ASIDE FROM THE LINE-DRAWINGS

OF THE STANDARD AND LANDA

MONTH NAME SETS (SLIDES 10-12),

THE BOOK CONTAINS NONE

OF THESE IMAGES.
LAS CRUCES
IN AD 200-900 THE
MAYA FLOURISHED,
ESPECIALLY IN THE
CENTRAL ZONE.

ACROSS THIS VAST

WORLD, THOUGH,
IN THOUSANDS OF
INSCRIPTIONS,
ALL THE MONTH
NAMES
REMAINED
THE SAME
WRITING, HISTORY, DATES: MONTHS
BISHOP DIEGO DE LANDA

BISHOP
LANDA’S
MONTHS
1566
FIRST PHOTO-BASED IMAGES
PUBLISHED SINCE 1884
 1837
LAST LIST
OF THE GLYPHS
FOR
THE YUKATEK
MONTH
NAMES
LANGUAGES OF MESOAMERICA
 DIVERSITY
OF
HIGHLAND
MAYA
LANGUAGES

LANGUAGES WITH
FULL OR VESTIGIAL
MONTH NAME SETS
OR “TRADITIONS”:
 DIVERSITY
OF
HIGHLAND
MAYA
LANGUAGES

GEOGRAPHY
MIGHT
PLAY
A ROLE
 MOUNTAINS
PROMOTE ISOLATION
ISOLATION
ACCELERATES DIVERSITY
 MANY
ABUNDANT
RESOURCES

BRING
WEALTH…

AND

ENVY
CACAO
MONEY
THAT
GREW
ON
TREES
C P
A O
C D
A S
O
FOOD AND DRINK
OF THE GODS
POURING FROM A HEIGHT PRODUCES FOAM
JADE
COPAL
COPAL
SMOKE

BLOOD
TURNED
INTO
CLOUDS
OF
PRAYER
QUETZAL
SCARLET
MACAW
 BETWEEN 1498 AND 1510 THE AZTECS
ENCROACHED ON MAYA RESOURCES AND
AUTHORITY IN LANDS INSIDE THE CIRCLE.
 BANISHED TO A USELESS ISLAND,
THE BACKWARD, SKIN-CLAD AZTECS
FOUNDED TENOCHTITLAN IN 1325
 SUPERB MERCENARIES MUCH IN DEMAND,
THE AZTECS SOON TRANSFORMED THEIR HUTS
INTO A METROPOLIS OF STONE,
GARDENS AND FLOWERS
THE HEART OF EMPIRE: HERE GODS, NOBLES
AND CAPTIVES MEET
COMMERCE AND CONQUEST
DRIVE THE EMPIRE
comitlan

1498
1512
 1510

1501

PRESSURE SECURED TRIBUTE

FROM THE KAQCHIKEL IN 1501,
THEN THE K’ICHE’ IN 1510.
BOTH ADDED AZTEC MONTH NAMES.
 1498 FOR TRIBUTE AND GLORY
THE UPPER LEG OF EACH
CAMPAIGN PASSED
THROUGH SEVERAL MAYA
GROUPS. MONTH DATA
SUGGEST SOME BEGAN TO
OFFER TRIBUTE ON A
REGULAR BASIS AND
ALTERED THEIR MONTHS 1498
1512
 JAGUAR KNIGHTS
TRIBUTE OR DEATH
EAGLE KNIGHTS: TRIBUTE, NOT TERRITORY
BLOOD AND HEARTS
NOURISH THE SUN
AND
BRING THE RAINS
TZOMPANTLI OR SKULL RACK: STATE TERRORISM
 HEART
SACRIFICE:
STATE
TERRORISM
STATE TERRORISM: TRIBUTE ON TIME OR ELSE
 FLAYING ALIVE:
STATE TERRORISM
SOME MAYA PEOPLES START THE YEAR
ON THE WINTER SOLSTICE,
WITH THE SUN
AT ITS SOUTHERNMOST POINT
ON THE HORIZON (22 DECEMBER).
 OTHERS BEGIN WHEN
IT REACHES THE NORTHERNMOST PLACE,
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE (21 JUNE).
 A FEW NAME MONTHS WITH A VIEW TO
ONE ZENITH PASSAGE OR THE OTHER: THE
SUN SHINES DIRECTLY OVERHEAD AT
NOON, CASTING NO SHADOW.
LIKELY GNOMONS, NOT PHALLI
MONTH NAMES CHANGE DUE TO SHIFTS
BETWEEN THESE KINDS OF WORDS:

COGNATE (C) THE SAME WORD IN

A RELATED LANGUAGE

HOMONYM (H) A WORD THAT SOUNDS

THE SAME

SYNONYM (S) A WORD THAT MEANS

THE SAME
YUKATEK

YAX JA’ GREEN WATER

YUKATEK

YAAX GREEN
POKOM

YAX GREEN
 YAX CRAB PINCERS
Q’EQCHI’
Q’ANJOBAL

YOX CRAB
Q’ANJOBAL

TAP CRAB
CHUJ

TAP CRAB
Q’EQCHI’

TAP CRAB
 OPTIONAL AFTER
LECTURE AND QUESTIONS
G

K’AN JALIB’ YELLOW WEAVING DEVICE

G
YELLOW COMMAND
K’AN JAL-IB PLACE
Y
POP MAT
 G G
IK’ K’AT IK’ K’AT
BLACK VESSEL BLACK WICKER
Y
WO TOAD
G G
CHAK K’AT CHAK K’AT
RED VESSEL RED WICKER
Y

SIP BROCKET DEER

 SIP DEER PROTECTOR Y

WUK SIP

AS GUARDIAN

OF THE DEER,

HE MAKES

HUNTERS MISS.
G

SUTZ’ BAT
Y

ZOTZ BAT
G

KASEW PALM TREE

Y

TSEC SKULL
Y
SEC SMALL BAT
G
TZ’IKIN

HUMMER
Y
XUL

DIBBLE
STICK
Y
XUL
STRIPED
MULLET
GOBY
GY
YAXKIN GREEN GRASS DAYS
GY
YAXKIN DRY SEASON
GY
MOL HEAP
GY

M
O
L

H
E
A
P
G
IJK’ JA’
DARK
WATER
Y
CHEN

GROTTO

WELL
G
YAX JA’ BLUE-GREEN WATER
Y

YAX GREEN, PASTURE GRASS

G
SAK JA’ ’ WHITE WATER
Y SAC FLOWER, SILVERSIDES, RAPIDS

WHITE
G
CHÄK JA’ RED WATER
Y
CEH DEER
GY TURTLE, CARAPACE, GRANARY

M
A
C
 G
UNIW
AVOCADO
G
TZ’UTZ’UW COATIMUNDI
GY

KANKIN BEAD DAYS

Y
KANKIN CORD OR NET DAYS
 G
M H Y
U A
A W
N K
G
Y PAX

TALL
DRUM
G
YELLOW
K’ANASI
LOG
G

YELLOW
K’ANASI
CICADA
Y

KAYAB TRAVERSE DRUM

G

OJL

BALL
G
O
J
L

P
O
R
T
A
L
G
O
J
L

P
O
R
T
A
L
Y
CUMKU THUNDER GOD
G

WAY JAB’ VISION OF THE YEAR

Y

WAYEB VISION PLACE