Our 2012 Travel
Eco-News:
Great Eco-Vacation
with 50% Price Savings
Rent Your
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Chichen for
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arriving
on May, June
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Offer valid for the months of
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and September
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The ancient Maya
civilization is the highest cultural legacy of Mesoamerica. The Maya are
believed to originate in the Yucatán around 2600 B.C. They developed the
mathematical position of zero, along with a highly advance understanding of
the Cosmos, astronomy,
their impressive calendar systems,
herbal healing,
majestic architectural achievements, sacred holistic ceremonies, and a complex hieroglyphic
writing
combining phonetic suffixes, prefixes and detailed artistic symbols within its
format.
DID YOU KNOW: Ancient Maya had amazing technical skills; they erect
highly decorated ceremonial architecture sites, including impressive
temples, ball courts, pyramids, palaces, and observatories; such
architectural skills are believed to have been built without the use
of wheels and metal tools. Yet, the perfect harmony of their
architectural achievements leaves even the most skillful scientists
of today wondering how this ancient people arrived to such highly
refine knowledge and understanding of our galaxy and the Universe.
Learn why their cities and temples are rooted in their
Mayan Cosmo-vision and
how they managed to produce such incredible perfection in their
architecture and mathematical achievements.
The Maya understanding and observation of nature were the key stones
of their impressive cultural achievements and scientific accomplishments in
various complex socio-economic and religious activates that played an
important role in ancient Mayan urban planning, architecture,
religion, astronomy, mathematics, literature, holistic healing
practices, farming methods, calendar systems or Maya
Cosmovision.
Mayan
artisans
were skillful weavers and potters,
archaeologists have found a vast quantity of fine weaves and
beautiful vases, plates, vessels and jainas. Ancient Mayas
were also accomplished healers, artists, scientists and merchants,
clearing routes through jungles and swamps to foster extensive trade
networks with distant cultures. Their main source of fresh water was
from underground
cenotes
(sink-holes). In areas
where such water deposits were not found, the Maya built
underground reservoirs, called “chultun,” use for
storing rainwater.
Archaeologists believe today, that around 300 B.C. the Maya adopted
a hierarchical system of government as part of a complex society
system, where high priests and kings ruled within dynasties. The
civilization became a highly structured system of kingdoms during
the Classic period, A.D. 200-900. Ancient Maya society consisted of
many independent states, each with a noble ruling class, a high rank
warrior class, rural farming communities and large urban sites built
around
ceremonial centers. It started to decline around A.D. 900
with the abandonment of the southern Maya cities. Some of the
Kingdom states still existed when the Spanish Conquest in the early
sixteenth century arrived.
Read about the
many cultural and scientific achievements that ancient Mayan groups left us
as their unique legacy in the following areas of human knowledge.
Read
our Ancient Mayan Civilization and Cultural Legacy Brief Articles:
2012 MAYAN EQUINOX CEREMONY IN CHICHEN ITZA,
YUCATAN, MEXICO Equinox Purification Ritual at
Hacienda Chichen
Many travelers and
visitors participated in our March
20th, 2012 Mayan mystical and holistic experience celebrated at
Yaxkin Spa's Zumpul-che, a
Mayan Sacred Cave and holistic sweat-bath gear to prepare you to
harmonize your inner-energy with the Cosmic influences of annual Spring
Equinox. A Mayan celebration of union with Mother Earth and the
Cosmos offered by the Mayan Elder Priests and Wiseman (Mayan
Shamans) at the Sacred Ceremonial Site they keep within the Mayan
Jungle Reserve at
Hacienda Chichen Resort. Spring 2012 Mayan
Equinox Zumpul-che Ceremony was also celebrated by Mayan Senior
Healers and Shamans to learn about future Spring Equinox
celebrations in
Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico,
Maya
history flows in cycles of rise and fall periods, of continuity and
change; guided by a holistic religion that remains the foundation of
their culture even today. The
Maya vision of the universe is divided
into multiple levels, above and below a flat Earth held by four
Bacabs, (cardinal directions of north, south, east and west).
The Sacred Tree of Life orCeiba is at the center of a
complex communion of Celestial Gods and underworld, Kibalba,
deities. The ancient Maya pantheon of gods and deities, was
worshipped in multiple sacred ceremonies and offerings included even
human sacrifices. Nobles and Rulers were believed to be descendants
of the gods and their blood was the ideal sacrifice, either through
personal bloodletting or the blood of royal captives; their names
where represented with Mayan glyphs, their written language
examples can be found
here.
