[Aztlan] Votan and Palenque

[dolores clark urquidi]

Folks:

Lately this phrase was sent to Aztlan regarding Votan:
 "...there is no evidence that Votan was ever associated with Palenque..."

I concur, mainly because all evidence of the origins or ancestry of
Pacal has been erased from the Palenque East panel in the Temple of
the Inscriptions where his tomb of is located.

Today VOTAN is a very good word with a meaning of VDS. votan, (You
[all] vote) from the verb VOTAR = to vote. .... Nevertheless, it is
also an idiomatic term used for "confound it." probably left over from
the magic used in the early days of the pre-Conquest enlightened rule,
and therefore just might infer that "to confound" was the original
intent of the verb votar (votan) as a possible substitute for Pacal

Votan as aword is translated as "Vituperio" in Tzetzal, spelled as Utan.
“vituperative” or “to discredit someone,” It can be found in [(1571).
A BocabvlvarÌque Lengvatzeltal (Translator: Domingo de Ara; AD 1616)]
from a time when "U" was equal to "V." It comes from a third person
pronoun "O" and "TAN" with the meaning of “wounding words,” or
“reproach.”

However, in de Molina, F. A. (1970)  Vocabulario en Lengua Castellana
y Mexicana y Mexicana y Castellana (Portilla, Miquel Leon, Trans.)
Mexico, D  F  Mexico: Editorial Porrua, SA

The word  Tepapacaliztli is very specific and very strong as
derogratory word containing the name Pacal: Tepa-PACAL-iztli ... It
seems that it may have been a deliberate inclusion of Pacal's name,
probably to denegate and vilify his memory at the Temple of the
Inscriptions and the Temple of the Sun.

Written by a Mexican author,[in 1955 and printed in the Libreria de
Manuel Porrua, SA.]  the name Votan is asssociated with Palenque AND
is translated in de Molina as "vituperio" which means “palabras
afrentosas de vituperio” or “vituperative", words that are
“reproachful,” and another concept: "baldon” or insult.

This would NOT mean that Votan or los Votanides are actually a name
for any person.....It may have been just be a name concocted to use
instead of the proper name, Pacal  based on the implication of "magic"
(since both Votan and Pacal are vilified with the same words and
associated with the same city Palenque, by at least one author.

Knowing that most libraries of Mexico are not very extensive; that
many excellent books are only in private collections; it is a strong
possibility, that there may still be records in such private
collections as to why the name Votan was used for Pacal and his
associates and also why the Friars used the compound word and the
probable substitute to vilify both names.

Dea
-- 
Dolores Clark U.
dmu Ink
P. O. Box 49485
Austin, Texas 78765
http://www.mayalords.org