DOCSLIB.ORG

The Paris Codex: Decoding an Astronomical Ephemeris

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Paris Codex: Decoding an Astronomical Ephemeris TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY HELD AT PHILADELPHIA FOR PROMOTING USEFUL KNOWLEDGE VOLUME 71, PART 5 1981 The Paris Codex: Decoding an Astronomical Ephemeris GREGORY M . SEVERIN THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY I N DEPEN DEN CE SQUA R E: P H ILA DE LP HI A 1981 This content downloaded from 201.153.95.41 on Sat, 22 Sep 2018 12:57:22 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms PUBLICATIONS OF The American Philosophical Society The publications of the American Philosophical Society consist of PROCEEDINGS, TRANSACTIONS, MEMOIRS, and YEAR BOOK. THE PROCEEDINGS contains papers which have been read before the Society in addition to other papers which have been accepted for publication by the Committee on Publications. In accordance with the present policy one volume is issued each year, consisting of six bimonthly numbers, and the price is $12.00 net per volume. THE TRANSACTIONS, the oldest scholarly journal in America, was started in 1769 and is quarto size. In accordance with the present policy each annual volume is a collection of monographs, each issued as a part. The current annual subscription price is $40.00 net per volume. Individual copies of the TRANSACTIONS are offered for sale. Each volume of the MEMOIRS is published as a book. The titles cover the various fields of learning; most of the recent volumes have been historical. The price of each volume is determined by its size and character, but subscribers are offered a 20 per cent discount. The YEAR BOOK is of considerable interest to scholars because of the reports on grants for research and to libraries for this reason and because of the section dealing with the acquisitions of the Library. In addition it contains the Charter and Laws, and lists of members, and reports of committees and meetings. The YEAR BOOK is published about April 1 for the preceding calendar year. The current price is $5.00. An author desiring to submit a manuscript for publication should send it to the Editor, American Philosophical Society, 104 South Fifth Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106. This content downloaded from 201.153.95.41 on Sat, 22 Sep 2018 12:57:22 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY HELD AT PHILADELPHIA FOR PROMOTING USEFUL KNOWLEDGE VOLUME 71, PART 5 1981 The Paris Codex: Decoding an Astronomical Ephemeris GREGORY M. SEVERIN THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY I N DE PEN DE N CE SQ UA R E: P H IL AD ELP H IA 1981 This content downloaded from 201.153.95.41 on Sat, 22 Sep 2018 12:57:27 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms Copyright ?) 1981 by The American Philosophical Society Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 80-68488 International Standard Book Number 0-87169-715-7 US ISSN 0065-9746 This content downloaded from 201.153.95.41 on Sat, 22 Sep 2018 12:57:27 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms PREFACE Several years ago while writing a term paper com- science never ceased to amaze me, and I have benefited paring the cosmogonies of the Maya and the Egyp- immensely from our association. His untimely death tians, a curious thought came to mind. I wondered in February, 1980, was a great personal loss. whether the Maya had a zodiac with wondrous myth- My appreciation is extended to Dr. Thomas S. Bar- ical beings who crossed the nighttime sky and con- thel of the University of Tuibingen, West Germany, sorted with the moon and the planets, as did the a co-referee of my dissertation at Basel, for his me- Egyptians. I wondered also whether they had ages ticulous analysis and critique of my work. Our re- ruled by one of those beings, and whether the Maya search interests crossed unusually in several areas, an priest-astronomers, fascinated by the march of time, example of which I am proud to elaborate in one of recorded calculations of the precession of the equi- the appendices to this monograph. My scholarship has noxes. I had read that in a certain Paris Codex pictures been greatly enhanced through our contact. of beings appeared on a partially destroyed page which A note of gratitude is owed to Dr. Floyd Lounsbury may have been a representation of a zodiac. I thought of Yale University and Dr. David Kelley of the Uni- this Paris Codex must have been a wonderful