For
those
J-Men and Ix-Men Maya priests who continue practicing many of
the ancient Maya traditions; the belief “that there is a direct
cosmic influence on human lives” is at the core of their faith. Even
today, these holly-men and high priests pay homage to their gods
through holistic rituals and sacred ceremonies with up most
reverence and faith. Hacienda Chichen supports and sponsors the
Maya wise-men traditions; the owners have donated a portion of their
land to create two active
Sacred Mayan Ceremonial Sites.
The Mayan Sacred Tree of Life
is a Kapok tree
generally referred to as "La Ceiba" in Yucatan and Guatemala, a
Spanish common name for the Ceiba pentandra tree; this
tree is also known as the Java cotton or Java kapok.
La Ceiba
is sometimes
referred simply as the Kapok tree in many parts of
the world. This fascinating tropical tree is not only a revered
sacred symbol in Maya mythology but an important element in the
Mayan Cosmovision, even today.
Kapok or Ceiba, is a tropical tree of the order
Malvales
and the family Malvaceae (once separated in the family Bombacaceae) native to Mexico, Central America and the
Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety C.
pentandra var. guineensis) to tropical west Africa. Adult
trees produce several hundred 15 cm (6 in) seed pods; each pod
contains many seeds surrounded by a fluffy, cotton-like yellowish
fiber that is a mix of lignin and cellulose.
The fiber obtained from these treesseed pods, is called in
Maya “pochote” and was used by the ancient Mayan for various
life comforts including clothes.
An adult Ceiba tree will
normally grow 60-70 m (200-230 ft) tall and has a very substantial
trunk up to 3 m (10 ft) in diameter with buttresses. The trunk and
many of the larger branches are densely crowded with very large,
robust simple thorns, especially when young. The leaves are compound
of 5 to 9 leaflets, each up to 20 cm (8 in) and palm like.
To read full details click here.
Maya Wiseman or J-Men celebrate even today a highly respected sacred
ceremony named:
Ya’axche’: this ceremony represents the
connection between Heaven, Earth, Man, and the Underworld for the
Maya. Any Sacred Ceremonial Site will have this ceremony
performed prior to its full service to the Maya community
traditions. In Chichen Itza, such ceremony was celebrated by
the J-Men in 2007 when the
Hacienda Chichen owners donated a
vast portion of their private
Maya Jungle Reserve to the Mayan
Healers and Priests to continue their
Spiritual Mayan traditions in
the manner their ancestors taught them. Since then, this sacred site
has served as the grounds of many
Mayan holistic rituals and sacred mystical
ceremonies.
The Ceiba Tree
of Life plays an important central part at each
Mayan Wedding Ceremony and in other
Mayan holistic rituals as well as
in many Mayan mythological legends still belief by the Mayan rural
people to be part of supernatural dark energies in the form of demons
and legendary beings, such as is the case of theIx Tabay or X'Tabay.
In Chichen Itza, Yucatan,
Mexico, Hacienda Chichen has committed to protect the flora
(plants) and fauna (animals) living in its private Maya Jungle
Reserve and Neo-tropical forest where many Ceibas grow tall and
new have been planted to reforest a vast area of land. You
can enjoy reading and observing a few photos of the many
indigenous animals (Yucatan endemic species) living there, such
as: mammals,birds,reptiles (iguanas),
butterflies, bees,
spiders,
mantis and
other insects and creatures.
Mayan mythology portrays the
Gods first creating “Man” out of clay, but this creature was not
satisfying to them, so clay-man dissolved and crumbled away. The
Mayan gods then created a being of wood which had no soul; thus,
this “wood-manly-being” had no recollection of its creators; so the
gods had it burn. Then the Maya Gods and Deities chose to form a
third kind of man, this time from corn and they were pleased;
therefore, ancient Mayas believed, as many do today, to be the son’s
of maize.
Even today, maize or corn
continues to be the cornerstone of the
Maya people's diet
and a sacred nourishing element for Gods and humankind. Maya
mythology dictates that the sons’ of maize had to perform sacrifices
to their gods to please them; thus, ancient Mayan created their
city-states and they began blood sacrifices and rituals including
the human sacrifice to their gods. Today, Maya priests do not
perform blood sacrifices to their Gods and deities; instead, their
Mayan sacred ceremonies and rituals
incorporate the sacred natural elements of fire, wind, water, and
earth, plus new maize, wild honey (Bacabssymbolic presence),
báalche, copal, raw sea salt,
essential oils, etc.
