Maya

«i H IS is THE BEGINNING OF the Ancient Word, here in this place called Quiche. Here we shall inscribe, we shall implant the Ancient Word, the potential and source for everything done in the citadel of Quiche, in the nation of Quiche people» — la primera línea del Popol Vuh: el libro declara dónde se inscribe y qué inscribe, la Palabra Antigua, en la ciudadela de Quiche y en la nación del pueblo Quiche; el troceo deja la capitular suelta.

«Vnd this is our root, we who are the Quiche people. And there came to be a crowd of penitents and sacrificers. It wasn’t only four who came into being then, but there were four mothers for us, the Quiche people. There were different names for each of the peoples when they multiplied, there in the east» — la Parte Cuatro declara la raíz en primera persona del plural y nombra cuatro madres junto a los cuatro padres.

«Those who wrote the version of the Popol Vuh we know today do not give us their personal names, but rather call themselves “we” in its opening pages and “we who are the Quiche people» — Tedlock consigna que los escritores no dan nombres personales y se llaman a sí mismos *we* y *we who are the Quiche people*.

«“we who are the Quiche people” later on. In contem¬ porary usage “the Quiche people” are an ethnic group in Guatemala, consisting of all those who speak the particular Mayan language that itself has come to be called Quiche; they presently number close to a million and occupy most of the former territory of the kingdom whose develop¬ ment is described in the Popol Vuh» — Tedlock fija el uso actual del nombre: grupo étnico de Guatemala definido por su lengua, cercano al millón de personas, en casi todo el territorio del reino que el libro describe.

«The same name, appearing as [quiche] or [queche] in the MS and as [4iche] in TK and TT, can serve to designate a people or a language; in the new orthography it is k’iche» — Tedlock da las grafías del nombre en el manuscrito y en otros títulos, y su forma en la ortografía nueva.

«The names of the Guatemalan Mayan peoples and languages mentioned in this work, as written in the new official alphabets, are K’iche’, Kaqchikel, Tz’utujil, Poqomchi, Q’eqchi’, Ixil, Mam, and Jakalteko» — Tedlock enumera los nombres de los pueblos y lenguas mayas de Guatemala en los alfabetos oficiales nuevos.

«These are the peoples, with a total population of more than six million today, whose ancestors developed what has become known to the outside world as Mayan civilization» — Tedlock dice que lo que se conoce como civilización maya es el nombre que le puso el mundo de fuera.

«Popul Vuh. English. Popol Vuh: the Mayan book of the dawn of life / translated by Dennis Tedlock; with commentary based on the ancient knowledge of the modem Quiche Maya.—Rev. ed. p. cm. Translated from the Quiche» — el dato catalográfico de la Library of Congress registra la materia y la lengua de partida; el encabezado imprime *Popul Vuh* con u.

«The Books of Chilam Balam form the most important part of this native Maya literature. Written in the Maya language, they reflect more closely the thought of these Indians than any other records that have come down to us.» — Roys, en el Preface, sitúa estos libros como la parte principal de la literatura maya conservada.

«The Books of Chilam Balam were written in the Maya language but in the European script which the early missionaries adapted to express such sounds as were not found in Spanish.» — Roys señala que los libros se escribieron en lengua maya con la escritura europea que los misioneros adaptaron.

«Yucatec Maya is still widely spoken in Yucatan, but the subject matter, the vocabulary, and to some extent the sentence structure of those colonial documents were as different from the spoken Maya of today as Chaucer is from The New Yorker.» — Thompson mide con un símil la distancia entre el maya de los documentos coloniales y el hablado hoy.

«11 Ahau was the name of the katun when the Maya men ceased to be called Maya. They were called Christians; their entire province <became subject> to St. Peter and the reigning King <of Spain>.» — la crónica del Chumayel fecha por katun el cambio de nombre: los hombres mayas dejaron de llamarse mayas y pasaron a llamarse cristianos.

«We shall bring it out because there is no longer a place to see it, a Council Book, a place to see “The Light That Came from Beside the Sea,” the account of “Our Place in the Shadows.” a place to see “The Dawn of Life,” as it is called» — la apertura da la razón de escribir: que ya no hay dónde ver el Council Book ni los otros tres nombres del libro.

