HEAVEN BORN MERIDA AND ITS DESTINY - Histomesoamericana

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i8 INTRODUCTION A perfectly strong couplet may be made without any syntactic parallelism: Yax coc ay mut U u ich ti y ahaulil The center priest Coc Ay the Crier Was the face in the lordship, (lines 1769-1770) Often the scansion of a weak couplet appears to be coerced by surrounding strong ones: T u nohochil For the great, T u chanchanil For the very small. Minan to nohoch can There may be no great teacher Ti u hach çatal Who can really forgive Caan Heaven Y etel luum ti ob i And earth for them, (lines 2541-2546) As in the last line here, the deictic particles e and i are phrase or sentence terminals and are often helpful in tracing syntax and hence scansion. That the problematic middle couplet in this passage is correctly scanned is confirmed by the parallelism of nohoch 'great' and hach 'really, very' (both nouns in Maya), and it may be that there is more of a relationship between 'teach' and 'forgive' than my translation suggests. The opening lines of "The First Chronicle" present a similar case: Ukahlay U xocan katunob uchc i U chictahal u chi ch'een ytza U chi lae The account Of the counted katuns Of the appearance of the Chichen Itza Says this, (lines 1-4) The first couplet is strong and obvious. The second is something of a pun on chi 'mouth', which is poetically related to 'face' and hence to appearance. It is thus both formally linked to the 'mouth of the well of the Itza' and semantically aligned with the preceding verb. There are strong couplets and weak couplets, but I do not believe that any part of the Chumayel is composed in "prose." Scansion problems are often produced by copyists' errors and omissions. I have tried to indicate these and, sometimes, to supply the latter. I remain uncertain about the proper scansion of vocatives ("O Fathers") or direct discourse ("he said"), and I have tried to fit my treatment of them to the context, with resulting inconsistencies. Note also the problem of "Zuyua" in chapter 30. Scansion of Mayan poetry is totally dependent upon semantics, and, while other linguistic clues may be provided, they do not have to be (see Burns 1980). The linkage between the lines is dependent upon a degree of synonymy or antinomy between two or more key words, but they may even be different parts of speech, provided that they are linked by meaning:
the Crier dship. urround- acher mes r sentence sion. That nedis very' ionship :ase: Chichen g of a pun 3 appearf the Itza' eve that )lems are indicate Dout the îe said"), i resulting ). s, and, o be (see . degree they ¡cedby tpï*- 1^ INTRODUCTION Thirteen folds of katuns they resided At Champoton. (lines 29-30) Here a locational verb is keyed to a locational noun. Or again: They were removed there At Babylonia, (lines 1417-1418) The keys are a locational particle and a locational noun. When the key to a couplet is a pun, it obviously cannot be translated satisfactorily. Couplets of this sort are explained in the notes when I understood them. A similar problem is presented by kennings, more or less esoteric symbolic meanings superimposed on everyday words. A number of these are explained in the two chapters on riddles (30 and 31). Many more can be decoded by context. I have largely kept to a literal translation, so the reader will just have to learn that sun means beginning and moon means end, that monkeys : peasants, older brothers : nobles or Spaniards depending on the context, sprinkle. : baptize, stalk : lineage, mat : authority, red : east, green : center, and the bearer of land : its owner. A partial dictionary is provided in the index under "kennings." Key words of the couplets are frequently kennings, and thus when combined they may imply a third meaning quite different from the literal meaning of the elements. Thus wells and springs means settlements, sticks and stones or rope and cord : war, born and engendered : noble, fatherless and motherless : poor peasants, older and younger brothers : everybody, gourdroot and breadnut : famine, food and