly the rivers to Belize City where they overhead – with their load of bombs were gathered and exported to tucked neatly under their wings! England for the construction of The coup-d’etat came when exquisite train carriages and fine my Maya friend and I once again furniture. made our way up to the top of So, I’ll move on now, as I did El Castillo pyramid at Xunantunich. then. When our project in Belize We were surprised to find a team of ended, my friends drove themselves British soldiers up there, but I think and their new baby, Demian, up they were more surprised to find a through Mexico, and back to the Hurakan gringo with a Maya friend sneaking up U.S. As another tie-in, Demian is behind them! We made friends and the name of a character in a book shared conversation for a long while. by the same name, by one of my most , which recounts the Maya I think they preferred smoking my influential authors, Hermann Hesse. Creation Myth, Hurakan is the cigarettes better than the type they I decided to backpack into Guatemala, god of wind, storm, and fire. could procure in their dispensary. and make my way up the Pacific Highway Hurakan or Hunraqan in K'iche', Best thing was, they let me look out to California, and then across the U.S. is “the one-legged” god, (God K, through their very high-powered to my parent’s home in South Florida. or K'awiil), and one of three binoculars that were large enough to A three-month adventure! creator deities, collectively called have to be mounted on a tripod. Fun Facts: “the Heart of Heaven,” who Amazing clarity... you could see people Did you know that the English word participated in three attempts to walking in the streets of the border “hurricane” comes from the Taino (the create humanity first from mud, town more than two kilometers indigenous people of the Caribbean and then wood, then successfully from away! I am sure a couple of them Florida) word “Huricán,” who was the maize. The Creation Myth also were friends of mine, who I had met Carib god of evil? Their Huricán was reveals that Hurakan caused the while tubing down the river, derived from the ancient Maya weather Great Flood after the first “true” and pulling ashore on the god, “Hurakan”. According to the humans angered the gods. Xkalupococh: A Maler Puuc Site Revisited by Stephan Merk continued from page 4 finished side wall in the west indicates Fig. 2: The back wall of Xkalupococh I is a planned extension there. A still in good shape and hasn’t changed since comparison with Maler’s photo Maler’s visit. Photo by Stephan Merk. attests that the building’s southern The complete composition can front side has explicitly suffered best be enjoyed on Maler’s photo, since 1889 (Figs. 1a and 1b, page 4). while today much of it is no longer While the structure was almost visible. Andrews in his manuscript complete then, today large parts assumes the same motive for of the western room’s façade have the structure’s eastern end wall; collapsed, including its doorway. however, almost nothing of the Additionally, the upper molding design has survived. is now entirely gone. Astoundingly well preserved is The front side’s plain lower the back wall which has not altered wall zone once was interrupted by since Maler’s times (Fig. 2). The three packs of triple banded vertical three-member medial molding above The eastern room in Structure 1 columns, placed close to the corners the zone of plain veneer stones is and in the center. When Maler visited composed by an apron-member at the building the columns on the eastern the bottom, a line of recessed plain corner had already fallen off the stones alternating with packs of three core, and today only the central pack short columns in the middle, and a has survived time and destruction. Above a three-member medial molding row of plain flat stones sticking out Fig. 3: A look into the east room of Xkalupococh I. with a continuous line of short on the top. The upper wall shows Photo by Stephan Merk. colonnettes as the middle part, rises panels of plain stones, alternating with pairs of central banded façade In front of the building stands an elaborately decorated Classic a stone sculpture, which is already Puuc Mosaic style upper façade. columns and vertical rows of small triangles between each pair of visible on Maler’s photograph As known, in this style the decoration of Structure 1 in Xkalupococh I. in the upper wall zone was put colonnettes. The design of the final upper molding is identical with This sculpture is 60-70 cm high, together with pre-cut specialized rectangular, and shows on the stones in the form of a mosaic. the one on the medial molding. The eastern room in this upper part of its two smaller sides a Above each doorway was an protruding decoration that resembles expanded abstract geometric mask structure (Fig. 3) is almost intact and a classic three-member molding in a V-like design, representing a measures inside around 470 x 300 cm. snout, created by columns in the Its vault is slightly rounded. On both consisting of a rectangular stone background and by square stones, sides of the doorway are cordholders line sandwiched by two apron-type flanked on both sides by G-frets, in the lower and upper parts. The half members. Maler supposed that the indicating eyes. The two abstract destroyed western room could not stone once stood in a building niche masks were divided by two central be inspected more in detail because while Dunning estimates it as part banded half-round columns in there were nests of active wasps of the upper molding. the upper façade’s center. and a frightened porcupine. To be continued in the September IMS Explorer.

