[Aztlan] Popol Vuh and glyphs beyond the Classic period

[Henry Avila]

Jorge Pérez:

Yes, you are right.  My focus is not accurate, because I can´t involve all
areas in one conclusion, but getting focus on the highlands of the
postclassic period, specifically Kiches, Mames, Tzutuhiles, Pocomames,
Kakchiqueles and at their respectives cities Kumarcaj, Zaculeu, Chuitinamit,
Mixco Viejo and Iximche acctually there are no glyphs writing at those
cities.  Popol Vuh museum has a very interesting collection of the different
maya periodos, again at the postclassic period at the Popol Vuh Museum there
is a notorious absence of the glyphs writing system. 

By the other way, others sources of the prehispanic history like "Anales de
los Kakchiqueles" tells part of the postclassic Kakchiqueles history so when
they were part of the Kiche nation it´s interesting to notice that there´s
no mention of books like Popol Vuh or other else.

I´m still thinking that, that maya area they do lost their ability to write,
those cities have not even one glyph.  I think Popol Vuh it´s the same case
of the "Rabinal Achí" the drama theatre conserved at this days by oral
tradition.

Again I want to clarify that this is only my point of view.

Regards!


-----Mensaje original-----
De: aztlan-bounces en lists.famsi.org [mailto:aztlan-bounces en lists.famsi.org]
En nombre de Jorge Pérez de Lara Elías
Enviado el: Miércoles, 18 de Febrero de 2009 10:46 p.m.
Para: Aztlan
Asunto: 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!

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