water : fate, shot and shout : soon, pants and sandals : religion. A partial list of these is also provided in the index under "couplets." The Chumayel makes extensive use of all manner of poetical and rhetorical devices, from the metaphor conceiving Yucatan as a bird with one wingtip in Campeche and the other in Valladolid to the humorous riddle likening the church to a leaky cenote because it's always dripping on people. It makes extensive use of puns and riddles (see "pun," "riddle," "metaphor" in the index). It is fond of euphemisms, referring to sacrifice as "painless death" and to Spaniards by a whole series of circumlocutory expressions: foreigners, bearded ones, conquerors, annona simpers, older brothers, oppressors, people of the eastern land, sons of the sun, white • people, red beards. The Chumayel uses hyperbole: "Indeed the Itza could come here three times over for one occurrence of (Spaniards)" (lines 2899- 2900). And it is capable of ironic meiosis, referring to the climactic katun 8 Ahau as "tiny little 8 Ahau" (line 1234). Our text asks rhetorical questions: "Who will be the prophet, who will be the sun priest who will correctly interpret the word of these glyphs?" (lines 625-628; the clearly implied answer is, "I shall"). It uses personification: "Here I am, I, katun 3 Ahau, who have seated my city, Heaven Born Merida!" (lines 2951-2954). Many of the tropes are standardized, and some of them descend to being clichés, as in the obligatory reference to "the lying earth," at least in Christianized contexts. Lies and insanity are a standard accusation against enemies. 19
Page 1 and 2: HEAVEN BORN MERIDA AND ITS DESTINY
Page 3 and 4: zA Havana '.BBEAN SEA 50 100 _l km.
Page 5 and 6: Publication Data .script). English
Page 7 and 8: CONTENTS Vil APPENDIX A. Concordanc
Page 9 and 10: 209 U8 10 43 Acknowledgments .MyrrS
Page 11 and 12: •SEy^*" Introduction Manuscripts
Page 13 and 14: 3n of the lumayel original bishop o
Page 15 and 16: primarily i neces- e, and it ed tha
Page 17 and 18: i diseases, they al- id as Fa- ' ma
Page 19 and 20: ire). And : of them the fold, hese
Page 21 and 22: 7.0.0.0, clear evi- •K 0 the lear
Page 23 and 24: d to some , thus dates. ladolid (V)
Page 25 and 26: ed out cycles of ipeated. ogy, so l
Page 27: nayel: Chable. hes the particule La
Page 31 and 32: s. Insults as lying, 1 three-day) .
Page 33 and 34: lave ended itual. The ;kin and with
Page 35 and 36: DUth fellow) uch an Tacay int oncy
Page 37 and 38: plate, burguar is must cerîty for
Page 39 and 40: lave been hable, Hoi n "The Fall n
Page 41 and 42: :ique and upied with un cererample,
Page 43 and 44: inbow zzard •wer in rd h the day
Page 45 and 46: nial— niais, beted next, teir ass
Page 47 and 48: and there first age, d and provn of
Page 49 and 50: id Izamal /ed again in iu hegemony
Page 51 and 52: e menlies (Oc ot until : hurricane
Page 53 and 54: in, and alct) their chapter i Long
Page 55 and 56: ida in lapter 27) m end to îish ar
Page 57: ;abo in Chahom îe south to order :
Page 60 and 61: Q.: What is a man on a road? A.: Ti
Page 62 and 63: 52 XI. Buluc ahau IX. Bolon ahau VI
Page 64 and 65: 54 THE EIGHTH CENTURY T u menel ah
Page 66 and 67: 56 (77) Bolon ahau hopci Xpnoil Uch
Page 68 and 69: 58 THE EIGHTH CENTURY Uchci U payai
Page 70 and 71: THE TENTH CENTURY 12 Ahau 3. The Th
Page 72 and 73: 62 THE TENTH CENTURY Y can ahau Y c
Page 74 and 75: 64 Ychil ah bolon ahau Katun (81) l
Page 76 and 77: 6 6 THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY Top: Kak
Page 78 and 79:
68 THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY T Ulom ah
Page 80 and 81:
70 THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY Bin y anac
Page 82 and 83:
72 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY 9. The Ser
Page 84 and 85:
74 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY f U ti (ix
Page 86 and 87:
76 Caan Y etel luum Mach utz ka u t
Page 88 and 89:
78 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Kin Chil,
Page 90 and 91:
8o THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Uayom ch'i
Page 92 and 93:
