[Aztlan] Ukahlay Katunob

[GEOFF STRAY]

Georges,
  Thanks for your reply. There is more to Makemson's Katunob cycle than just an interpretation of de Landa's katun wheel. Lists of katuns in Tizimin start with katun 11 Ahau, and it also states that katun '13 Ahau is the 13th katun' (I don't have the book to hand at the moment, but can give precise references later if required). 
  I agree of course, that the 13 baktun cycle ended with katun 4 Ahau, and this is the crux of the whole issue. Makemson says on p. 167 of her translation and commentary on the Chilam Balam of Tizimin: 
  "There is an unusual prophecy about the end of the world on page 16: "...in the final days of misfortune, in the final days of tying up the bundle of the thirteen katuns on 4 Ahau, then the end of the world shall come and the katun of our fathers will ascend on high". It is entirely possible that there is a copyist's error here and that thirteen baktuns were intended, since the katun cycle began and ended with 11 Ahau, we are told elsewhere, and the thirteen baktun cycle ran from 4 Ahau to 4 Ahau."
   
  In other words, some of the prophecies that, on the surface, appear to be katun prophecies, could actually have originally been prophecies associated with the end of the 13th baktun, and were retained after the long count fell out of use, to be re-applied to the end of the 13th katun of the Short Count or Ukahlay Katunob.
   
  Evidence that this may actually be the case is found here in Tizimin:
   
  "The Nine shall arise in sorrow, alas...And when over the dark sea I shall be lifted up in a chalice of fire, to that generation there will come the day of withered fruit. there will be rain. The face of the sun shall be extinguished because of the great tempest. Then finally the ornaments shall descend in heaps. there will be good gifts for one and all, as well as lands, from the Great Spirit, wherever they shall settle down. Presently Baktun 13 shall come sailing, figuratively speaking, bringing the ornaments of which I have spoken from your ancestors. Then the god will come to visit his little ones. Perhaps "After Death" will be the subject of his discourse."(Makemson p.30)
   
  Here we have an echo of the prophecy for 2012 on Monument 6 at Tortuguero, which predicts the return of the Nine Support gods" or Bolon Yokte Kuh (Makemson's translation of the word Baktun here is explained in her commentary, and again, I can give you the reference and quote later, if required). Another interesting point, is the inclusion in this prophecy of the face of the sun being extiguished, since someone (the "Pakalian group")* recently suggested that one of the damaged glyphs on Tortugero monument 6 may be translated as "darkness". This proposal was added to Dave Stuart's translation as follows:
   
  "The 13th baktun will be terminated on 4 Ajaw, the 3rd of Uniiw (Kankin). It will happen (darkness?). (It will be) the descent (??) of the Nine Support? God(s) to the ?."
   
  The word "darkness" was chosen by comparing the glyph to T89 in the FAMSI dictionary of Mayan hieroglyphs.I would be interested to know if Dave Stuart finds this choice to be feasible or not.
   
  * http://pakalahau.wordpress.com/2007/11/23/2012-prophecy-notes-on-tortuguero-monument-6/
   
  Geoff