They were translated into spanish from the yucatec and chol languages two of about twenty mayan dialects, and are the only written record of mayan history. Download the public domain ebook here as a pdf file. Balam means jaguar, but it is also a common family name in yucatan. Thus the book of chilam balam of chumayel is named for a village in the district of tekax, a short distance northwest of the wellknown town of teabo. The books of the chilam balam form the basis of our knowledge of the maya peoples recorded history. C001c568, and the katun prophecies of the books of chilam.
Like the other books of chilam balam, the chumayel manuscript is written in the european script which the sixteenth century spanish missionaries. The books of chilam balam are handwritten, chiefly 17th and 18thcenturies maya miscellanies, named after the small yucatec towns where they were originally. Thus the book of chilam balam of chumayel is named for a village in the district of. In all likelihood the kaua version of his name, ah kinchil coba, is. Folio 9 and perhaps one or more folios between the folios numbered 19 and 20 missing.
The prophecy of chilam balam and the story of antonio martinez return to temas librostratados. It was compiled by juan jose hoil, a maya indian, in the year 1782. These creation myths eventually became part of the documents known today as the books of chilam balam. Pdf the book of chilam balam, the priest jaguar peter thompson.
They are a major source for contemporary knowledge of mayan religion, history, folklore, medicine, and astronomy. The books of chilam balam are the sacred books of the maya of yucatan and were named after their last and greatest prophet. Middle american research institute, tulane university, publication 68, 2002. Pdf the book of chilam balam of chumayel semantic scholar. Mayan city captured and named by the spanish in 1541. The ancient future of the itza the book of chilam balam of. It consists of a number of abstracts on various topics selected by the compiler berendts copy was made in 1868, at which time some portions of the text were slightly more perfect than at present, a circumstance which adds greatly to the value of the copy. It contains a wide variety of topics including the history of yucatan, the creation of the world, the spanish conquest, and the prophecies of a new religion usually identified as christianity. The mayan chilam balam books are named after yucatec towns such as chumayel, mani, and tizimin, and are usually collections of disparate texts in which mayan and spanish traditions have coalesced. Chilam balam of chumayel, the prophecies for the maya tuns or years in this book lines. Download the book of chilam balam of chumayel holy books. The following tabulation will explain the present writers method of avoiding the inconsistencies which occur in most maya manuscripts.
Ancient mayan art then went through an extended postclassic phase before the. Balam means jaguar, but it is also a common family name in yucatan, so the title of the present work could well be. The five maya prophets quoted by lizana, cogolludo and villagutierre were ah kauil chel, napuctun, natzin yabun chan, nahau pech and chilam balam it is possible that the first two were contemporaries of ah xupan nauat, as the three names appear to be associated. However, on the page from which one downloads the file, one of the two creators is. Its greatest artistic flowering occurred during the seven centuries of the classic period c. A principal source of knowledge of ancient mayan custom, they contain myth, prophecy, medical lore, calendrical information, and historical chronicles. The books of chilam balam form the most important part of this native maya literature. Written in the maya language, they reflect more closely the thought of.
During a large part of the colonial period, and even down into the nineteenth century, many of the towns and villages of northern yucatan possessed books of chilam balam, and this designation was supplemented by the name of the town to which the book belonged. Written in the yucatec maya language and using the latin alphabet, the. Cthe book of chilam balam of chumayel was found in the village of that name in yucatan. They were translated into spanish from the yucatec and chol languages two of about twenty mayan dialects, and are the only written record of mayan history which currently exists. The socalled books of chilam balam are handwritten, chiefly 17th and 18thcenturies maya miscellanies, named after. The mayan chilam balam books are named after yucatec towns such as chumayel, mani, and tizimin, and are usually collections of disparate texts in which. Most of the yucatan maya were defeated by the end of the decade. Mayan chilam balam open anthology of earlier american. A photographic reproduction of a maya manuscript, compiled in 1782 by juan jose hofl, a maya indian. The chilam balam texts treat chiefly of history both pre. Maya creation myths provides not only new and outstanding translations of these myths but also an interpretive journey through these often misunderstood texts, providing insight into maya cosmology and how maya intellectuals met the challenge. The book of chilam balam of chumayel forgotten books. The maya, showing considerable astuteness and insight, appropriated this knowledge.
In the books of chilam balam of kaua and mani apud morley 1920, p. Balam means jaguar, but it is also a common family name in yucatan, so. The chilam balam are sacred texts of the yucatan maya that. The official prophet of each twentyyear rule was the chilam balam, or spokesman of the jaguarthe jaguar being the supreme authority charged with converting the. The book of chilam balam of chumayel is an ancient maya book also called the.
Thus the book of chilam balam of chumayel is named for a village in the district of tekax, a short distance northwest of the wellknown. Chilam balam of chumayel national humanities center. The book of chilam balam of chumayel is an ancient maya book also called the prophecy of chilam balam. The book of chilam balam was a sacred text prepared by generations of mayan priests to record the past and to predict the future.
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