The Glyphic Corpus from Ek’ Balam, Yucatán, México

Painted Texts

Cover of Vaults  (Capstones)

Cover of Vault 1  (Capstone 1)

Location: Structure 8-9 (Ballcourt)
Drawing: V. Castillo (iconography), A. Lacadena (glyphic text) (Figure 6)
Dating: 10.0.11.11.10  11 ’Ok 13 Keh, 12 tun 5 ’Ajaw (August 30, A.D. 841)

Click on image to enlarge.

Comments:

My suggested transcription and translation of the text may be as follows:

[…] XIII CHAK [SIHOM?]-ma WAL XII TUN-ni ti V AJAW-wa a-[AL]-ya ma-ka-ja u-WAY yo-[OTOT]-[ti] [tz’i]-b’a-ma TUN-ni
[11 Ok] 13 Chak Siho’m, wal 12 tuun ti 5 Ajaw, al[ii]y ma[h]kaj uway yotoot Tz’i[h]b’am Tuun
"(In) (11 Ok) 13 Chak Siho’m, (in) the times of the 12 tuun in 5 Ajaw, the room of Tz’ihb’am Tuun’s house was covered"

Cover of Vault 1 matches Cover of Vault 2. They both mention the same individual, Tz’ihb’am Tuun, as the owner of the structure. The identity of this individual, who lacks any title that may lead to his identification, remains unclear. For a discussion on Tz’ihb’am Tuun, vid. infra "Other characters mentioned in Ek’ Balam".

Cover of Vault 2  (Capstone 2)

Location: Structure 8-9 (Ballcourt)
Drawing: A. Lacadena (Figure 7)
Dating: ca. September, A.D. 841

Click on image to enlarge.

Comments:

It matches Cover of Vault 1. The transcription and translation of the text is as follows:

[…] [ma]-[ka]-[ja] u-WAY yo-[OTOT] tz’i-b’a-ma TUN-ni
… ma[h]kaj uway yotoot Tz’i[h]b’am Tuun
"(In) … the room of Tz’ihb’am Tuun’s house was covered"

Cover of Vault 3  (Capstone 3)

Location: Room 6, Structure 1 (Acropolis)
Drawing: A. Lacadena (Figure 8)
Dating: not reconstructable

Click on image to enlarge.

Comments:

The following transcription and translation of the text is suggested:

[…] IX?-#-#-wa ma-ka-ja u-[k’a]-[li] u-[ki]-ti IV-[le]-ku
… 9 …w ma[h]kaj uk’aal Ukit Kan Le’k
"(In) … 9 …w Ukit Kan Le’k’s chamber was covered"

Cover of Vault 4  (Capstone 4)

Location: Room 25, Structure 1 (Acropolis)
Drawing: V. Castillo (Figure 9)
Dating: Has not been preserved

Click on image to enlarge.

Comments:

The text is heavily eroded. However, the following transcription and translation is suggested:

[…] […] ##-[ja] [u]-## [#]-[OTOT]-[ti] [K’AN]-[na] [²]b’o-[TOK’]
…  … [mahka]j u… [y]otoot K’an B’o[h]b’ Tok’
"(In) the … from K’an B’ohb’ Tok’s house … was covered"

Possibly, a calendric reference now lost was present in blocks A1-A2. In spite of the damage suffered, the text structure can be pretty well reconstructed. B3 would have probably contained the expression way, "room", or k’aal, "enclosure".

Cover of Vault 6  (Capstone 6)

Location: Room 36, Structure 1 (Acropolis)
Drawing: V. Castillo (Figure 10)
Dating: 9.17.12.5.15  2 Men 8 Sip (March 13, A.D. 783)

Click on image to enlarge.

Comments:

The following transcription and translation is suggested:

II MEN K’IN-ni tu VIII-TE’ CHAK-a-AT ma-ka-ja WAY-ya-li u-k’a-le u-ki-ti IV-le-ku
2 Men k’in tu[’] 8te’ Chakat, ma[h]kaj way[i]l; uk’aale Ukit Kan Le’k
"(On) the day 2 Men from the eighth Chakat, the room was closed; this is Ukit Kan Le’k’s chamber"

I have opted to transcribe u-k’a-le as ukaale. The suffix –e (or –e’) could in this case be a focalizer (vid. Lacadena and Wichmann 2002).

Cover of Vault 7  (Capstone 7)

Location: Room 33, Structure 1 (Acropolis)
Drawing: V. Castillo (Figure 11)
Dating: 9.17.4.7.19  13 Kawak 12 Yaxk’in (June 7, A.D. 775)

Click on image to enlarge.

