The Maya Chronicles Part 8

THE CHRONICLES.

The chronicles and fragments of chronicles which I have collected here are all taken from the various "Books of Chilan Balam." They const.i.tute about all that remains to us, so far as I know, of the ancient history of the peninsula. There are, indeed, in other portions of these "Books"

references to historical events before the Conquest, but no other consecutive narrations of them.

Except the one given first, none of these has ever been printed, nor even translated from the Maya into any European language. Whether they corroborate or contradict one another, it is equally important for American archaeology to have them preserved and presented in their original form.

It does not come within my present purpose to try to reconcile the discrepancies between them. I am furnis.h.i.+ng materials for history, not writing it, and my chief duty is to observe accuracy, even at the risk of depreciating the value of the doc.u.ments I offer.

I have, therefore, followed strictly the ma.n.u.scripts which I possess in fac-similes of the originals, and when I believe the text is corrupt or in error, I have suggested apart from the text what I suppose to be the needed correction to the pa.s.sage.

In the notes I have also discussed such grammatical or historical questions as have occurred to me as of use in elucidating the text.

There will be found considerable repet.i.tion in these different versions, as must necessarily be from their character, if they have a claim to be authentic records; but it is also fair to add that details will be found in each which are omitted in the others, and hence, that all are valuable.

This similarity may be explained by two suppositions; either they are copies from a common original, or they present the facts they narrate in general formulae which had been widely adopted by the priests for committing to memory their ancient history. The differences which we find in them preclude the former hypothesis except as it may apply to the first two. The similarities in the others I believe are no more than would occur in relating the same incidents which had been learned through fixed forms of narration.

The division into sections I have made for convenience of reference. The variants I have given at the bottom of the page are readings which I think are preferable to those in the text, or corrections of manifest errors; but I have endeavored to give the text, just as it is in the best MSS. I have, errors and all.

It is not my purpose to enter into a critical historical a.n.a.lysis of these chronicles. But a few remarks may be made to facilitate their examination.

Making the necessary omissions in No. II, which I point out in the prefatory note to it, it will be found that all five agree tolerably well in the length of time they embrace. Nos. III and IV begin at a later date than the others, but coincide as far as they go.

The total period of time, from the earliest date given, to the settlement of the country by the Spaniards, is 71 katuns. If the katun is estimated at twenty years, this equals 1420 years; if at twenty-four years, then we have 1704 years.

All the native writers agree, and I think, in spite of the contrary statement of Bishop Landa, that we may look upon it as beyond doubt, that the last day of the 11th katun was July 15th, 1541. Therefore the one of the above calculations would carry us back to A. D. 121, the other to B. C. 173.

The chief possibility of error in the reckoning would be from confusing the great cycles of 260 (or 312) years, one with another, and a.s.signing events to different cycles which really happened in the same. This would increase the number of the cycles, and thus extend the period of time they appear to cover. This has undoubtedly been done in No. II.

According to the reckoning as it now stands, six complete great cycles were counted, and parts of two others, so that the native at the time of the Conquest would have had eight great cycles to distinguish apart.

I have not found any clear explanation how this was accomplished. We do not even know what name was given to this great cycle, nor whether the calendar was sufficiently perfected to prevent confusion in dates in the remote past.

I find, however, two pa.s.sages in the collection of ancient ma.n.u.scripts, which I have before referred to as the _Codice Perez_, which seem to have a bearing on this point; but as the text is somewhat corrupt and several of the expressions archaic, I am not certain that I catch the right meaning. These pa.s.sages are as follows:--

U hi?il lahun ahau u ?ocol hun uu? katun, u zut tucaten oxlahunpiz katun ?iban tu uichob tu pet katun; la hun uu? katun u kaba ca bin ?ococ u than lae, u hoppol tucaten; bay hoppci ca ?ib lae ca tun culac u ya.n.a.l katun lae. Cabin ?ococ uaxac ahau lae u hoppol tucaten lae. (Page 90.)

U hi?il Lahun Ahau u ?ocol u nuppul oxlahunpez katun ?iban u uichob tu pet tzaton lo hun (_sic_) uu? katun u kaba ca bin ?ococ u than lae, ca tun culac u ya.n.a.l katun ca bin ?ococ uaxac Ahau lae; hu hoppol tucaten bay hoppci ca ?ib. (Page 168.)

