Survey of Talking Cross Shrines in Yucatán and Quintana Roo

The Symbolism of the Christian Crucifix/Cross, The Tree of Life, and The Tree of Knowledge

The Tree of Knowledge, the Tree of Life, and the Crucifix are three distinct Christian symbols that are often confused: the cross was an ancient instrument used for the purpose of execution and as a death tool it went through many structural changes (Figure 1). Although the mode of its implementation did not vary much (Achtemeier 1985:195), execution through crucifixion is thought to have originated in Persia from where it spread to Greece and eventually to Rome (Hengel 1977). Significantly, the Old Testament does not mention the practice of crucifixion and when mentioned in the New Testament it is invariably linked to the Romans who alone reserved the authority to impose and implement the death sentence through crucifixion (Dahl 1974).

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The Gospels mention that Jesus Christ was crucified for the supposed crime of high treason against the Roman state (Mark 15:19). Upon the execution of Christ, the symbolism of the Crucifix--the figure of Christ upon the cross, begins to transform through the agency and practice of Christ’s followers; however, this transformation is mainly attributed to the apostle Paul (Romans, First Corinthians, Second Corinthians). The Son of Man, as Christ referred to himself (Mark 2:10, 8:31, 8:38, 14:62; Matthew 8:20; Luke 12:8; John 3:14, 8:28, 12:34), was executed in the most degrading manner possible. To escape this stigma Paul’s theology evolves into the saving action of God through Christ, and the Crucifix as the symbol of salvation through the absolvement of sin through the death of God’s son (Beker 1980; Hengel 1977). During this time the Crucifix also becomes a symbol of self-renunciation (Mark 8:34), as comfort to the oppressed, and serves as a behavioral model (Philistines 2:5-11). These polysemic symbolic meanings have remained central to "Christianity" for two millennia; however, the extent to which these symbolic meanings are applied in contemporary traditional Santa Cruz Maya villages can be debated. ²   As will be demonstrated, aside to the presence of the Crucifix in Catholic churches, traditional Macehual Maya utilize the cross in a dramatically different symbolic manner and in explicitly non-Catholic ritual settings.

The Tree of Knowledge (Figure 2), like the Crucifix, has a long "syncretic" heritage. In the Christian Bible the Tree of Knowledge symbolizes the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2, 3), and arrogance (Ezekial 31); however, as a "Tree Of Life" it is not a central theme for as such it appears in scant vague reference being somewhere in the midst of Eden (Genesis 2:9) and reappears only in metaphor (Genesis 3:22; Proverbs 3:18, 11:30, 13:12, and 15:4).

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Tree symbolism is apparently conspicuously scarce in the Biblical canon because the tree was a central icon in ancient Israeli and Canaanite rituals which, much like the Celts, focused on nature and was therefore considered pagan (Meyers 1985:1094). For example, trees were venerated in the ancient Middle East for their ability to maintain green foliage throughout summers and droughts (Psalms 1:3; Isaiah 65:22) and for their strength (Ezekiel 31:3; Daniel 4:10-12).

While there are some similarities between trees in the Christian Bible and Maya Crosses, their function and symbolic meaning are not the same. For example, in the Middle East, large tree branches were sometimes quickly put together to create a cross but only in order to expedite the execution of a criminal (Phyllis Bird 1985:1094). The most significant similarity, between Maya and Christian ideology, appears only twice, in the Bible, where the "Tree of Knowledge" is said to be in the middle of Eden where four rivers divide the garden into quadrants (Genesis 2:9-10, 3:3); however, God explicitly orders Adam and Eve to distance themselves from this tree (Genesis 2:17, 3:3). However, it should be noted that there is an important link between the Trees of Knowledge and Life, in that Eve condemns "man" with her consumption of the forbidden fruit while Mary, the mother of God, offers everlasting life through "the fruit of her womb" (Gary H. Gossen, personal communication, 1999).

Endnote

2. The term cruzoob has usually been applied to the Macehual rebels who fought in the Caste War and has also been applied to their descendants. Presumably the term originated from the fact that the rebels were "followers of the cruz," the cross; however, given that oob is a "Yucatec" Mayan plural marker, the term cruzoob translates as "crosses." Given that Victor Turner (1969:10-11) stated that terms and meanings not recognized by natives are scientifically invalid and that no Maya I have ever conversed with uses the term cruzoob to either refer to their ancestors, themselves, or anyone else; out of respect for my consultants, so as not to call them "crosses", I choose not to use this term.

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