Maya High Priests and Elder
Maya Holistic Healers (Aj Men, J-Men, J'Men, Ix Men) continue
teaching today many young Mayans their healing arts and spiritual
traditions in an effort to preserve and share their ancestor’s
traditions and wisdom. On September each year, the
KUCH
KAAB Y'EETEL J'MEN MAAYA'OB, A.C.,
an elder Mayan Wiseman association headed by Don Valerio
Canché Yah, celebrates their KA’A MOLAYIL J-MENO’OB YÉETEL TS’AKYAJO’OB MAAYA’OB
or
Annual Mayan Wiseman Symposium
in an effort to keep the Mayan healing
traditions alive and to encourage young adults with the gift of
healing to continue serving their communities. The
Maya
Foundation In Laakeech and
Hacienda Chichen actively sponsor such
activities as part of their commitment to preserve the Mayan
cultural and holistic traditions.
The Spanish Conquest, in the 16th century during the
Colonial Era of Yucatan, destroyed most of the
Maya people and their civilization.
War, diseases, and Catholicism eliminated not only the Maya
socio-political system, but their religion, written records,
codex and scripts, along with their wealth and freedom.
Some Mayan people survived; but the vast Mayan civilization
records, the Mayan Cosmo-vision (deities,
rituals, cosmology), mathematical achievements and history were
burned by the Catholic Inquisition and lost forever.
With time, most Maya spiritual practices of today, including in
Yucatan, incorporate elements of Catholicism. Despite the pressures
of modern world views, economic devastation, the vast
Catholic faith
infiltration and political upheavals, many Maya Elders and J-Men
continue their ancient beliefs and sacred rituals in their purest
form invoking their Gods in un-mixed Maya language; these spiritual
ceremonies have been kept with reverence, performed with up most
veneration, and taught with care by the Maya Priests and Elder
Healers of
KUCH KAAB Y'EETEL J-MEN MAAYA'OB, A.C
a non-profit organization under the direction of Don Valerio Canché
Yah; Maya Elders and “safe-keepers” of Maya knowledge and wisdom, they
honor their ancestors’ beliefs, gods, deities, the Maya
Cosmo-vision, and a true
Mayan holistic understanding of life. Their
commitment to safe-keep their ancestors’ cultural heritage enriches
our world and understanding of humankind.
The Ix Tabay or X'TabayMayan Legend -
(Pronounce as "sch-tabai")
is a fallen
ancient Mayan goddess, before Christianity she wasreferred
to as "Ixtab" the goddess of suicide.
The Ix Tabay legend remains in the Maya communities of today
as an "existing and very real deadly spirit of the night. Such
spirit takes the form of an extremely attractive woman,
incredibly sensuous and beautiful, that appears to solitary males
especially during full moon. She always awaits the male near a
Ceiba tree trunk; where she
seats and combs with sensuous delicate strokes her long dark
beautiful hair, so long that it falls beyond her hips. This
sensual being awaits and calls upon the poor male soul, whether he
is drunk or not, old or young she has no preference; her voice is so
inviting, her body so sensual, and her eyes so fascinating that the
men have a hard time resisting her advances; most of them give in to
her seduction, as she moves smiling and joyfully giggling into the
dark forest.
A sensual game of hide and seek is
played for a few minutes by the male and this deceitful dark spirit
with increasing tones of sexuality until the X'Tabay lets him embrace her; at that moment, her sensual game turns into
deadly terror for the
poor male as he tries in vain to free himself from her arms now in
the form of thorny branches and her face full of spines, hate, and a
vivid desire to devour him alive.
Few males have encounter the X'tabay and have lived to tell
their story; most of them are found dead next morning at the trunk
or roots of the
Ceiba tree, wrapped with thorny branches and terror
showing in their distorted faces. The X'Tabay is the Queen
Goddess of Suicide in the Pantheon of
ancient Mayan gods, deities and the
underworld demons. The Maya culture is unique in its inclusion of a
goddess of suicide in its embracing deadly deities and gods.
Back to Top
Alux,
Aluxes or
Aluxo'ob
-
(pronounced " a'lush " singular, "
a'lushes or alush' ob " plural).
Mayan rural people,
all over Yucatan and Guatemala, will tell you
stories of their personal encounters with an Alux
or with a group of Aluxes, mythological Mayan
spirits that live in the Mayan jungle, forest and
near milpas where Mayan farmers grow their
crops; Aluxes are invisible wild-energies that
protect the Mayan jungles and love to interact with
humans for they enjoy honey treats and sweet
offerings. These Mayan Alux' ob or Aluxes
gladly take form of small dwarfs, about
knee-high, resembling miniature ancient Maya people
dressed with ancient clothing and attires. These
energetic invisible guardians of the forest, love to
mimic a human spirit; thus, they can mirror the dark
or light essence of a person, communicate in a
manner to frighten a human or to bring joy and
loving protection, all depending on the human's
personal inner-self and respect for
Nature and the Mayan Spiritual
Realm.
