A SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS REVOLUTION AMONG THE MAYAN TRffiES AS SUGGESTED BY MYTHOLOGY

Nahum Megged, Jerusalem

The way of religions is to change with the passage of time. Changes in essence, in worship, in interpretation of laws and in emphases are evident. Certain changes take place within a short period of time, and other processes require a continuum to breach the walls of tradition and take on a new form. In numerous cases, the source of the changes is the appearance of another culture leaving its malK. This culture can penetrate forcefully or fill the void created when the former culture crumbles. Many such changes occurred among the tribes of ancient America. With the col• lapse of the Olmec culture in the gulf of Mexico, the Tehotihuacan cultures in the Mexican valley emerged and the cities of ~e Mayan tribes flourished. When Tehotihuacan collapsed, the Tula culture flourished, and so forth. Similarly, tribes with an ethnic, lingual and cultural affinity experienced far-reaching internal changes. Such was the fate of the Mayan tribes. These changes took place when the tribes coexisted in an independent political framework or, as circumstances dictated, became subjects or servants of invaders. The tribes were not united under one statutorial structure, spoke different tongues and dialects and believed in different gods; nevertheless, common elements existed amongst them making possible their inclusion in one com• mon reference group.! As a result of inter-tribal wars legitimate gods

1 The first study of Mayan culture as a whole, written by Joseph Herbert Spinden in 1913, was called Study of Maya Art. In 1957, he compiled all his previous works MEGGED 139 of one people were transfonned into gods of darkness or false gods of other people. Even today, although different fonns of Catholicism have been universally accepted, there is great diversity in belief, worship and emphasis.

into an anthology Maya Art and Civilization. For many years these books served as the basis for all scholars in the field. Despite the fact that many of Spinden's opin• ions have since been invalidated, certain elements are still widely accepted by numerous researchers, in particular the correlation between the Indian and the Gre• gorian calendar. In 1946, Sylvanus Morley published the most popular work on the Maya: The Ancient Maya. He discusses physical anthropology, culture, psychologi• cal guidelines, labour, society, dress, religion and belief. Later on most scholars re• jected his allusions to tribal history, and after his death the book was republished, this time edited by George Brainerd who retained all epigraphic and anthropological data but suppressed most of Morley'S historical reconstruction. J. Erik Thomson, who stands out among researchers, incorporated in his studies archaeology (including field work), pottery, epigraphy, ethnology and linguistics. Already in 1927, he published his first book The Maya Civilization. At first, he ac• cepted Morley's historical reconstruction but later retracted his opinion. In 1954, he wrote the most comprehensive work on the Maya: The Rise and Fall ofMaya Civili• zation. Thomson outlines "the time philosophy" of the tribes on the basis of calen• dar studies. In his opinion, the spiritual foundation was the determining factor in this ancient culture, and scientific progress as related through priestly penmanship was ineffectual. As a factor contributing to the fall of the culture, Thomson concluded that barbaric peoples invaded the lands, bringing with them an adherence to the dog• ma of "human blood" as food for the gods. The priests accepted this religion, but the people rejected it, thus beginning the process of deterioration. Rafael Girard, a Swiss researcher who lived for many years among the Chorti tribes of Guatemala, focused in his research on contemporary reality in the area of ritual worship. In his opinion, this reality of worship offers factual material no less significant than archaeological study. Alberto Ruz, a Cuban-Mexican researcher, elaborated an overall theory follow• ing the Morley-Thomson studies. He was also the archaeologist who discovered the pyramid grave at Palenque, thus altering concepts of these peoples' burial rites. His conclusive study EI Pueblo Maya was published posthumously. Michael Coe, (The Maya), summarized the studies made by other researchers according to new archaeological findings (1966). I cannot mention here mono• graphs, dealing with philosophical, ethnographic, archaeological, psychological or other issues.