_Translation._

At the last of the tenth ahau katun is ended one doubling of the katun, and the return a second time of thirteen katuns is written on the face of the katun circle; one doubling of the katuns, as it is called, will then finish its course, to begin again; and when it begins, it is written that another katun commences: when the eighth katun ends it begins again (_i. e._, to count with this eighth as the first of the next "doubling").

At the last of the tenth Ahau Katun is ended the joining together of thirteen katuns (which is) written on the face of the katun circle; one doubling of the katuns, as it is called, will then finish its course, and another katun will begin and will end as the eighth katun; this begins a second time, as it began (at first) and was then written.

In other words, if I do not miss the writer's meaning, the repet.i.tions of the great cycle of thirteen katuns were not counted from either of its terminals, to wit, the thirteenth or the second katun, but from the tenth katun. These repet.i.tions were called _uu? katun_, the doubling or foldings over of the katuns, and they were inscribed on the circle or wheel of the katuns at that part of it where the tenth katun was entered. These wheels were called _u pet katun_, the circle of the katuns, or _u met katun_, the wheel of the katuns, or _u uazaklom katun_, the return of the katuns. I have several copies of them, and one is given in Landa's work, but I know of none which is a genuine original, and, therefore, it is not surprising that I do not find on any of them the signs referred to adjacent to the tenth katun.

For the convenience of the reader I have drawn up the following chronological table of the events referred to in the Chronicles, arranging them under the Great Cycles and Katuns to which they would belong were the former numbered according to the regular sequence given on page 59. I have also inserted the katuns which were omitted by the native chroniclers, but which, according to that sequence, are necessary in order to complete their records in accordance with the theory of the Maya calendar. The references in Roman numerals are to the different chronicles.

SYNOPSIS OF MAYA CHRONOLOGY.

_Great Cycle._ _Katun._

I. 8 They leave Nonoual (I.) 6 4 2 II. 13 They arrive at Chacnouitan (I.) 11 9 7 5 3 1 12 10 8 Chichen Itza heard of (II.) 6 Bacalar and Chichen Itza discovered (I, II, III.) 4 Ahmekat Tutulxiu arrives (I?, II.) 2 III. 13 _Pop_ first counted (_i. e._ calendar arranged) (II, III.) 11 Remove to Chichen Itza (I.) 9 7 5 3 1 Abandon Chichen Itza; remove to Champoton (I, II.) 12 10 Abandon Chichen Itza; remove to Champoton (III.) 8 6 Champoton taken (I, II.) 4 Champoton taken (III.) 2 IV. 13 11 9 7 5 3 1 12 10 8 Champoton abandoned (I, II, III.) 6 The Itzas houseless (I.[TN-10] II, III.) The [TN-11]well dressed" driven out (IV.) 4 Return to Chichen Itza (I, II.) 2 Uxmal founded (I.) The League in Mayapan begins (I.) V. 13 Mayapan founded (V.) 11 9 7 5 Chichen Itza destroyed by Kinich Kakmo (IV.) 3 1 The last of the Itzas leave Chichen Itza (IV.) 12 10 Uxmal founded (II.) 8 Plot of or against Hunac Ceel (I, II, III.) Zaclactun Mayapan founded (IV.) Chakanputun burned (IV.) 6 War with Ulmil (I.) 4 The land of Mayapan seized (II, III.) 2 VI. 13 11 Mayapan attacked by Itzas under Ulmil and depopulated by foreigners (I.) 9 7 5 Naked cannibals came (IV.) 3 1 Tancah Mayapan destroyed (IV.) 12 10 8 Mayapan finally destroyed (I, II, III, V.) 6 The Maya league ended (V.) 4 The pestilence (II, III, IV.) 2 Spaniards first seen (I, II.) Smallpox (III.) VII. 13 Ahpula died (I, II, III.) The pestilence (I.) 11 Spaniards arrive (I, II, III, IV, V.) Ahpula died (IV.)

I. THE SERIES OF THE KATUNS.

_From the Book of Chilan Balam of Mani._

The first chronicle which I present is the only one which has been heretofore published. On account of its comparative fullness it deserves especial attention. It is taken from the Book of Chilan Balam of the town of Mani.

