[Aztlan] Mayan Constellations

[Michael Finley]

To Henry's list might be added Orion,  which is also probably Aak, 
turtle (perhaps Gemini and Orion were regarded as a single 
ecliptic-straddling constellation?).  Actually, Maya constellation names 
(or rather approximate European counterparts) don't seem to be very 
secure.  According to Schele,  Gemini is often depicted as copulating 
pecarries. An asterism in Orion seems to be the  3 Hearth Stones of 
creation -- in the  Madrid Codex, a turtle with 3 stones on its back 
hangs from a sky band.  In the Bonampak murals, both a turtle with 3 on 
its back (Orion??) and copulating peccaries (Gemini??) appear with what 
seem to be symbols for planets in conjunction.  I believe the Brickers 
have argued that in  the Maya zodiac  constellations are specified, not 
by the place the sun stands on a given date, but by the place opposite 
the sun (which incidently keys to a recent discussion here of the nadir. 
Such a constellation would be high in the sky during its  "month," 
unlike the European constellations which are hidden from view by the sun 
during their months). This would of course greatly affect efforts to 
correlate Maya and European zodiacal constellations.  Finally,  Bruce 
Love doesn't think the Paris Codex "zodiac" is a zodiac at all!

See:
http://members.shaw.ca/mjfinley/glyphs.html#Zodiac  for the Madrid and 
Bonampak images
http://members.shaw.ca/mjfinley/zodiac.html  for the Paris zodiac and 
constellation names

On the latter page , I list these references:

Linda Schele, David Freidel, and Joy Parker, /Maya Cosmos: Three 
Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path/, William Morrow and Company, 1993 
Includes Schele's interpretation of the Maya zodiac

Khristaan D. Villela and Linda Schele, "Astronomy and the Iconography of 
Creation Among the Classic and Colonial Period Maya" (Eighth Palenque 
Round Table, 1993)  Full discussion of Schele's interpretation of the 
Maya zodiac on-line at Mesoweb:
http://www.mesoweb.com/pari/publications/RT10/Astronomy.html

Victoria Bricker and Harvey M. Bricker,  "Zodiacal References in the 
Maya Codices", in Anthony F. Aveni, ed. /The Sky in/
/Mayan Literature/. Oxford, 1992.

Bruce Love, /The Paris Codex:  Handbook for a Maya Priest/, University 
of Texas Press,1994.


Michael Finley



Henry Avila wrote:

>
>Malo:
>
>As I understand Maya constellations are known as follow:
>
>Aak - Turtle - Geminis
>Balam - Jaguar - Piscis and Pegasus
>Batz - Monkey - Capricorn
>Coz - Hawk - Aquarius
>Dzec - Scorpion - Scorpio
>Itzamna - Crocodile - Part of Scorpio and Ofiucus
>Kan - Serpent - Taurus and the tail were the Pleiades
>Keh - Deer - Part of Leo
>Kutz - Peacock - Part of ofiucus
>Moan - Barn Owl - Part of Virgo
>Pek - Dog - Aries
>Tzotz - Bat - Virgo
>Tzub - Hare - Cancer
>
>Source:
>http://www.cyberastronomo.org/Astronom%C3%ADa/ConstelacionesMayas/tabid/119/
>path/Constelaciones+Mayas/Default.aspx
>
>
>
>
>
>-----Mensaje original-----
>De: aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org [mailto:aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org]
>En nombre de Mario F. Malo
>Enviado el: Martes, 11 de Marzo de 2008 06:52 p.m.
>Para: Aztlan
>Asunto: [Aztlan] Mayan Constellations
>
>Listeros:   Did the Maya have star constellation's as we know them?   If so,
>do we know the formations and names?         Mario Malo
>       
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