Aluxes or
Aluxo' ob may choose to
become a "guardian Mayan angel" to a person or
family, or congregate to help a farmer as much as to
make his life miserable. These supernatural
creatures are pure energy spirits, similar to the
idea of Chi in the Orient; thus, dualistic in
nature. They live in Mayan caves, cenotes,
forest clusters and near towns. Mayan
people bring offering to them before they venture
into the forest or start their milpa farming.
Tradition holds that aluxob are generally invisible
but are able to assume physical form for purposes of
communicating with and frightening humans as well as
to congregate together.
Other cultures'
mythologies include similar entities in their
traditions such as the Celtic Leprechaun or the
Forest Fairies in Europe. Mayan farmers are
known to build mini-huts in their milpas and
offer them to this forest guardians as a token of
gratitude for their helping the farmer yield a
successful maize crop, making rain come to be, or
patrolling the farmer's field at night making sure
no predator or thieves goes unpunished. Aluxes
are known to treat humans with the same energy
that humans treats them, and the treatment is in
"seven years cycles" ! So, they can be helpful
protecting a person or a nightmare to live with them
if a human does not respect their existence, makes
fun of those that belief in them, or brakes an
offering promise to them.
Maya
Scripter employed their own sense of artistic style when depicting
their gods, as shown in the images of
Itzamná
(left above ) and of
Ix Chel(right).
Learn more about Maya Gods.
Various Maya scholars speak of a single "Supreme Lord and God" with
a court of gods and deities; yet, a few
others
scholars say it is the God Itzamná,
the inventor of writing and patron of the arts
and sciences, who deserves such titled. Still, Mayan mystics and
holistic healers agree that the Supreme God has a non-spoken or
written name for it is so sacred humans are not to use it in vain;
and that
Itzamná
is
the "lower supreme god" who has the
power to open the
Spirit World Portal to J-Men and Ix-Men, male & female healers
alike.
Itzamná’s
wife, Ix Chel
is the ancient Goddess of the Moon, weaving, medicine, fertility and
childbirth. She is a goddess often depicted pouring water down,
symbol of life, from a clay pot; or, seating in the moon holding a
rabbit Scripter. Some scholars feel she is the First Mother and
assign the role of First Father to
Hun Nal Ye
the Maize God and
Gukumatzthe Plumed or Feathered Serpent.
DID YOU KNOW: The Popol Vuh
speaks of the First Mother Ix Chel and First Father Hun
Nal Ye, as the Creator Couple whose offspring are all the other
gods. She was born six years before the First Father, also known as
Junab K’uj the God of Maize, who is responsible creating the
cosmos and mankind as we know. For
more about Maya Gods...
Since 250 AD until the end of the
Classic Maya period,
ancient Maya created a sophisticated civilization that
included impressive achievements such as the Mayan phonetic
writing system, political and economic organization, majestic
urban architecture, courtly society,
historical recording, mathematical system, and
the Mayan understanding of the Universe
among other impressive scientific knowledge unmatched by
anywhere other ancient civilization.
Classic Mayan scripter developed the Mayan written language with
artistic hieroglyphs or word-signs
known today as Mayan glyphs ( each glyph was fundamentally
logographic,
compounding a series of phonetic syllables, suffixes and
prefixes, to represent each Mayan word within a phrase).
"Maya"
is a complete language, not a dialect, with over thirty
different Mayan speaking dialects found today throughout the
Mayan region in Meso-America. Bishop Diego de Landa,
during Yucatan's Colonial times
ordered the collection and destruction of all written Maya
books and codices.
Landa was fascinated with the Mayan language and did create a
Latin orthography of the Maya
language spoken in Yucatan; his orthographic work has helped
today's scholars decipher many glyphs.
Ancient
Mayan writing system included visual symbolic Mayan glyphs to
represent whole words, as a jaguar head for the Maya word "Balam"
(jaguar) and to represent important data such as Mayan royal
linage and titles (emblem glyphs), significant dates, events,
seals, etc.
Ancient hieroglyphic script is closely related to some of
today's spoken Mayan languages: Chorti Maya (spoken in
Honduras near Copan); Yucatec or Yukatek Maya (spoken in
Yucatan's Peninsula); and, Chol Maya (spoken in Chiapas near
Palenque). One of the largest Mayan linguistic groups
speaks Yucatec Maya.