«as it is called. There is the original book and ancient writing, but the one who reads and assesses it has a hidden identity» — la misma apertura dice que el libro original y la escritura antigua existen y que quien los lee tiene identidad oculta.

«The lords of Quiche consulted their book when they sat in council, and their name for it was Popol Vuh or “Council Book.” Because they obtained the book (or some section of it) on a pilgrimage that took them down from the highlands to the Atlantic shore, they called it “The Light That Came from Beside the Sea» — Tedlock explica dos de los nombres del libro: el consejo de los señores y la peregrinación que los bajó a la costa.

«So they came away bringing all of these. Then, from beside the sea, they brought back the writing of Tulan, the writing of Zuyua. They spoke of their investiture in their signs, in their words» — el libro consigna que de junto al mar trajeron la escritura de Tulan, la escritura de Zuyua.

«his is enough about the being of Quiche, given that there is no longer a place to see it. There is the original book and ancient writing owned by the lords, now lost, but even so, everything has been completed here concerning Quiche, which is now named Santa Cruz» — el cierre repite que ya no hay dónde verlo, da por perdidos el libro original y la escritura antigua de los señores, y nombra el lugar como Santa Cruz; el troceo deja suelta la capitular.

«And of course there is the sky, and there is also the Heart of Sky. This is the name of the god, as it is spoken» — el libro nombra al dios tal como se pronuncia.

«When Hurricane had spoken with the Sovereign Plumed Serpent, they invoked the daykeepers, diviners, the midmost seers» — el libro dice a quiénes invocan Hurricane y la Sovereign Plumed Serpent: a los daykeepers, adivinos, videntes del medio.

«This is the grandfather, this is the master of the coral seeds: Xpiyacoc is his name» — el libro reparte los oficios y nombra a Xpiyacoc como el abuelo y maestro de las semillas de coral.

«And this is the grandmother, the daykeeper, diviner who stands behind others: Xmucane is her name» — y da a Xmucane el oficio de abuela, daykeeper y adivina que está detrás de los demás.

«Like contemporary Quiche matchmakers and midwives, both of them are ajq’ij or “daykeepers,” diviners who know how to interpret the auguries given by thirteen day numbers and twenty day names that combine to form a calendrical cycle lasting 260 days» — Tedlock nombra el oficio en quiché, *ajq'ij*, y da la cuenta de trece números y veinte nombres de día que suman 260.

«Believe in my word itself, I am Chilam Balam, and I have interpreted the entire message of the true God <of> the world; it is heard in every part of the world,» — Chilam Balam firma su profecía en primera persona y dice haber interpretado el mensaje entero del Dios verdadero.

«The prophecy of Ah Kuil Chel,* the priest. When the end of the katun shall come, lord, ye shall not understand when it comes. Who shall believe it at the rolling up of the mat of the katun?» — la profecía de Ah Kuil Chel pone la incomprensión dentro del anuncio.

«The prophecy of Nahau Pech the great priest. At that time when the sun shall stand high® <in the heavens>, lord, when the ruler has had compassion, in the fourth katun* it shall come to pass, the tidings of God are truly brought.» — la profecía de Nahau Pech fecha en el cuarto katun la llegada de las nuevas de Dios.

«Foretelling the future was the profession of a special branch of the priesthood, the members of which were called chilans. The word means mouthpiece, spokesman or interpreter, and it was the chilans who delivered to the people the responses of the gods.» — Roys define a los chilames: rama del sacerdocio dedicada a predecir, cuyo nombre significa boca, portavoz o intérprete.

«He retired to a room in his home where he lay prostrate® in a trance while the god or spirit, perched on the ridgepole of the house, spoke to the unconscious chilan below. Then the other priests assembled, probably in the reception hall of the house, and listened to the revelation with their faces bowed down to the floor.» — Roys describe el procedimiento según el manuscrito de Tizimín: el chilam en trance mientras el dios le habla desde el caballete de la casa.

«The Books of Chilam Balam are the sacred books of the Maya of Yucatan and were named after their last and greatest prophet. Chilam, or chilan, was his title which means that he was the mouth-piece or interpreter of the gods.» — Roys define el género y el nombre: libros sagrados de los mayas de Yucatán, llamados por su último y mayor profeta, cuyo título significa boca o intérprete de los dioses.