Comments:

The following transcription and translation is suggested:

XIII KAWAK K’IN-ni XI[I] YAX-K’IN ma-ka-ja u-#-na yo-OTOT-ti u-ki-ti IV-le-ku
13 Kawak k’in 12 Yaxk’in, ma[h]kaj u…n yotoot Ukit Kan Le’k
"(On) the day 13 Kawak 12 Yaxk’in, the … from Ukit Kan Le’k’s house was covered"

Cover of Vault 9  (Capstone 9)

Location: Room 41, Structure 1 (Acropolis)
Drawing: Carlos Arriaga (Figure 12)
Dating: 10.0.0.0.1-10.0.2.0.0 (A.D. 830-832)

Click on image to enlarge.

Comments:

Cover of Vault 9 presented to hieroglyphic texts, one on top of the other. The text offered previously corresponds to the upper, more recent one. The preserved remains of the text correspond to the ending of a Short Count:

…]## [tu]-TUN-[ni] ti-[V]-AJAW[…
…] … tuun ti 5 Ajaw […
"…] … tun on 5 Ajaw […"

In turn, the signs detected in the upper portion correspond to the earlier pictorial layer on which a new stucco layer and a new text were put in place. On a glyphic tablet, a syllable le is still visible, as also the remains of a numeral, perhaps III or IV and a K’IN sign possibly infixed in another sign now lost. If the sign le and the numeral III or IV belong to the name Ukit Kan Le’k Tok’, the text should have been read from right to left.

Cover of Vault 10  (Capstone 10)

Location: Room 38, Structure 1 (Acropolis)
Drawing: A. Lacadena (hieroglyphic text) (Figure 13)
Dating: 10.0.1.15.1  5 Imix 14 Kumk’u, 2 Tun 5 Ajaw (January 1, A.D. 832)

Click on image to enlarge.

Comments:

The suggested transcription and translation is as follows:

V IMIX-ni XIV OL-la ma-ka-ja u-WAY-li u-k’a-[li] WAL-la II TUN-ni V AJAW-wa […] CHAN-na K’AWIL-la [u]-ki-ti #-JOL? ##
5 Imix [k’i]n 14 O’hl, ma[h]kaj uway[i]l, uk’aal, wal 2 tuun 5 Ajaw, … Chan K’awiil, Ukit Jol? …
"(On) the day of 5 Imix 14 O’hl, his room, his enclosure were covered, (in) the times of 2 tuun (on) 5 Ajaw, of … Chan K’awiil, Ukit Jol?…."

Cover of Vault 14  (Capstone 14)

Location: Room 45, Structure 1 (Acropolis)
Drawing: A. Lacadena (Figure 14)
Dating: 9.17.10.7.17  13 Kaban 0 Xul (May 4, A.D. 781)

Click on image to enlarge.

Comments:

The transcription and dating of the text would be as follows:

XII[I]-KAB’AN K’IN-ni TI’-HAB’ ka-se-wa ma-ka-ja u-WAY-li u-k’a-li u-ki-ti IV-le-ku TAL-lo-AJAW-wa
13 Kab’an k’in ti’ haab’Kase’w, ma[h]kaj uway[i]l uk’aal Ukit Kan Le’k, Tal[o]l ajaw
"(On) the day of 13 Kab’an (in) the edge of the Kase’w time, the room, the enclosure of Ukit Kan Le’k, king of Talol, was covered"

I suggest that the translation of ti’ haab’ could be "(in) the edge of time". This expression always refers to the first day of the month that follows the one that has just been expressed. The meaning of ti’ as ’mouth’, ’edge’, ’border’ and that of haab’ as "year", and figuratively–I suggest–"time", would then provide a possible explanation to this metaphoric expression.

Cover of Vault 15  (Capstone 15)

Location: Room 49, Structure 1 (Acropolis)
Drawing: C. Arriaga (Figure 15)
Dating: No dating
Text:

Click on image to enlarge.