book; versity of Calgary, Canada. It was these gentlemen a great pity it was no longer intact. I was sure that who listened to my ebullient exposition of a half-baked if a Maya zodiac ever turned up, it would have not theory on the Paris Codex at a meeting at Yale in twelve but thirteen constellations-surely thirteen, the March, 1977. Their comments and criticisms greatly sacred number of the Maya. encouraged me in pursuing the course of research I About a year later, I discussed some of my ideas had outlined. with an archaeologist, Dr. Gordon Ekholm, of the Many thanks are due Dr. Anthony Aveni of Colgate American Museum of Natural History in New York. University. His detailed and always constructive cri- When I mentioned the Paris Codex, he withdrew from tiques of several drafts of my work have been of great his shelves an old book with yellowed pages. It was aid in refining and supplementing my arguments. Dr. then that I first beheld the Paris Codex. To my sheer G. A. Tammann and Dr. U. Steinlin of the Astro- delight, not only the page about which I had asked nomical Institute of the University of Basel have sup- but the previous page as well contained two rows of plemented my knowledge and assurance in the realm strange beings hanging from a band which represents of astronomy. the sky. Without counting I was sure there were thir- My intellectual acknowledgment would not be com- teen and perhaps the table between the pictures was plete without mention of the late J. Eric S. Thompson. an astronomical reckoning related to the zodiac. Dr. I regret never having made his acquaintance, but his Ekholm kindly made a copy of the manuscript for me books and articles have served as my textbooks in which I examined very closely that very night. Thus Maya research. Several times in the following pages began my fascination with the Paris Codex and the I take exception to his opinions or hypotheses. How- writings of the Maya. ever, I have been impressed by the acknowledgment Since my initiation into Maya studies, numerous of his own errors in print, and know that he would people have helped further my research. Actually, my have given my arguments impartial judgment. I hope debt extends back to my childhood when my father, to admit error with the same grace. the late Harry M. Severin, introduced me to the joys I would also like to thank several people whose ef- of Egyptian dynastic history and the decipherment of forts helped make this monograph possible. My mother, hieroglyphics; it was then that I developed my first Augusta Severin, has given ceaseless faith and has love for the knowledge of the ancients. I would like tirelessly typed several drafts of the manuscript. My to extend a token of gratitude, however inadequately appreciation is extended to Mr. and Mrs. Walter El- this may be expressed, to all those who have aided and lenberger of Hagendorf, Switzerland, a family to me encouraged my pursuit of scientific truth. during my stay in Switzerland. And to all my col- The late Dr. Joachim Otto Fleckenstein, my Dok- leagues and predecessors whose work has influenced torvater at the University of Basel, Switzerland, was the development of my own thought, I acknowledge a constant source of encouragement and inspiration. my profound gratitude. He was instrumental in securing my admission to the university where this monograph developed from my dissertation research. His erudition in several fields of March, 1981 GREGORY M. SEVERIN 3 This content downloaded from 201.153.95.41 on Sat, 22 Sep 2018 12:57:27 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figures Frontispiece-Paris 23-24 (after de Rosny, 1887) ........ ................. 6 1. Three Spots as the Jaguar Skin ........................................................ 11 2. Rattlesnake High on the Back of the Jaguar ............................................. 12 3. Reconstructed Jaguar ................ ................................................. 13 4. Reconstruction of Paris 23-24 .......................................................... 14 5. The Year Bearers . .................................................................... 18 6. Calculating within One Zodiacal Year ................................................... 25 7. Calculating in Sidereal Year Equivalents ................................................ 28 8. Venus Heliacal Risings . ................................................................ 32 9. Lintel 3 (left side), Temple IV Tikal .................................................... 