Contemporary Mayan language: Nowadays Mayanist scholars
have created a linguistic fusion to write Yucatec Maya language
still widely spoken in Yucatan by native
Mayan people. Contemporary
Mayan language is written today by using Landa's Latin
orthographic alphabet and phonetic format. The following phrases
are to example such Mayan-Latin contemporary linguistic writing
fusion:
Maya phrase: "Bix a belex?"
(pronounced: Beesh ah behlehsh?)
English meaning:
"How are you?"
Maya phrase: "Maloob, Yum botic"
(pronounced:Mah-lohb,
Yoom boh-teek)
English meaning:
"I am fine, thank you"
The Nature of Ancient Mayan Written Language
A brief introduction by Mayanist scholar Dr. David Stuard
Anyone glancing at a Maya inscriptions would be immediately
struck by the sheer complexity of the visual forms of the script
itself -- the "look" of the Maya script is in fact difficult to
compare with any other. A text is typically arranged in a
grid-like fashion, or by a linear arrangement of the same square
blocks that are a basic formal unit of the system. Each block is
composed of one or more signs, most of which possessed a strong
pictorial quality throughout their history. Human and animal heads, body parts,
and other objects of everyday life -- all these symbolic
pictured things can be recognized
in most Mayan glyph inscriptions. However, it is a mistake to
consider Maya writing as simple "picture writing," for nothing
could be farther from the truth.
The last Winter Equinox of the 13th Bak'tun Mayan Calendar cycle
ending in Dicember 2012 is recorded as a Cosmic Alignment in a
Mayan Classic period inscription found at Mayan monument #6, in
the archaeological site of Tortuguero Chiapas, Mexico. Such
Mayan glyph reliefs narrated by Maya king B'ahlam Ajaw has
created many expectations about the end of the world. Sven
Gronemeyer from University of Bonn, Germany, traced the above
Mayan glyphs and Dr. David Stuart from University of Texas, USA,
translated its text into English. The text speaks about the
Ending time in the 13th Bak'tun (our year 2012) such text has
created many expectations for 2012.
Ancient Maya hieroglyphs represent a complex logographic writing
language system, meaning that it was above all phonetic. Every Maya sign corresponds to a word or a
phonetic syllable, and thus was capable of accurately
representing any spoken utterance. Word signs are the simplest
type, where a character might represent a macaw head and be read
Mo', "macaw." Hundreds of such signs are known. More
complicated are the syllabic elements, which were combined in
various ways to spell words. Syllabic signs may well be
pictorial as well (bird heads, hands, etc.) but the image is not
necessarily an indicator of meaning in such cases. Thus, the
syllables k'u-k'u spell k'uk', "quetzal," and the
sequence la-ka-ma spells lakam, "flag, banner."
Words such as these were commonly spelled with word signs as
well, showing that there existed an inherent optionally to the
script. Scribes constantly had to choose among the large
repertoire of signs (some 800 in all) when composing their
texts. To make matters even more complicated, a single syllable
or word sign could have several substitutes or "allograph" --
signs that graphically very different but functionally
equivalent. For example, the syllable na could be rendered by
five distinct signs. One can see why the decipherment has been a
long and arduous process over the years
If you are interested in learning more about ancient Mayan
written language, we recommend reading
The Maya
Glyphs, Second Edition by Michael Coe
and Mark Van Stone (Thames & Hudson 2005); to hear how the Maya
language is spoken and view how it is phonetically written with
examples of
Spoken Mayan glyphs, a great
collection of Mayan glyphs with their English meaning and
correct pronunciation by Professor Stephen Houston from Brown
University.
We hope you find our Online Volunteer Magazine's articles interesting and full
of learning fun. Yucatan Adventure welcomes article, news, travel
contributions, and ideas on how to support the Maya Foundation In Laakeech A.C. efforts to help the Mayan Communities nearby Chichen Itza,
Yucatan, Mexico.
This article is a courtesy of the
following non-profit organizations:
Maya Foundation In Laakeech
A.C.
The Elder Mayan Wiseman Association
KUCH
KAAB Y'EETEL J'MEN MAAYA'OB, A.C.
Please take a minute to visit our nominated entry at Geotourism
Challenge for Sustaining the Future of Destinations,
our social Eco-Cultural work
is part of the Maya Foundation In Laakeech A.C. social
sustainable work and Hacienda Chichen.
This unique
geo-project was sponsored by National Geographic and Ashoka's Changemakers.
We hope you find our Online Volunteer Magazine's articles interesting and full
of learning fun. Yucatan Adventure welcomes article, news, travel
contributions, and genius ideas on how to support the Maya Foundation In
Laakeech A.C. efforts to help the Mayan Communities nearby Chichen Itza,
Yucatan, Mexico.
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