The Dresden Codex The Dual Story of Creation Creation One -2A, -2B, -2C, -2D Creation Two

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Each of the codices, including the Dresden, appear to have several pages dedicated to the origins of mankind. Each chooses the element of creation that is most importantat to their particular area. The Codex Ríos first showed a watery place where meteorites are falling, ending the four-page "story" with a beautiful mountain covered with flowers and fruit in spite of the meteorites still falling. The Vindobinessis used a "story board" segment ending with the newly discovered corn culture.

The Nuttall showed us two "gods" who walk from the mountain of the monkey and ancestor bundle. This portion of the codex ends with a parade of constellations across a mountain top. The Bodley, on the other hand, included the "Creation Story" as part of the genealogy of the Mixtec rulers. Finally, the Borgia dedicated a major part of the manuscript to the 260-day calendar that appears to actually be a 364-day calendar because of the top and bottom borders on each page. At the end of this codex are the many stages of a very complex version of the story.

Page 1 of the Dresden is very badly eroded. It can not be read. The translations by Linda Schele and Nikolai Grube, are accurate and within reason. Their work, over several years, deciphers the glyphs with phonetics. The concepts within those words appear to be skewed in favor of female persons who do female things In opposition, the pictures themselves, except for two female figures, contain male entities.

In reading the glyphs, it has been assumed that these first pages are prognostications of good or evil for the person questioning his/her astrological status. Linda and Nikolai are probably correct in this assumption. However, the pictures tell of a [historical] event or of an evil [historical] occurrence as an example of the good or bad implied. These elements would tie into the creation of the world because good things occurred during the creation, but bad thing happened also.

The natives who would gbo to a fortune teller were aware of their own version of the "creation" story and they would understand its implications, even when the myth did not originate in their area.

Page 2 (all four units A-B-C-D) tell us about a goddess. However, there is only two clear females (at 2B and 2D) in all of the nine figures found there. Two B is an ancient crone called Chak Chel, the oOld Moon Goddess. The rest wear the loincloth of a male. Weaving, in Mexico, is primarily the craft of a male. The women usually did the netting or embroidery.

The glyphs tell us one thing, but the symbols inform us of another world. Page 2 has been tentatively translated as follows:.

First Creation Story Page 2A Go to-2B,
	Translation Row 1-2 he axed his navel Hun Ahaw ?? Row 3-4 surfeit of food his navel the wife of the Maize God Row 5-6 ?? Moon Goddess is the wife of ?? [bad] Row 7-8 ?? ?? is the wife of the Moon Goddess			Symbols headless brother Row 1-2 headless = Maya Twins, or father of Twins or Coyolxauhqui ax= to cut, shear feather fan= fire navel= Lake Pantitlan to Texcoco Hun Ahaw= Lord Dots= marsh diseases bone yoke= Death Row 3-4 surfeit= barren marshes navel= Lake Pantitlan to Texcoco Maize= maize cultivated Row 5-6-7-8 Moon= Texcoco wife= producer Moon= Texcoco

The First Creation Story found here is the familiar Maya myth of the Twins, one of which is spotted (see Justin Kerr 1978 Book of Vases). Their father (decapitated previously by the God of Death) created the twins when their mother went to gather corn. The Twins names are: Hunahpu (who was decapitated in the Underworld) and Xbalanqué. Xbalanqué wears the headdress of the Maize God and carries a feather fan. Hunahpu is spotted; as in disease; yoked, as in capital punishment by drowning; headless, as in decapitation, and roped, as a prisoner of the Death God. Yet, he also carried a feather fan.

For symbolism, the "navel" of the land is a drain between Lake Pantitlan and Lake Texcoco, mentioned by Fray Duran in post-Conquest times. "Feathers" in the Aztec world indicate "fire" and the "yoke" on Hunahpu's neck has the dotted bottom edge which also indicates "fire" in Maya glyph representations.

The "yoke" (yugo) are found in various places in Meso-America. The first I heard about this artifact was that it was used by the players during the "ball game." Until I saw a carved example of one in the Huntington Art Gallery at the University of Texas at Austin, I believed it.

However, the real thing was a large stone "U" weighing many pounds. The top end of the "U" had an owl carved into its surface. An owl is considered as the harbinger of death in Meso-America. The only way that the "yugo" could be used is by placing it on the neck of a convicted felon and pushing the legs of the "U" into the mud at the bottom of the marshes or lake to drown him. Even an expert swimmer could not free himself. It is much too heavy, nor could it, because of its weight, be worn during the ball court game.

In the North, a similar story of Creation was written. The decapitation occurred when Coyolxauhqui, the daughter of Coatlicue, lost her head and was dismembered. In this instance there were more than 400 star brothers and sisters. The Maya decided that was too many, even for a myth. They settled for the two constellations called Gemini.