56 10. The Sky on 9.15.10.0.0 .57 11. The Sky on 9.15.12.2.2 .58 12. The Sky on 9.15.12.11.13 .59 13. The Skyon 9.16.4.1.1 .60 14. The Skyon 9.15.9.13.0 .61 15. Moon/Mars "Conjunction" .............................................................. 62 16. The Sky on 9.16.12.5.17 ............... ................................................ 63 17. Moon/Antares Conjunction ............................................................ 64 18. Monument 30, San Lorenzo ........................................................... 71 19. Monument 19, La Venta .............................................................. 72 20. Archetypal Jaguar and Black Spotted Dog ................................................ 74 21. Stela
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ancient Maya Afterlife Iconography: Traveling Between Worlds
    University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2006 Ancient Maya Afterlife Iconography: Traveling Between Worlds Mosley Dianna Wilson University of Central Florida Part of the Anthropology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Wilson, Mosley Dianna, "Ancient Maya Afterlife Iconography: Traveling Between Worlds" (2006). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 853. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/853 ANCIENT MAYA AFTERLIFE ICONOGRAPHY: TRAVELING BETWEEN WORLDS by DIANNA WILSON MOSLEY B.A. University of Central Florida, 2000 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Liberal Studies in the College of Graduate Studies at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2006 i ABSTRACT The ancient Maya afterlife is a rich and voluminous topic. Unfortunately, much of the material currently utilized for interpretations about the ancient Maya comes from publications written after contact by the Spanish or from artifacts with no context, likely looted items. Both sources of information can be problematic and can skew interpretations. Cosmological tales documented after the Spanish invasion show evidence of the religious conversion that was underway. Noncontextual artifacts are often altered in order to make them more marketable. An example of an iconographic theme that is incorporated into the surviving media of the ancient Maya, but that is not mentioned in ethnographically-recorded myths or represented in the iconography from most noncontextual objects, are the “travelers”: a group of gods, humans, and animals who occupy a unique niche in the ancient Maya cosmology.
    [Show full text]
  • Astronomy and the Iconography of Creation Among the Classic and Colonial Period Maya
    Astronomy and the Iconography of Creation Among the Classic and Colonial Period Maya KHRISTAAN D. VILLELA and LINDA SCHELE University of Texas, Austin Westerners have been fascinated by the Period Maya. John Lloyd Stephens and others astronomical knowledge of the ancient Maya published accounts and views of the ruins of since travelers and scholars first reported ruined southern Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and cities in the Americas and Precolumbian manu- then British Honduras (Del Río and Cabrera scripts in European libraries. Beginning in the late 1822; Stephens 1841, 1843; Catherwood 1844; nineteenth century, students of the Maya speculat- Norman 1843; Charnay 1863, 1885; Maudslay ed on the astronomical identities of iconographic and Maudslay 1899). At the same time, academ- motifs and characters portrayed in the codices and ics and bibliophiles across the Atlantic discovered on monumental sculptures. In addition to identify- Precolumbian Maya codices and Colonial Spanish ing the signs for the sun, moon, and Venus, they accounts of the Maya. In Germany, Alexander von also produced tentative reconstructions of the Humboldt's account of travels in the New World Maya zodiac and other constellations. Alternate included the first publication of a Maya codex, interpretations of the nature of Maya astronomy five pages of the Dresden manuscript (Humboldt have appeared throughout this century. 1810:Plate 45). Humboldt's folio size work also Based on recent advances in our understand- first reproduced Maya art, a stucco relief from ing of the natural and astronomical foundations of Palenque (Humboldt 1810:Plate 11). In nearby Classic and Post-Classic Period Maya conceptions Paris, the Abbé Brasseur de Bourbourg published of Creation, we present another model of the so- the Quiché Maya Popol Vuh in 1861, and Diego called Maya zodiac.
