itzae

The Itzae and Pacal

By D. M. Urquidi
16/February/2008

Before one can read on, one must understand that no one has yet identified Pacal's ancestry, except through the carvings on the tomb that held his body. The East Panel of the Temple of the Sun had the first nine columns of text almost completely erased. The rest of the East panel, the Central and the West Panel give more information about the catastrophe that he probably encountered and apparently, was able to make use of as a political ploy, together with a bit of magic made famous by the Itzaes, (the "Wizards" of the Water.)

For the concept, "birth of" Pacal, Linda Schele translated a visual that she discovered as a modismo or Idiomatic phrase "to touch the earth." This glyph she discovered on the Alfardas at the Temple of the Sun in Palenque was a "hand" touching the glyph "caban," (the earth).

It was a concept verified as a birth representation by the natives. It was thought another more familiar glyph, identified as an upended "frog," repeated the "to touch the earth" birth glyph. The particular glyph called an upended "frog" was defined and translated as "birth of " due to its location in the dating sequence of the text were it was found. But still, something was wrong; something that I could not quite identify.

Recently, I came upon a book about iguanas. I knew that this animal is cooked for tamales and other delicacies in southern Mexico. Iguanas, live or roasted, are found in the mercados of local cities in the warmer climes. Its thick-skinned rubbery shelled eggs have a yolk of the same texture as chickens eggs and are good to eat (without the rubbery shells.)

The pictures of this animal showed a very important element that I had never taken notice of before on the few iguanas I had seen in the zoos. Behind their head, just below the ear was a disk of skin.

This disk was much like the ear spools of the Maya and Aztecs, but more important, it also appeared to relate to the scroll design that emerges from the back of the maw of the "frog" glyph.

The mouth of the "birth" frog is outlined by square segments,¹ similar to other "frog" glyphs found on the panels even though real frogs have smooth skins. Iguanas, on the other hand, are scaly around the mouth and body as the square segments illustrated on the "birth frogs."

The iguana, in this instance, has the same facial characteristics as the "frog" glyph. But, their eye sockets are natural for the iguana, whereas a normal frog has extended bulging eyes. Iguana chins are rounded or pointed and there are teeth in its mouth. A real frog has soft skin under a very wide toothless jaw, that together with his sticky coiled tongue makes fly catching viable. There are no teeth for the fly to use as a barrier to help him escape. ²

One reason an Iguana with an ear disk image could be identified as the "birth" glyphs instead of a "frog." is offered by L. Antonio Chevez of the Maya Lenca people of Easter, El Salvador.

I remember some ancient stories about the iguana. The reason why iguanas are used to represent "touching the earth" which Linda Schele found to be equivalent "to be born in the flesh", is because iguanas bury their eggs. Later on when the eggs are hatched in the warm sands, our people could see the little creatures emerging from the earth. We also believe that when the iguana cries is because, it might be a drought and he is praying for rain.

The above quote is an excellent description of "why" the iguana should beconsidered as a more accurate reading of the "frog birth" glyph. We must listen to the elders. Sometimes that is the only history that is left. They know the descriptions of both the flora and fauna of their land better than student visitors. In this instance, the iguana dug himself out of the sand like a ship-wrecked Itza sailor might if he, barely alive, had been washed up on shore by a rogue wave, such as one described by Fray Diego de Landa on page 3 of the William Gates translation.

Temple XIX of Palenque appears to illustrate foreign sailors on its murals. One has fingers lopped off his hand (probably by the snapping action of the sheets [ropes that hold the sails]). Another appears to be kneeling, but one leg in front of his body shows he is in a sitting position. The leg shaped cloth with a cloud edge may indicate that he only had one leg. A servant of their sponsor in the court of Palenque carries the hawser of a boat wrapped around his chest. The faces of these foreigners have false noses, and also moustaches.³

Fr. Diego López de Cogolludo wrote that "the Itzae" or "strangers" came from both the East and from the West. A man who came from the West, was called Zamná. This person became the one who named the various cities and there was hardly even a small piece of land that he did not know. Others followed him but came from various parts, both from the east and from the west, populating the land.⁴

Nevertheless, Pacal, it seems, had no ancestral or parentage statement among the Maya, so he himself could never become a ruler. On the other hand, his son was born of a Maya woman, and had the privilege of becoming a ruler.