This town, according to a tradition preserved by Herrera, was founded after the destruction of Mayapan, and, therefore, not more than seventy years before the arrival of the Spaniards. Mayapan was destroyed in consequence of a violent feud between the two powerful families who jointly ruled there, the Cocoms and the Xius or Tutul Xius. The latter, having slain all members of the Cocom family to be found in the city, deserted its site and removed south about fifteen miles, and there established as their capital a city to which they gave the name Mani, "which means 'it is past,' as if to say 'let us start anew.'"[89-1]

At the time of the Conquest the reigning chief of the Tutulxius was friendly to the Spaniards, and voluntarily submitted to their rule, as we are informed with much minuteness of detail by the historian Cogolludo.[90-1] We may reasonably suppose, therefore, that this chronicle was brought from Mayapan in the "Books of Science," which Herrera refers to as esteemed their greatest treasure by the chiefs who broke up their ancient confederation when Mayapan was deserted. Hence the records ran a better chance of being preserved in this province than in those which were desolated by war. As I have already said (page 65) a large number were destroyed precisely at Mani by Bishop Landa, in 1562.

I find among the memoranda of Dr. Berendt reference to four "Books of Chilan Balam," of Mani. These dated from 1689, 1697, 1755 and 1761, respectively, but I have not learned from which of these Pio Perez extracted the chronicles he gave Mr. John L. Stephens. Dr. Berendt adds that it was from one which was in possession of a native schoolmaster of Mani, who, having the surname Balam, claimed to be descended from the original Chilan Balam![91-1]

The first publication of the doc.u.ment was in the Appendix to the second volume of Mr. Stephens' _Incidents of Travel in Yucatan_ (New York, 1843). It included the original Maya text, with a not very accurate translation into English of Pio Perez's rendering of the Maya. From Mr.

Stephen's volume, the doc.u.ment has been copied into various publications in Mexico, Yucatan and Europe.

The other attempt at an independent translation was that of the Abbe Bra.s.seur (de Bourbourg), published at Paris in 1864, in the same volume with Landa's _Relacion de las Cosas de Yucatan_. The text he took from Stephens' book, errors and omissions included, and his translation is entirely based on the English one, as he evidently did not have access to the original Spanish of Pio Perez.

The most important recent study of the subject has been made by Dr.

Valentini, who published the notes of Pio Perez on his translation, and gave a general re-examination of ancient Maya history, with a great deal of sagacity and a large acquaintance with the related Spanish literature.[92-1] He is, however, in error in stating that he was the first to publish the notes of Perez, as they had previously been printed in a work by Canon Carrillo.[92-2]

Much use of this chronicle has been made by the recent historians of Yucatan, Don Eligio Ancona and the Canon Crescencio Carrillo y Ancona; but I am surprised to find that they have depended entirely on the previous labors of Pio Perez, Stephens and Bra.s.seur, and have made no attempt to verify or extend them.

Dr. Berendt, although earnestly devoted to collecting and copying these records did not, as Dr. Valentini observes, ever attempt a translation of any of them.

No hint is given as to the author of the doc.u.ment, nor do we know from what sources he derived his information. It has been plausibly suggested that it was an epitome of the history of their nations, which was learned by heart and handed down from master to disciple, and which served as a verbal key to the interpretation of the painted and sculptured records, and to the "katun stones" which were erected at the expiration of each cycle and inscribed with the princ.i.p.al events which had transpired in it.

The Abbe Bra.s.seur placed at the head of his edition of this chronicle the t.i.tle, in Maya:--

"LELO LAI U TZOLAN KATUNIL TI MAYAB,"

which he translates--

"SeRIES DES EPOQUES DE L'HISTOIRE MAYA."

This is an invention of the learned antiquary. There is no such nor any other t.i.tle to the original. It is simply called in the first line _u tzolan katun_, the arrangement or order of the katuns. The word _tzolan_ is a verbal noun, the past participle of the pa.s.sive voice of _tzol_, which means to put in order, to arrange, and is in the genitive of the thing possessed, as indicated by the p.r.o.noun _u_. Literally, the phrase reads, "their arrangement (the) katuns."