    [Show full text]
  • The PARI Journal
    ThePARIJournal A quarterly publication of the Ancient Cultures Institute Volume XV, No. 3, Winter 2015 In This Issue: The Dedication of Tikal TempleVI: The Dedication of Tikal Temple VI: A A Revised Chronology Revised Chronology by SIMON MARTIN University of Pennsylvania Museum Simon Martin PAGES 1-10 • The long hieroglyphic text that adorns distinctive features (Figure 1). It offers an the back and sides of Tikal Temple VI—a unusually detailed statement of relations A Skyband with building known more descriptively as between an ancestral ruler-deity and Constellations: the Temple of Inscriptions and more both contemporary and deep-time local Revisiting the Monjas East Wing prosaically as Structure 6F-27—has some monarchs. It also has a distinctive physical at Chichen Itza by Bruce Love PAGES 11-14 • In the Realm of the Witz’: Animate Rivers and Rulership among the Classic Maya by Jeremy D.Coltman PAGES 15-30 • The Further Adventures of Merle (continued) by Merle Greene Robertson PAGES 31-32 Joel Skidmore Editor Marc Zender Associate Editor The PARI Journal 202 Edgewood Avenue San Francisco, CA 94117 415-664-8889 [email protected] Electronic version available at: www.precolumbia.org/ pari/journal/1503 Figure 1. The rear façade of Tikal Temple VI (Structure 6F-27). Photograph by Jorge ISSN 1531-5398 Pérez de Lara. The PARI Journal 15(3):1-10 © 2015 Ancient Cultures Institute 1 Martin character since, with constituent blocks measuring as BCE), and 9.4.0.0.0 (514 CE), before damage robs us of much as 85 cm across, it boasts the largest hieroglyphs in reliable or legible dates until firm ground returns in the the Maya world.
    [Show full text]
  • A Representation of in the Paris Codex
    6 A Representation of the Principal Bird Deity in the Paris Codex KARL A. TAUBE Dumbarton Oaks OR MANY YEARS it has been known that the central portions of pages 2 through 12 of the F Codex Peresianus, or Paris Codex, deal with a succession of katuns (Forstemann 1903; Gates 1910). According to Gates (1910:16-17), the katun series began on the almost entirely effaced page 1 and ended on the missing page 13 (Note 1). If that is correct, these pages embrace a complete round of 13 katuns, beginning with Katun 4 Ahau and concluding with Katun 6 Ahau (Note 2). Each of the extant scenes on pages 2 through 12 shows a standing deity presenting a God K head to another figure, seated on a dais or throne. The presentation of the God K head may allude to a change in political or religious authority since, in Classic Period iconography, the presentation of God K frequently occurs during scenes of accession and other dynastic rites (Schele 1982:61-63; Schele & J. Miller 1983:17-18). Hellmuth (1986: Fig. 192) has pointed out the close similarity of the "katun thrones" of the Paris Codex to the Classic "niche," or accession, stelae of Piedras Negras. In addition, the texts of the katun pages of the Paris Codex begin with a series of hel compounds (T168:573.130). The main sign, the hel glyph itself, is frequently used in Classic texts to denote the succession of rulers at a particular site (Riese 1984). Lounsbury (1973) has established that the accompanying affixes, T168 and T130, are to be read AHAW - an important title of Maya lords.
    [Show full text]
  • A Mathematical Journey Through the Land of the Maya Philip Scalisi Bridgewater State College, [email protected]
    Bridgewater Review Volume 24 | Issue 2 Article 6 Dec-2005 A Mathematical Journey through the Land of the Maya Philip Scalisi Bridgewater State College, [email protected] Paul Fairbanks Bridgewater State College, [email protected] Recommended Citation Scalisi, Philip and Fairbanks, Paul (2005). A Mathematical Journey through the Land of the Maya. Bridgewater Review, 24(2), 8-13. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/br_rev/vol24/iss2/6 This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. A Mathematical Journey Several of us were fortunate to enter the interior of El The next day our group journeyed to Dzibilchaltún, Castillo as a smaller pyramid exists inside it! After a city noted for having one of the longest histories of through the ascending 62 narrow slippery stairs in a steamy, dark unbroken occupation of any Mayan site, from c. 500 and dank atmosphere, we came upon the chamber of B.C. to c. 1500 A.D. The most important structure here Land of the Maya the Chac-mool, a reclining figure with its head looking is the Temple of the Seven Dolls, named after seven by Philip Scalisi and Paul Fairbanks sideways. Its posture represents a figure descending into crudely modeled figurines found in it. At dawn on the the underworld. Beyond this statue is the throne of the spring and autumn equinoxes, the rising sun beams (all photographs by Philip Scalisi) AIRBANKS Red Jaguar, a painted altar inlaid with jade, bone, and directly though the east and west doors of the Temple mirrors.