Yet, Pacal was also idolized by the people and by default (aided by a hidden oracle tube) probably became association with the name of the god who had no form or face: Itzamná. He was called "el Indio Zamná"⁵) to distinguish him from the proper name for a religion, not a person nor a god. It is similar to the current custom of naming new-born Christian babies, Christian, or even Jesus.

"Itzamna" is easier to pronouce than "Illamna". The "Tz" sound probably is the "LL" of the Quiché from Ecuador, Peru or even Argentina where even a simple word as "rain" (lluvia) is pronouced as "tzuvia;" and "llorar" has the pronounciation of "tzorar"

Pacal, apparently was a night-person, who did not mind star-gazing and/or building things as he waited for the stars to do his bidding. Was he a reader of horoscopes and an influential priest? We don't know. What we do know is that "frogs" do spend their nights singing and making a racket similar to hammering. That was why the Maya called them the macheteros.⁶ They also, because of their shape, spend a lot of time looking at the stars. So with the "evidence" of the round observatory of the Palace at Palenque, it would be "frog" not "iguana" as an obvious translation of the glyph.

The "frog" was apparently used to portray other things. As a counter-proof one should look into the Madrid Codex p. 26-27 where several frog-people are illustrated. They specifically have frog-hands with sticky pads for finger tips. The Maya are very precise artists. We may not understand all their drawings, but they are extremely accurate with their details.

So in this instance, the "frog" still is the perfect glyph to signify the identification of the background of a ruler such as Pacal, but the iguana, with its multiple teeth, scaly skin and ear-disks is a stronger contender for the actual birth glyph.

It was not until I read the 1955 book by Jos´e; Castillo Torre (1955) Por la Señal de Hunab Ku: Reflejos de la Vida de los Antiguos Mayas. that I began to see another more important reason for the Iguana glyph as a birth designator. It seems to indicate an "origin" statement of Pacal himself, as one of "the Itzae who came without women."⁷

In spite of the fact that he "did not belong' to the Maya people through his ancestors, he may have been, as was Zamná, a well-loved ruler, a good businessman, gave judicial advice and everyone was happy, and well-fed. He also he helped to cure illnesses. (7) After his death, his priests were in charge of the welfare of the people and with their ingenuity, he became an oracle that gave answers.⁸

The Temple of the Sun in Palenque attests to such devotion, with its hidden staircase and the speaking tube to be used as an oracle-giver by the priests. After he died, he was guarded by the images of the night sun (the jaguar men) of the Creator God, Hunab Ku.

In all of the Maya ruin locations discovered so far, from the Yucatan to Guatemala, no other tomb has the "speaking" tube from a hidden crypt. Although this is not a strong case for Itzam-ná being the House (temple) of Pacal as an Itza, it is a logical one. The following variations of his name appear to verify his occupation as a sailor/captain, a person aware of the use of magic and a man of medicine:

Acalli - navio, barca, canoa
acalimachoni - governalle (helm) or timon (rudder) (inferred: Captain of a boat)
Pacalli - botica o tienda de medicinas (My Note: P as ablative here or as M of Arabic or Hebrew indicating "Place of") (infers a man of medicines that were efffective.⁹

The Russian versions of the phonetics are:

pak cal poii - bee
pak IV - swarm
pak V - honey
pakal II - pakal cab - beehive (Russian Yle), bee, swarm
Russian - Maya (porog) - window, etc, to see - pac
or Plaza cmotretb
paacal - eye - to see ¹⁰

Maya versions of phonetic variations are:

Eastern Maya - pacat - vista
Mocho - pukuh - gente que sale; andar de noche
Tzetzal (south) - pacal - escudo
Pacayem Fului - gallina (My Note: Here Owl on the Shield)¹¹

The above translations appear to indicate that Pacal as a name, also had many phonetic variants of his name that appear to attest to his professional aspects; similar to the "iguana" glyph. An association of Itzamná with the Bacabs, lends itself to the phonetic "Pacal" found in the Russian version, that of the Guardian of the Bees.¹²

The Beehive, as a possible constellation, is also a "teapot" configuration; that of Ophiuchus, the serpent holder. Its "left"arm (while looking at it facing north) is similar to a "spout" or "road" of the bees as they travel up the Milky Way to the multicolored flowers (stars) of Tamoanchan or "Paradise."