Comments:

Cover of Vault 15 appeared to be associated with the room containing the burial chamber in which Ukit Kan Le’k Tok’s Tomb 1 was found. Unlike other Cover of Vaults from the site, this one represents a figure of the Maize God. The first text is found on the image; the second text is in front of the face, at left. Both texts suggest that the image represented is that of Ukit Kan Le’k Tok’, idealized and deified as the Maize God. My suggested transcription and translation of the texts is as follows:

Text 1:

V-##-lu-[NAL] AJAW-wa u-ki-ti IV-le-ku TOK’
Ho’…lnal ajaw Ukit Kan Le’k Tok’
"(It is in) Ho’…lnal the king Ukit Kan Le’k Tok’ "

Text 2:

a-[AJAW]-wa
ajaw
"He is the king"

The sequence V-##-lu-[NAL] from Text 1 is consistent with the seat where the figure is seated, represented in this case in the shape of an "emblem", with the variant of the head for "five" and the head of the Maize God representing NAL. Presumably, the remaining central elements, the flower and the rodent’s head on top of it, could have been written on the lost portion of the A1 tablet; we at least know that it ended in /l/, because of the sign lu. Evidently, this is a supernatural place associated with the Maize God. S. Martin (personal communication, July, 2002), has keenly pointed out its similarities with other representations of similar "five-flower" sites in other iconographic representations from the Classic Maya Period.

Cover of Vault 18  (Capstone 18)

Location: Room 62, Structure 1 (Acropolis)
Drawing: A. Lacadena (Figure 16)
Dating: 9.18.3.15.11  11 Chuen 9 Yax, 4 Tun [9 Ajaw] (July 29, A.D. 794)

Click on image to enlarge.

Comments:

My suggested transcription and translation of the text is as follows:

XI CHUEN tu [IX] YAX WINIK-ki WAL-[la] IV [TUN]-[ni] […] [ma]-ka WAY-li u-[k’a]-[li] u-ki-ti IV-[le]-ku-TOK’
11 Chuen, tu[’] 9 Ya’ax winik, wal 4 tuun [9 Ajaw], ma[h]k way[i]l uk’aal Ukit Kan Le’k Tok’
"(On) 11 Chuen, on the ninth of the month Ya’ax, (in) the times of the 4 tuun (on) 9 Ajaw, the room, the enclosure of Ukit Kan Le’k Tok’ was covered"

The sequence ma-ka in the dedicatory verb may be considered as an abbreviated form of the normal form ma-ka-ja, ma[h]kaj. However, I've chosen to explore the interesting alternative according to which ma-ka would simply be ma[h]k, ma-h-k-ø, thus documenting a possible mid-passive –h- in classic Yucatecan (vid. infra, Linguistic Comments).

Cover of Vault 19  (Capstone 19)

Location: Room 35, Structure 1 (Acropolis)
Drawing: A. Lacadena (Figure 17)
Dating: ca. 9.18.7.0.0 / 9.18.12.0.0 (A.D. 797 / 802)

Click on image to enlarge.

Comments:

This Cover of Vault seems to be associated with Room 35 of the Acropolis, the building with the Ch’enes style stucco façade, inside of which Ukit Kan Le’k Tok’s burial chamber was found. Unfortunately, the calendric information was poorly preserved (vid. infra Datings from Ek’ Balam) due to the bad preservation of the coefficients. For the remaining text, I suggest the following transcription and translation:

(…/…) ma-ka-[ja] u-[WAY]-li u-[SAK] xo-ko NAH FIRE•KIB’-ja CHAN-na-K’AWIL #-#-# [YAX]-CHIT I-[WINIK?] u-ki-ti IV-le-ku TAL-lo AJAW
(…/…) ma[h]kaj uway[i]l Ussak Xok Naah …j Chan K’awiil, … Yax Chit Jun Winik, Ukit Kan Le’k, Tal[o]l ajaw
"(…/…) the room of Sak Xok Naah from … was covered …l Chan K’awiil, … Yax Chit Jun Winik, Ukit Kan Le’k, king of Talol"

The text seems to maintain the proper noun of the structure, known as Sak Xok Naah, whose meaning could be "the Reading White House", or perhaps "the White House of Respect/Obedience", depending on the sense given to xok. Interestingly, in one of the K’abah texts, a structure with a similar name is mentioned. The qualifier sak would be literal, "white". The structure with the stucco façade, according to the restoration team working at the site (Vargas and Castillo, personal communication), presents the particular trait of not having been painted in red like the other structures in the Acropolis, but instead, to have maintained the natural color of the stucco.

Endnotes

9. The syllable tz’i has been reconstructed in virtue of the presence of the similar name, tz’i-b’a-ma TUN-ni, in Cover of Vault 2, B-C. This has been confirmed by the traces of the sign preserved.

10. I read the sign as AT after D. Stuart (personal communication, June 2002). It could also be a syllable ta, resulting as well in the month Chakat (Sip in the Yucatecan list).

11. The sign represented as an indeterminate could well be a variant of  WAY, which appears in a similar context in other cover of vaults from the site. However, the sign that follows does not seem to be the syllable li, but na. The block could represent a different expression to designate a structure, some word terminating in /n or /na/.

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