    [Show full text]
  • Ritualized Discourse in the Mesoamerican Codices
    Ritualized Discourse in the Mesoamerican Codices An Inquiry into Epigraphic Practice Caitlin Reddington Davis 1 Caitlin Reddington Davis 68 Zijlsingel, Leiden 2315KG [email protected] +31-06-1881-2691 Image: Black and white representation of the flower and song, Codex Borbonicus p. 2 2 Ritualized Discourse in the Mesoamerican Codices An Inquiry into Epigraphic Practice Student: Caitlin Reddington Davis Student Number: s1531158 RMA Thesis, 1046WTY Supervisor: Prof. Dr. M.E.R.G.N. Jansen Specialisation: Religion and Society in Native American Cultures University of Leiden Faculty of Archaeology Leiden, The Netherlands December 15th, 2015 Final version 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements 6 Chapter 1: Introduction & Postcolonial Theory 1.1 Introduction 7 1.2 Postcolonial theory 10 1.3 Mesoamerica 12 1.4 Ritual & religion 13 Chapter 2: Writing Theory 2.1 Introduction 17 2.2 Writing theory 17 2.3 An argument for the inclusion of pictorial writing 21 2.4 Traditions of knowledge in Mesoamerica 24 2.4.1 Linguistic development 24 2.4.2 Early Mesoamerican writing 26 2.4.3 Approaches to Mesoamerican writing 28 2.5 The Mesoamerican codices 29 Chapter 3: Case Study: Bloodletting 3.1 Bloodletting as a case study 36 3.2 A brief history of the ritual sacrifice of human blood 37 3.3 Statistical analysis 42 3.3.1 Types and subtypes 43 3.3.2 Actors involved in bloodletting 51 3.3.3 Body parts involved in sacrificial behavior 56 3.3.4 Deities involved in bloodletting 65 3.4 Conclusions 66 Chapter 4: Case Study: Difrasismo 4.1 Difrasismo as a case study 68 4.2 Difrasismo & ritual language 69 4.3 Analysis of the codices 73 4.3.1 Flower & song / red & black ink 74 4.3.2 Arrow & shield 75 4.3.3 Mat & throne 79 4.3.4 Day & night 83 4 4.3.5 Food & drink 85 4.3.6 Green/blue & yellow 86 4.4.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Rain in Postclassic Maya Religious Belief
    University of Central Florida STARS HIM 1990-2015 2011 The role of rain in postclassic Maya religious belief Lillie U. Dao University of Central Florida Part of the Anthropology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015 University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in HIM 1990-2015 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recommended Citation Dao, Lillie U., "The role of rain in postclassic Maya religious belief" (2011). HIM 1990-2015. 1216. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/1216 THE ROLE OF RAIN IN POSTCLASSIC MAYA RELIGIOUS BELIEF by LILLIE U. DAO A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Honors in the Major Program in Anthropology in the College of Sciences and in The Burnett Honors College at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2011 Thesis Chair: Dr. Sarah Barber ABSTRACT The concept of religion and its practice within ancient societies across the world is a subject that has fascinated scientists for centuries. The pre-Columbian Maya codices, first-hand Postclassic hieroglyphic documents, have been examined by hundreds of anthropologists. Analysis of these books has led scientist to hypothesize that these manuscripts were vitally connected to the Maya Postclassic belief system. Understanding the central focus of a civilization’s religion and how, why and under what circumstances the religion is practiced truly distinguishes them as a culture.