By the same token, in Geology, a similar decapitation came about when the Lake Texcoco (with its disease-infested marshes lands) was separated from the body of the land (Balsas Valley). The two mountains were separated by the sheer thrust that cut through the land. As a result, the Altiplano shifted upwards creating the bowl-shaped plateau. These three events (one real and two mythic) tell the same story. In TV, we would say, that "the names have been changed to protect the innocent." Here, however, it was just a matter of how far the story traveled from the source.

Page 2B Go to-2C
			Translation Row 1-2 she is sewing with God H Chak Chel reign Row 3-4 she is sewing the wife of the Death God [bad]			Symbols Row 1-2 sews/ embroiders= colors the land or plants begin to grow with God H= Sky Entity Chak Chel= Old Moon Lady reign= regulates agriculture Row 3-4 sewing= (same) wife= produces Death God= Xibalba = Land of the Dead

Here, the Sky God and the Moon Goddess decided to weave the land of the Living. . . . . while the Death God wove the unseen land of the dead. The symbolism used in the pictures are necessary to understanding the story of the creation.

The importance of Chak Chel is her role as the old moon goddess of the Flood. Although she was a destroyer of the earth by water (shown on page 74), that very same water carried enough soil to create new fertile land forms for mankind. The "infinity" loop on her head can be explained in simple terms as the timelessness (and regularity) of the old moon cycles. She and the Sky Lord (the crossed sky bands in his headdress) worked together at creating the new territory on earth.

Today, when one is in an airplane an olive-green checkerboard view of the land can be seen. Yet, even though there were no planes in ancient times, one can still sit on a mountain top and get a smaller view of the very same checkerboard, in more vibrant (embroidered) colors.

Only the gods could create such beauty. Men, working and sweating in their milpas, could only imagine that their small plot of land helped the gods in their work of creation.

Between the cycles of the Moon and the passing of the constellations of the Sky Lord, the land emerged from Chaos. But since there is always the negative aspect to any form of creation, the Death God himself, (NOT the spotted prisoner Hunahpu) is shown making his own invisible kingdom of the underworld.

Page 2C Go to -2D

Translation Row 1-2 she is sewing the wife of the Maize God surfeit of bread and water Row 3-4 she sews the wife of Itzamnah ?? Row 5-6 she is sewing the wife of ??[bad]

Symbols Row 1-2 sewing= (see above) wife= provider Maize God= Maize surfeit/bread= famine water= Lake Texcoco water= not purified Row 3-4 she sews= creates land wife= provider Maize= no maize Row 5-6 sewing= (see above) wife= producer

At this point there was no agriculture. It was the time of the hunters and gatherers. The Maize God saw that there was a need for mankind to settle into communities for their own good. He decided to help "embroider" the earth introducing maize for cultivation.

Apparently, the Underworld was not very happy with this situation. The Death God sent 1-Quiahuitl, or Tlalocan, he who brought the Rain of Celestial Fire (as per the dotted (fire symbol) hair and scroll-like eyes). It was the Third Age of the Aztec Calendar in which everything was extinguished by the rain of lava and fire. Men were transformed at this time into birds, thus saving themselves from the slaughter. . ." The Maya lived far enough from the volcano that created such havoc that they had no need to emphasize the Death God again, only his cohort, Tlalocan.

Page 2D Go to Second Creation Story
			Translation Row 1-2 she receives her skirt the Moon Goddess children Row 3-4 the skirt he receives the Death God [bad]			Symbols Row 1-2 receives= receives her skirt= land in Texcoco (chinampas?) Moon Goddess= young Goddess children= subject of ruler Row 3-4 skirt= of tomb receives= receives Death God= kingdom

The Young Moon Goddess receives the skirt. One can assume that a young moon goddess was vain and feminine enough to "use a mirror" which was the now beautiful cultivated Lake Texcoco, as a stand-up 3-D "map" in her hand. The bony Death God, who had ruled the marshlands for so long, had to return to the underworld inside the tomb (or within the caves or under the earth). This is the end of the Maya version of the Creation of the World. References to the Aztec world are hazy, but not impossible. México has always been a land of many languages, but not a land of many countries. The Second Creation Story emphasizes other aspects of this same location.

Creation Two Page 3 A - B Return to top of page
			Translation Row 1 it is opened ?? [bad] end of work its divination the payment of ruination Row 2 the payment of the Maize God brings surfeit of food and water royal succession Row 3 ??[bad] Row 4 it is opened the payment of Chak abundance of food Row 5 he was caught Hun Ahaw his divination his payment			Symbols Row 1 opened= cleft, sheer thrust [bad] = ?? end of work= ?? divination= star watchers payment= tribute ruination= bad soil Row 2 payment= tribute Maize= cultivation of surfeit food/water= famine royal= ?? succession= award of nose plug Row 3 [bad]= disease/famine Row 4 opened= ?? payment= good husbandry Chak= Obsidian abundance/food= plenty Row 5 caught= net Hun Ahaw= ruler divination= star watchers payment= tribute