«Each book is a small library in itself and contains a considerable variety of subject material. Besides the prophecies we find brief chronicles, fragmentary historical narratives, rituals, native catechisms, mythological accounts of the creation of the world, almanacs and medical treatises.» — Roys enumera lo que cabe en cada uno: profecías, crónicas breves, narraciones históricas fragmentarias, rituales, catecismos nativos, relatos míticos de la creación, almanaques y tratados médicos.

«Katun 11 Ahau is set upon the mat, set upon the throne, when their ruler is set up. Yaxal Chac* is its face to their ruler. The heavenly fan, the heavenly wreath and the heavenly bouquet shall descend.’ The drum and rattle of the lord of 11 Ahau shall resound, when flint knives are set into his mantle.» — el capítulo III abre la profecía del katun 11 Ahau con el katun puesto sobre el petate y el trono y con Yaxal Chac por rostro.

«Broadly speaking, Maya prophecies fall into four classes: day-prophecies, year-prophecies, katun-prophecies and special prophecies of the return of Quetzalcoatl, or Kukulcan as he was called by the Maya.» — Roys reparte las profecías mayas en cuatro clases: de día, de año, de katun y las del retorno de Quetzalcóatl o Kukulcán.

«A katun of the same name recurred after approximately 256 years, consequently at the end of that time history was expected to repeat itself.» — Roys enuncia la mecánica del ciclo: el katun del mismo nombre vuelve a los 256 años y con él se esperaba que la historia se repitiera.

«This taking of the stone evidently refers to the Maya custom of setting up a monument every 7200 days to commemorate the katun that has just passed. Cf. Landa 1929, pages 94-98. Avendafio states that the thirteen katuns were ascribed to each of thirteen provinces in turn. Cf. Appendix D.» — Roys lee la toma de la piedra como la costumbre de levantar un monumento cada 7 200 días para conmemorar el katun cumplido.

«The uinal was the Maya month of twenty days.» — Roys define el uinal como el mes maya de veinte días.

«Thus it was recorded <by> the first sage, Melchise<dek>,° the first prophet, Napuc Tun,’ the priest, the first priest. This is a song of how the uinal came to be created before the creation of the world.» — el capítulo XIII adjudica el registro de la creación del uinal a Melchisedec, primer sabio, y a Napuc Tun, primer profeta y primer sacerdote; el nombre va cortado como lo trae el impreso.

«This is the examination * which takes jz) Fic. 13—The lord of the ka. Place in the katun which ends today. The tun (Chumayel MS.). time has arrived for examining the knowledge of the chiefs of the towns, <to see> whether they know how the ruling men came, whether they have explained the coming of the chiefs, of the head-chiefs, whether they are of the lineage of rulers, whether they are of the lineage of chiefs, that they may prove it.» — el capítulo IX declara para qué sirve el examen de los jefes; el troceo entrevera el pie de la figura 13 a media frase.

«Nevertheless three important facts are brought out in this chapter. The first is that there was a firmly established tradition of such an examination; the second, that the proof of legitimacy was considered to be certain knowledge supposed to have been handed down from father to son in families eligible to chieftainship; the third, that this occult knowledge was known as the “language of Zuyua.”» — Roys resume los tres hechos del capítulo: la tradición del examen, la prueba de legitimidad por un saber transmitido de padre a hijo, y el nombre de ese saber, el lenguaje de Zuyua.

«Tulan Zuyua, Seven Caves, Seven Canyons is the name of the citadel. Those who were to receive the gods arrived there» — el Popol Vuh nombra Tulan Zuyua, Siete Cuevas, Siete Cañadas, como la ciudadela adonde llegaron los que iban a recibir a los dioses.

«It is a Yucatec name, made up of suy, which carries the meaning “twisted” in various contexts, and perhaps wa, referring to deception (AB); in the Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel the phrase suyua t’an, meaning “twisted, deceptive speech,” designates a language game in which pretenders to lordly titles are asked a series of metaphorical riddles in order to test their legitimacy» — Tedlock deriva el nombre Zuyua del yucateco y lo liga al juego de acertijos del Chilam Balam de Chumayel con que se probaba la legitimidad de los pretendientes a títulos de señor.