    [Show full text]
  • 60 the Identification of the West Wall Figures at Pinturas Sub-1, San
    60 THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE WEST WALL FIGURES AT PINTURAS SUB-1, SAN BARTOLO, PETÉN William A. Saturno David Stuart Karl Taube Keywords: Maya archaeology, Guatemala, Petén, San Bartolo, mural painting, iconography, deities, Late Preclassic period The magnificent mural paintings remarkably preserved inside the chamber of Pinturas Sub-1, in Guatemala, show promise to be one of the most significant archaeological findings in the Maya region. The paintings unfold a minute portrait of the Maya mythology of creation, and an exceptional antiquity, as they date to century I BC. During the 2003 field season, the mural on the North Wall of Pinturas Sub-1 was exposed, and the interpretation of the scenes presented (Taube et al. 2004; Saturno and Taube 2004). This study is focused on the results of the 2004 excavations conducted on the West Wall of the chamber in Pinturas Sub-1. Alike the North Wall, a numeric system was used, and the varied images present in the mural from left to right, and from its upper portion to its base, were labeled. Like there are missing areas in the West Wall, as is the case with the characteristics of image 11 which were not fully identified, it was assigned the letter “P” in the sequence, which defines it as being of a provisional nature; consequently, there are other figures in a similar situation. Clearly, a good number of the interpretations could change at the light of subsequent reconstructions. The south half of the West Wall represents the raising of five trees of life in a context of sacrificial offerings which include ritual bloodletting.
    [Show full text]
  • Yearbearers in the Paris Codex: a Description of Iconographic and Calendrical Elements1
    Studies Yearbearers in the Paris Codex: A Description of Iconographic and Calendrical Elements1 JAKUB ŠPOTÁK Department of Comparative Religion Faculty of Arts Comenius University, Bratislava In this paper, the author describes basic iconographic elements of two pages from Paris Codex, known as Yearbearer pages. Paper shown comparision of examples from Paris with other two Maya codices, Madrid and Dresden and also with colonial sources, mainly Landa’s Relación de las Cosas de Yucatán. Although, huge part of codex is destroyed, or missing, author will provide summary of previous observations with new ideas and hypothesis. Keywords: the Paris Codex, yearbearer, codices, Maya calendar, New Year ceremonies The Paris Codex can be described as a manual for twenty-two pages. The entire codex can be divided Maya priests. We can only assume what was the con- into six thematic units. In comparison, the Dresden tent of tens or even hundreds of codices that were de- Codex is divided into twelve sections. The first and stroyed during the Spanish conquest. We should take dominant part of the Paris Codex is called the K’atun into consideration the fact that the route information pages2. It comprises pages 2-12 (hypothetically, also and the content is specific to the place or the material the completely eroded first page). The second part is where it is shown. This means that the texts of the called the God C pages, comprising 15 to 18. The third Classic period (around 250 A.D. – 900 A.D.), which part is the Yearbearer pages, comprising 19 – 20. The are depicted on stone monuments (e.g., stelas), are fourth part is called the Day-Sign Tables, on page 21.
    [Show full text]
  • Time, Memory, and Resilience Among the Maya
    TIME, MEMORY, AND RESILIENCE AMONG THE MAYA Prudence M. Rice Southern Illinois University, Carbondale The conservative transmission of cultural form is particularly likely where people are exposed constantly to highly visible examples of material objects invested with authoritative credibility. (Michael Rowlands 1993: 142) Collapse, far from being an anomaly... presents in dramatic form not the end of social institutions, but almost always the beginning of new ones... (Shmuel N. Eisenstadt 1988: 243) Introduction The lowland Maya are commonly thought to have experienced several collapses during the more than 1,500 years of their civilization’s existence. Maya scholars and the general public alike have been especially captivated by notions of the “mysterious Maya” and their Classic civilization evolving in the tropical forests, followed by their even more mysterious ninth-century “collapse” and Postclassic “decadence.” Although certain institutions and practices ended, and many cities were abandoned through the centuries, overall there is more support for Maya cultural survival and regeneration — albeit with significant transformations — as opposed to collapse. Nonetheless, the idea of cultural resilience — of business as usual — fails to capture the collective imagination in comparison to romantic images of a vibrant civilization inexplicably succumbing to ruination in the steamy tropical jungles of Guatemala. Civilizational resilience, and particularly the millennia of Maya resilience, deserve more investigation, however, and time and memory play key roles in such cultural continuities. Here I discuss three examples: (1) the role of the cycling of time and its passage through Maya calendars, particularly the twenty-year periods known as k’atun; (2) the role of memory in Postclassic architecture in the Petén lakes region; and (3) the persistence of some long-standing symbols of Classic rulership and dynastic authority.
