[Aztlan] Re: MA, 7-Macaw

[Fernando Molina]

Dear Señora Dody,

One thing I can offer you about 7-Macaw is its exact location in the sky.
Ursa Major is part of the constellation. see
http://www.geocities.com/tlalokay/witsilwitl.jpg

In my book called 'Codex of the Night Sky' I show how 7-Macaw is actually a
large constellation that covers the entire northern part of the sky. see
http://www.geocities.com/tlalokay/13toltecconstellations.jpg

Ursa Major is actually the dart that 7-Macaw is hit with, Ursa Minor the
beak (notice Polaris is actually the tip of his beak, maybe even a
'jeweled-tooth'), Auriga is one talon, Perseus is the other talon, which
forms the headdress of Hun-Came as well (hence the iconography always
showing a bird on the head of certain icons), Lynx is the bottom of the
right wing, Cassiopaeia the bottom of the left wing, Draco forms the top of
the head and the top of the right wing, and Camelopdarlis is the legs.

There are several circumstances surrounding this grouping of constellations
such as the fact that it clutches the Milky Way (Sak Be or Road to Xibalba)
in its talons (Perseus and Auriga) for a time of the year, and at that time,
Gemini, or the Hero Twins are walking along the back of the Milky Way. At
the same time, the talon (Perseus) is connected to the Shell constellation
or Hun-Came, (1-Death) and so the bird is no longer 7-Macaw but transforms
into the one-legged Owl messenger of death. (Only when the Milky Way
disappears below the northern horizon and the Hun-Came constellation sets,
is the bird constellation 7-Macaw, Huitzilopochtli, the Chalchiutotolin, or
Cuauhtli, or even the 'White Hummingbird of Eva Hunt literature).

This scene also has Cynus marking the Northwestern sky, and in the Nahua
interpretation of this astronomical scenario, they call it the foundation of
Tenochtitlan- the bird constellation is a caracara, Cygus a nopal cactus,
and the Milky Way a serpent.

Of course 7-Macaw is a huge constellation, and has over 70 visible stars in
it, not to mention the brightest, and is the only constellation visible at
all times of the year- hence the Popul Vuh describes it as 'vain; the only
guidance for people before the sun' etc. In fact the bird constellation was
the most useful for navigation, migration through the deserts at night, etc.

All of this is highlighted in my discovery of a complete pre-Columbian
mapping of the sky, which is an introduction of sorts to all 13 of the
pre-Columbian constellations that are constructed of over 400 visible stars
which cover the entire sky. The Maya and Nahua icons are listed for each
constellation  and there is a single edition not for distribution that uses
codex iconography super-imposed over the modern constellations to illustrate
the Popul Vuh and various creation stories from the central Mexican
narratives.

There are a lot of vases, murals and narrative that are unlocked through
witnessing how the constellations interact and move through the sky- not to
mention an entirely new take on the ball game and its various players among
the constellations!

There are a couple of museums in the El Paso area that will be featuring
some of the proposed constellations and artwork in their programming in the
near future, ojala. If you need more specific information Dody, please
contact me by e-mail if you'd like.

Regards,

Fernando Arturo Rodriguez-Molina



> Listeros !
>
> Some time ago someone mentioned 'Seven Macaw' I am not heavily into Maya
> cosmology so the reference bounced on past me.
> My Museum now has a need to find out about ol' Seven Macaw. I know the
> hero
> twins killed him and how. I know that he is somehow associated with the
> big
> dipper. I know he was "too proud" and declared himself a 'Sun.' What else
> can O find out about Seven Macaw and aside from Teadlock's 'Popol Vuh'
> what
> other references can I use?
>
> Dody Fugate
> Santa Fe
> 'The City With the Very Strange Weather'
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