In the Yucatan: Itzammá, the deity of Rain and Fertility rose from sea. His temples are seaside, His Festival is in March (Mac). It was said that he caused the dead to rise, and cured the sick His temple had four doors (north, east, west, south) called Kab-ul (Potent hand). The High priests of Zamná , Ah Mai [Ah Kin Mai ¹³ or Ahau Can May ¹⁴) who appear to be part of Pacal's entourage had respect of the nobles; received presents and contributions from all.

"The office [of Zamná himself], as a priest, was retained in the family by his sons or relatives. He may have been the "Key of Learning, " the adviser to lords and he answered all questions on business. He provided priests and was a good example for the people. He taught and graduated students and also proclaimed prophecies, divinations as well as practiced medicine."¹⁵

After delving into the so many variations of Itzamná as a god, as avatars of other gods, as a multiple god under his own name, in Hartley B. Alexander, Eric Thompson, Susan Milbrath, Michael Coe and others, the conclusion that I propose, is that the description of Zamná is that of a real person, who died after a peaceful reign.(16) While Itzamná as a religion and the various attributes of the Maya gods were simply intertwined with the person Zamná.

Here Pacal had no ancestry acceptable to the Maya. Together with Temple XIX shows strangers petitioning a ruler for assistance, while the "speaking tube" was probably used as an oracle pronouncement from the grave. These are possible clues that Pacal and Zamná are the same person. With the careful erasures of the first nine columns of the East panel in the Temple of the Sun, one can assume that the origins of Pacal were destroyed deliberately, so that when the natives were asked by their conquerors where the Itzae came from, they were able to tell them, the Itzae never wrote down where they were from.

¹ Roberts, Mervin F. and Martha D. (1976) All About Iguanas, TFH Publications, Inc., Ltd. p. 36.
² Sourcebook for the 30th Maya Meetings, March 14-19,2006, The Mesoamerica Center, Department of Art and Art History, The University of Texas at Austin, pp. 172-183.
³ Cogolludo, Fr. Diego López de (1868) Historia de Yucatán, Tercera Edición, Imprenta Manuel Aldana Rivas, Mérida, Yucatan, in Castillo Torre, Por La Señal..." p 167.
⁴ Castillo Torre, Jos´e; (1955) Por la Señal de Hunab Ku: Reflejos de la Vida de los Antiguos Mayas. Mexico DF, Mexico: Libreria de Manuel Porrúa, SA. p. 168 . . . El Indio Zamná.
⁵ Sargeant, p. 25, (My Note:This also includes personal experience at Flores, near Tikal. At dusk, I heard many people sawing and hammering and thought it was strange for them to be working so late in the evening. Then I realized that there were frogs, not people making the racket, in the water of the Lake around the city of Flores.)
⁶ Thompson, J. Eric (1970).Maya History and Religion

Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. from Volume 99 in The Civilization of the American Indian Series, p. 13;
Castillo Torre, Jos&acutee; (1955) p. 10-11. Here as "Cuculcán had no wife or children [when he came] from the West."
⁷ de Landa, Friar Diego [Gates, translator] p. 12-13.
⁸ Tozzer, Alfred (1940) Landa's Relación de las Cosas del Yucat&acutea;nPeabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard Unversit, (XVIII) 27.
⁹ de Molina, F. A. (1970) Vocabulario en Lengua Castellana y Mexicana y Mexicana y Castellana (Portilla, Miquel Leon, Trans.) Mexico, DF Mexico: Editorial Porrua, SA.
¹⁰ Knorozou, |. V. 1963 Writing Indian Maya / Uzdatelbstvo Akademia Hayk, CCCP p. 611.
¹¹ Maya, Mocho Tzetzal and Yucatec dictionaries.
¹² Thompson, J. Eric (1970).Maya History and Religion
Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. In Volume 99 in The Civilization of the American Indian Series, p. 277.
Alexander, Hartly Burr (1964) Mythology of All Races: Latin America (11) New York: Cooper Square Publsihing Inc.
Milbrath, Susan (1999) Star Gods of the Maya: Astronomy in Art, Folklore, and Calendars.Z Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press.
¹³ Castillo Torre, p. 188. Ah Kin Mai.
^{14 de Landa, Gates, p. Cuculcán, a person of the Itzaes [similar
to Itzamn&tacutea;]p. 10-11; p. 12-13. Ah Kin May.

¹⁵ Castillo Torre, (1955) death, p. 189; his priests, p. 233-4.

¹⁶ Castillo Torre, (1955), p. 189.}