2020 New Membership and Renewal Application Institute of Maya Studies The Institute of Maya Studies Name: New Renewal is totally member-supported! Address: Benefactor: $350 If you are not a member, Patron: $150 please take a moment Century: $100 and join us. Membership brings benefits and helps City, State, Zip: Member: $50 the IMS offer educational E-mail: Membership in the IMS includes attending programs to the public. Phone: one lecture a month; a year’s subscription If you are already a member, to our downloadable monthly IMS Explorer please encourage your The IMS has gone Green! Join today newsletter; and access to all features on friends to join. If you need our website: past newsletters, videos of IMS any assistance, call our Maya You can also become a member by using PayPal and the on-line application lectures, upcoming program announcements, form on our website at: http://instituteofmayastudies.org IMS photo archives, and more! Hotline at: 305-279-8110 Members: Be sure to get your password by contacting our Webmaster Keith Merwin at: [email protected] Mail payment to: The Institute of Maya Studies, Inc. • 6666 SW 115th Ct., No. 403, Miami, FL 33173 The Institute of Maya Studies is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Membership dues and contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by the I.R.S. Unbundling the Past: Events in Ancient and Contemporary Maya History for August by Zach Lindsey 7 August 1847 CE: On 12.11.12.3.18 13 Etz'nab 6 Sek G6, a group of Maya leaders organized by Jacinto Pat met in Columpich, Quintana Roo. Sweat must have poured down their faces as they discussed the execution of their friend Manuel Antonio Ay. By the end of their meeting, they had crystallized plans to attack the Mexican Paddler Dieties ferrying the Maize God to where the cosmic hearth will be set. The turtle federal government in what would carries the three stones. By artist J.C. Argyle; check out his work at: www.halfgoblin.com become known as the Caste War. 11 August 3113 BCE: On 13.0.0.0.0 4 8 Kumk'u G9, the gods But revolutions are tricky. Pat got together to place three stones in the sky. These three stones formed and other leaders in the Caste the ring of the “cosmic hearth.” Just like traditional Maya homes, which War were their own worst are built fireplace-first even today, the current version of our world began enemies. Pat himself was killed with those three stones. This date marks the beginning of the long count by other Maya folks, but his legacy calendar, and it is probably the most important date in the . lives on in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, It must’ve been a heck of a party. The Paddler Gods were there, Chaak Quintana Roo, where his and Itzamna may have been around, and the reincarnated Maize God descendants still live. probably made an appearance. Happy birthday, world!

Maya Exploration Center featuring Dr. Ed Barnhart Maya Exploration Center Director Dr. Ed Barnhart has almost and since that time three decades of experience as an archaeologist, an explorer and has organized and an instructor. He is a Fellow of the Explorers Club, has published led over 200 study many papers, and appeared in over a dozen documentaries about abroad programs ancient civilizations. for students around Barnhart received his Masters degree in May of 1996 and the globe. He has began teaching Anthropology classes at Southwest Texas State appeared on the University the following September. He taught Archaeology and History Channel, Anthropology classes at SWTS until 1998 when he was invited by Discovery, Japanese the Mexican government to direct the Mapping Project. Public Television, and in multiple independent In 2003, Barnhart documentaries. founded the Maya Besides teaching as well as facilitating Exploration Center and leading group adventures worldwide, Winning photo! I submitted this photo Barnhart’s pet project is the popular that I took while attending a Wajshakib' Mayan Calendar that he produces B'atz' (Maya New Year) ceremony led each year. The 2021 Mayan Calendar by Tat Rigoberto Itzep Chanchovac is scheduled to be printed in August. (standing at left) in Momostenango, You can now pre-order your calendars Guatemala. The image will be featured for the month of June in the 2021 Mayan for the coming year. Check out this Calendar! The Wajshakib' B'atz' in hyperlink to the site: 2021 is June 28th. Thank you, Ed! http://www.mayan-calendar.com

Join the Explorer-ation! Scholar or not, we welcome submissions from IMS members and other Maya enthusiasts. Share what interests you with others. All articles and news items for the IMS EXPLORER IMS Explorer should be forwarded to the newsletter editor at: [email protected]