Maya creation myths: words and worlds of the Chilam Balam

Abstract

There is no Classical Yucatecan Maya word for myth. But around close of seventeenth century, an anonymous Maya scribe penned what he called u kahlay cab tu kinil, the world history of era, before Christianity came to Peten. He collected numerous accounts of cyclical destruction and reestablishment of cosmos; origins of gods, human beings, and rituals and activities upon which their relationship depends; and finally dawn of sun and sacred calendar Maya diviners still use today to make sense of humanity's place in otherwise inscrutable march of time. These creation myths eventually became part of documents known today as Books of Chilam Balam. Maya Creation Myths provides not only new and outstanding translations of these myths but also an interpretive journey through these often misunderstood text, providing insight into Maya cosmology and how Maya intellectuals met challenge of European clergy's attempts to eradicate their worldviews. Unlike many scholars who focus primarily on traces of pre-Hispanic culture or Christian influence within Books of Chilam Balam, Knowlton emphasises diversity of Maya mythic traditions and uniquely Maya discursive strategies that emerged in Colonial period. This book will be of significant interest to Maya scholars, folklorists, and historians, as well as students and scholars of religion, cosmology, and anthropology.

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