[Aztlan] Tortuguero, Monument 6 text

[Christian M. Prager]

Dear all, 

Markus Eberl and myself have worked on Bolon (y)okte k'uh and presented a
paper on that topic during a conference on war in the Americas entitled
"Roads to War and Pipes of Peace: Conflict and Cooperation in the Americas,
Past and Present". The proceeding has been published in a conference volume.

Please read our abstract:

Markus Eberl (Tulane University, New Orleans, USA) and 
Christian Prager (University of Bonn, Germany): 

Bolon Yokte K’u: Maya conceptions of war, conflict, and the underworld. 

The deity Bolon Yokte K’u is shown here to have had a consistent association
with underworld, conflict, and war from the beginning of the Classic period
into Colonial times. Bolon Yokte K’u provides not only an insight into the
Maya conceptions of conflict but is also helpful to see how the conceptions
were implemented by the elite. The authors demonstrate that the deity is a
recurrent theme in Classic period inscriptions, Postclassic codices and the
Books of Chilam Balam from the Colonial period. The variety of documents
allows them to apply a diachronic perspective that heightens the
understanding of the deity and that evinces variation over time. The
concomitant appearance of Bolon Yokte K’u in art and writing enables the
authors to identify the iconographic attributes of the deity. Several
monuments can be shown to depict elite persons dressed up as Bolon Yokte
K’u. The identification of Bolon Yokte K’u on the "Vase of the Seven Gods"
(K2796) underscores its importance as one of the gods that were present
during the creation of the present world.



Kawil wrote:
> As promised here's a quick translation of the final passage of
> Tortuguero Monument 6, recording the 2012 Bak'tun ending:
> 
> Tzuhtz-(a)j-oom u(y)-uxlajuun pik
> (ta) Chan Ajaw ux(-te') Uniiw.
> Uht-oom ?
> Y-em(al)?? Bolon Yookte' K'uh ta ?.
> 
> "The Thirteenth 'Bak'tun" will be finished
> (on) Four Ajaw, the Third of Uniiw (K'ank'in).
> ? will occur.
> (It will be) the descent(??) of the Nine Support? God(s) to the ?."
> 
> This is it.  The term following uht-oom is the main puzzle, and largely
> effaced. The "descent" reference is highly tentative, too.  The
> enigmatic deity Bolon Yookte' K'uh has been known for some time
> from many sources, and I suspect that he (or they) has some tangential
> relationship to the Principal Bird Deity, as well as war associations.
>  Interestingly, he is a protagonist in the deep time mythology of
> Palenque, as recorded on Palenaue's Temple XIV tablet.  A
> long-lasting character who's still around somewhere waiting, I suppose.
> 
> - Dave S.


> --- Ursprüngliche Nachricht ---
> Von: David Stuart <kawil at mac.com>
> An: Robert Sitler <rsitler at stetson.edu>
> Kopie: aztlan at lists.famsi.org
> Betreff: Re: [Aztlan] Tortuguero, Monument 6 text
> Datum: Thu, 6 Apr 2006 22:00:04 -0500
> 
> Many thanks for posting the drawing (a good one, by Sven Gronemayer).  
> This is the right-hand "wing" of a large T-shaped tablet, though it  
> is not included Ian Graham's published drawing of Monument 6 (the  
> fragment turned up briefly afterwards in a Boston art gallery).  The  
> left-hand wing with the opening of the lengthy text has never been  
> found, to my knowledge.
> 
> For those who are interested I've posted on the UT Mesoamerica  
> discussion board a brief translation of the final passage.  Perhaps  
> we can call it "the Tortuguero prophecy."
> 
> http://www.utmesoamerica.org/forum.php
> 
> - David Stuart
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Aztlan mailing list
> Aztlan at lists.famsi.org
> http://www.famsi.org/mailman/listinfo/aztlan
> 

-- 
Christian Prager

Echte DSL-Flatrate dauerhaft für 0,- Euro*!
"Feel free" mit GMX DSL! http://www.gmx.net/de/go/dsl