    [Show full text]
  • Full Glossary
    GLOSSARY 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ajau 8 Kumk’u – The creation date of the Maya Long Count calendar, corresponding to 11 August 3114 BCE in the Gregorian calendar. 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ajaw 3 Kank’in – The end date of the Maya Long Count calendar, corresponding to 21 Decem- ber, 2012 in the Gregorian calendar. 4th Maya Era/4th Creation – Within the Maya world view, or cosmology, we are now living in the 4th era of creation. Some scholars believe that the 4th era will end in 2012 and that a 5th era will begin with a new cycle of the Maya Long Count calendar on December 22, 2012. Ajaw/Ahaw/Ajaw/Ahau – One of the twenty days in the Maya sacred calendar. This word means “lord” in several Mayan languages. For the K’iche’ people of Guatemala, Ajaw is a sacred being, the “Owner of the Earth” or the “Earth Lord,” who is the owner and caretaker of the land and everything on its surface. For many Maya, Ajaw is also the fundamental principle of time and space. Ajq’ij/Ajq’ijab’ – In K’iche’ Mayan language, Ajq’ij (Ajq’ijab’ in its plural form) means “of the days” or “in charge of the days.” Ajq’ijab are specially trained people in the highlands of Guatemala who have a calling to become calendar keepers, and who use the Maya sacred calendar of 260 days as a symbolic system of values to orient and guide people in their communities. Alux/Aluxo’ob – Alux (aluxo’ob in its plural form) is the name given to a mythical “goblin” or spirit in the Maya tradition of the Yucatán Peninsula.
    [Show full text]
  • The Old Man of the Maya Universe
    Maya ArchaeologyArticles TheOldManoftheMayaUniverse: AUnitaryDimensiontoAncientMayaReligion Simon Martin he ancient Maya have left behind a dazzling array of must be agreed by convention, but metaphors differ in that religious expressions. Whether in art or writing, or in they co-opt pre-existing objects or ideas and imbue them with interactions between the two, each sought to turn the new significances. To distinguish this extraordinary meaning Ttranscendent into the tangible, the invisible into the visible. from its ordinary model it is usually necessary to mark it in Although representations of the supernatural are usually no some way, appending special identifying signs or setting it in more than surrogates—pointers that connect believers with some revealing context. Efforts to capture the otherworldliness mindscapes of infinitely greater abstraction—they are the of the numinous are often drawn to the transgressive and products of symbolic systems and therefore subject to their rules, counter-intuitive, a “calculated strangeness” that distances the codes, and conventions. Using a range of iconographic and metaphysical from physical. Yet no matter how fantastic the epigraphic approaches we can hope to understand those systems resulting forms might be, they are never spontaneous ad hoc and retrace the one-time relationships between images, words, creations but the realizations of existing formulae and templates. and artifacts on the one hand and the concepts that they were Images of the human body form a particular category meant to convey on the other. We are fortunate that help comes of religious metaphors, archetypes that draw on our from later literary sources, in the shape of accounts of Maya collective understanding of physical and mental properties.1 beliefs made under Spanish colonial rule of the sixteenth century Anthropomorphism is always far more than a pictorial mode; it and later.
    [Show full text]