«According to the riddling “language of Zuyua” in the Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel, the “brains” of the sky consist of copal» — Tedlock trae del Chilam Balam de Chumayel una de las respuestas en lengua de Zuyua: los sesos del cielo son copal.

«They accounted for everything—and did it, too—as enlightened beings, in enlightened words. We shall write about this now amid the preaching of God, in Christendom now» — la voz del Popol Vuh dice que sus dioses dieron cuenta de todo como seres iluminados y, a renglón seguido, que se escribe en medio de la prédica de Dios, en la cristiandad.

«At the beginning of their book, the authors delicately describe the difficult circumstances under which they work. When they tell us that they are writing “amid the preaching of God, in Christendom now,” we can catch a plaintive tone only by noticing that they make this statement immediately after asserting that their own gods “accounted for every¬ thing—and did it, too—as enlightened beings, in enlightened words» — Tedlock lee el tono de la apertura en el orden de esas dos frases; el troceo parte *everything* con el guion ¬.

«What the authors propose to write down is what Quiches call the Ojer Tzij, the “Ancient Word” or “Prior Word,” which has precedence over “the preaching of God» — Tedlock nombra lo que los autores se proponen escribir, el *Ojer Tzij* o Palabra Antigua, y dice que tiene precedencia sobre la prédica de Dios.

«But when we remember their complaint about being “in Christendom,” there re¬ mains the possibility that they still have the original book but are pro¬ tecting it from possible destruction by missionaries» — Tedlock deja abierta la posibilidad de que los autores conservaran el libro original y lo protegieran de los misioneros; el troceo parte *remains* y *protecting* con el guion ¬.

«9 Ahau was when Christianity began, when baptism occurred. It was in this katun that Bishop Toral arrived here also. -It was when the hangings ceased in the year of our Lord 1546.» — la crónica fecha por katun el comienzo del cristianismo y del bautismo, la llegada del obispo Toral y el cese de los ahorcamientos.

«priests of ours were to come to an end when misery was introduced, when Christianity was introduced by the real Christians. Then with the true God, the true Dios, came the beginning of our misery.» — el texto fecha el fin de sus sacerdotes en la entrada del cristianismo y llama a la llegada del Dios verdadero el comienzo de su miseria; el verbatim arranca a media frase, donde la corta el troceo.

«The Indians had a great reverence for their hieroglyphic writing which was permeated with the symbols of their old religion, and the friars felt that if they could wipe out this knowledge and substitute for it the European system of writing, it would be an effective means for the complete Christianization of the native population.» — Roys explica el cálculo de los frailes: sustituir la escritura jeroglífica por la europea sería el medio eficaz de cristianizar del todo.

«Diego de Landa, afterward bishop of Yucatan, burned twenty-seven hieroglyphic manuscripts at the famous auto de fe in Mani in 1562, and although many of the Spaniards severely criticized him for this, there is little doubt that other missionaries followed his example whenever they had the opportunity.» — Roys fecha en 1562 el auto de fe de Maní y los veintisiete manuscritos jeroglíficos quemados por Landa.

«Hunabku: the only living and true god, and he was the greatest of the gods of the people of Yucatan. He had no form because they said that he could not be represented as he was incorporeal.”» — Roys cita la definición del diccionario de Motul: Hunabku, el único dios vivo y verdadero, sin forma porque siendo incorpóreo no podía representarse.

«During a large part of the colonial period, and even down into the Nineteenth Century, many of the towns and villages of northern Yucatan possessed Books of Chilam Balam, and this designation was supplemented by the name of the town to which the book belonged.» — Roys describe la difusión: durante buena parte de la colonia y aun en el siglo XIX muchos pueblos del norte de Yucatán tuvieron su Libro de Chilam Balam, con el nombre de su pueblo añadido.

«Balam means jaguar, but it is also a common family name in Yucatan, so the title of the present work could well be translated as the Book of the Prophet Balam.» — Roys traduce el nombre del profeta: *balam* es jaguar y a la vez apellido corriente en Yucatán.

«Many such passages were no doubt originally transcribed from older hieroglyphic manuscripts, some of which were still in existence in northern Yucatan as late as the close of the Seventeenth Century.» — Roys sostiene que muchos pasajes se transcribieron de manuscritos jeroglíficos más viejos, algunos vivos aún a fines del siglo XVII.