82 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Ca u katah
Page 94 and 95:
84 Ca kuch ob: ti kal: Ti u kalah:
Page 96 and 97:
86 Ca bin ob: kan a: Ca kuch ob: t
Page 98 and 99:
88 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Ti mocon p
Page 100 and 101:
90 Huh u uay ob Ca hok ob i: Tz'otz
Page 102 and 103:
92 Act 9 Ca hop i: U hetz' luumob Y
Page 104 and 105:
94 Accunte u xukil u luumob Ah accu
Page 106 and 107:
96 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Ca tun cul
Page 108 and 109:
98 Ti el i: C u than y ah kin ti ob
Page 110 and 111:
IOO THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Tz'a C ex
Page 112 and 113:
I02 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY 9: Hel e
Page 114 and 115:
104 Yx chac ya Ybillo(b)* Yx chac*
Page 116 and 117:
io6 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Ox paua h
Page 118 and 119:
io8 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Ti ualaac
Page 120 and 121:
no U chun cumtan tza THE SIXTEENTH
Page 122 and 123:
I 12 In colobta T a chi e u kan ti
Page 124 and 125:
114 Kin colah peten U hetz' katun O
Page 126 and 127:
i 16 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY T Yax Ch
Page 128 and 129:
II8 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY T u patá
Page 130 and 131:
I20 Ca u hatz'ab* Ca tun tac ti cut
Page 132 and 133:
122 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY U nup tan
Page 134 and 135:
124 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Oxlahun A
Page 136 and 137:
126 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Hoil Caua
Page 138 and 139:
128 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY T 22. The
Page 140 and 141:
I30 Bolon pis u lac Bolon pis u luc
Page 142 and 143:
132 A4/7 i quinientos y quarenta y
Page 144 and 145:
134 Na chi uc Ah kul koh Na chan mo
Page 146 and 147:
136 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Uuc kal h
Page 148 and 149:
138 THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY Ti u hop'
Page 150 and 151:
THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 5 Ahau 26.
Page 152 and 153:
142 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Ba tab
Page 154 and 155:
144 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY T u men
Page 156 and 157:
146 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Yx mact
Page 158 and 159:
148 T u santo ok olal ob Y an u cux
Page 160 and 161:
150 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 3 Ahau
Page 162 and 163:
152 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 29. The
Page 164 and 165:
154 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY CocAy,
Page 166 and 167:
i56 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Act 7 C
Page 168 and 169:
158 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY (44) Ah
Page 170 and 171:
160 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Act 13
Page 172 and 173:
IÓ2 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Act 15
Page 174 and 175:
164 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Y utz'u
Page 176 and 177:
i66 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY T u ban
Page 178 and 179:
i68 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY T u xax
Page 180 and 181:
I70 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Ca bin
Page 182 and 183:
172 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Ti yx c
Page 184 and 185:
174 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Ca xic
Page 186 and 187:
176 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY He ix c
Page 188 and 189:
178 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Seizure
Page 190 and 191:
i8o THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Bin ix
Page 192 and 193:
182 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY He x u
Page 194 and 195:
i84 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Lay pay
Page 196 and 197:
186 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Bay tun
Page 198 and 199:
i88 Minan u kab i Ma a luksic y oil
Page 200 and 201:
ico U kabil Cab Suyua Mehen e ca a
Page 202 and 203:
192 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Hun tul
Page 204 and 205:
194 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 31. Add
Page 206 and 207:
196 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Dios me
Page 208 and 209:
198 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY U tuchi
Page 210 and 211:
200 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Y etel
Page 212 and 213:
202 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Tiy to
Page 214 and 215:
204 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Ca ix c
Page 216 and 217:
2o6 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY He lay
Page 218 and 219:
208 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Can tza
Page 220 and 221:
2IO THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Ti y ah
Page 222 and 223:
2 12 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Ohelta
Page 224 and 225:
214 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Tzolen
Page 226 and 227:
2l6 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Tali T
Page 228 and 229:
2l8 Yax Chuen, lord of Valladolid (
Page 230 and 231:
220 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 10 Ahau
Page 232 and 233:
222 THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY Uay Tac
Page 234 and 235:
THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 6 Ahau 4 Aha
Page 236 and 237:
226 THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY U cuenta
Page 238 and 239:
228 Kan Y opol yk Oxil uah U uah ca
Page 240 and 241:
230 O firmar* Ci jx u than Ca u kam
Page 242 and 243:
232 De ¡a çipii na* Defentenote*
Page 244 and 245:
234 T u ca tz'it katun He tun cu th
Page 246 and 247:
236 THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY U machma
Page 248 and 249:
238 THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY De mundo
Page 250 and 251:
240 Çihil U can u yax batan op Hoc
Page 252 and 253:
242 THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY Lay ya t
Page 254 and 255:
244 THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY Ï Meqia
Page 256 and 257:
246 THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY La/ i ta
Page 258 and 259:
248 THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY Y Ulu 59
Page 260 and 261:
250 THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY Nachhen
Page 262 and 263:
2$2 THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY Ek t u n
Page 264 and 265:
254 THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY [note co
Page 266 and 267:
256 THE NINETEENTH CENTURY Chiban k
Page 268 and 269:
258 THE NINETEENTH CENTURY Ma tub u
Page 270 and 271:
26o THE NINETEENTH CENTURY Ti tun u
Page 272 and 273:
262 THE NINETEENTH CENTURY Ti jx y
Page 274 and 275:
264 THE NINETEENTH CENTURY He tun c
Page 276 and 277:
I. 3 2. 4 3. s 4. 5. 6. 7.« 8. 9.
Page 278 and 279:
268 APPENDIX A c 26. 27. 28. 19." 3
Page 280 and 281:
43. 143 Merida*144 177 \ •141 170
Page 282 and 283:
272 Tz'itz'om Tun, 107 Tz'itz'on Tu
Page 284 and 285:
274 Katun Ending Dates 8 Ahau 6 Aha
Page 286 and 287:
276 Date Seat Mayapan Calendar 11 A
Page 288 and 289:
278 BIBLIOGRAPHY BROTHERSTON, GORDO
Page 290 and 291:
28o BIBLIOGRAPHY LAND A, DIEGO DE.
Page 292 and 293:
282 BIBLIOGRAPHY THOMAS, CYRUS 1882
Page 294 and 295:
284 goat; gopher; horse,- iguana; j
Page 296:
286 capital, 502, 528, 1895, 1926,
Page 299 and 300:
'ood; stones and ;Sj sun and moon;
Page 301 and 302:
t, 585, 636, 641, J, 2258, 2260, 29
Page 303 and 304:
ought and famine; ¡ney; meat; nect
Page 305 and 306:
4387; fourfold, d, 2258, 2260, t, 3
Page 307 and 308:
¿553; and gait, :, 804 r heart'),
Page 309 and 310:
62-63; of wing of 2317,2359.2373, .
Page 311 and 312:
ch, 4386; of land, 39, 5325, 6283
Page 313 and 314:
'•urch; costquisitionj , ritual;
Page 315 and 316:
c Jaguar, DRAMA, ,. 4096 i, 5586; s
Page 317 and 318:
I, 6461, 6473, 6478¡ 33, 3137,3141
Page 319:
s gourdroot, 3709; 1558, 1787,2328,
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HEAVEN BORN MERIDA AND ITS DESTINY - Histomesoamericana

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