[Aztlan] Popol Vuh and glyphs beyond the Classic period

[Justin Kerr]

>From page 64 of Allen Christenson's translation of the Popol Vuh
"We shall bring it forth because there is no longer the means whereby the
Popol Vuh may be seen, the means of seeing clearly that had come from across
the sea - the account of our obscurity, and the means of seeing life
clearly, as it is said. THE ORIGINAL BOOK EXISITS THAT WAS WRITTEN
ANCIENTLY, BUT ITS WITNESSES AND THOSE WHO PONDER IT HIDES THEIR FACES.
A footnote reads "This line apparently refers to a painted version of the
Popol Vuh written prior to the Spanish conquest which served as the
inspiration for the text that survives today"
Allen points out that the word "vuh" refers to Maya books or codices painted
on deerskin or bark paper. 

-----Original Message-----
From: aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org [mailto:aztlan-bounces at lists.famsi.org]
On Behalf Of Jorge Pérez de Lara Elías
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 11:46 PM
To: Aztlan
Subject: Re: [Aztlan] Popol Vuh and glyphs beyond the Classic period

Henry,

I believe your information concerning the survival of glyphic writing  
among the Post-Classic Maya is not accurate. Not only are all Maya  
codices that have survived fairly late (dating most probably from the  
XV and the beginning of the XVI Centuries), but the best of them (the  
Dresden) displays a beautiful calligraphy.

That writing was alive and well until at least the middle of the XVI  
Century can also be ascertained from the fact that Diego de Landa  
himself got the chance of recording many glyphs, both phonetic and  
logographic and even though Landa's examples sometimes show strong  
idiosyncrasies, they are overall so consistent with Classic Maya  
script as to have been the basis from which modern decipherment started.

Certainly, the Popol Vuh must have been part of a very strong oral  
tradition, but there is also a reasonable likelihood that the story  
also existed in manuscript form. The one discovered by Jiménez in  
Chichicastenango was entirely written in Roman script, though, rather  
than in Maya glyphs, presumably by someone who either knew the story  
by heart or had the benefit of copying from a book, possibly written  
in glyphs.

Jorge


On Feb 18, 2009, at 4:09 PM, Henry Avila wrote:

> Sven:
>
> I have strong doubts about if postclassic maya do they still know  
> about
> glyphs writing, as a matter of fact, glyphs writing was forgotten at  
> the
> postclassic period.  And in such areas as popol vuh was created  
> there is no
> evidence (at least no much evidence) that postclassic mayas (kiches
> specifically) they do know about this kind of writing.
>
> I think the Popol Vuh was transmitted by oral tradition, when the  
> spanish
> implanted their writing system kiches have the chance to write their  
> oral
> traditions (popol vuh).
>
> This is my point of view, based on the lack of maya writing at the
> postclassic Kiches period.
>
> By the other side, anothers scholars think that the Popol Vuh was a  
> Codex
> just like the others ones.
>
> Regards!

_______________________________________________
Aztlan mailing list
http://www.famsi.org/mailman/listinfo/aztlan
Click here to post a message Aztlan at lists.famsi.org
Click to view Calendar of Events http://research.famsi.org/events/events.php