THE ASTRONOMY OF CREATION
The writing and images expressed in the texts of Palenque, as well as many other Maya sites comprise one of the truly outstanding corpuses of ancient American Literature, and one that provides us with a unique window into the indigenous American worldview and cosmology. It is within the texts of Palenque where we also find a rare description of the current creation myth and a unique, though indirect reference to the 2012 recurrence of the creation date. This in fact may be the only true prophetic statement we have about this date that has become the foci of so much speculation. But in order to introduce these new findings it is crucial first to describe the establishment of this current world.
Creation mythology is recognized as one of the central themes in Maya art. This event, which takes place during the primordial establishment of space, involves a triadic ordering of sky, earth and underworld. The establishment of Zenith and Nadir may be implied by the concepts of Heart of sky or center of sky and Heart of Earth, These two spaces held within their power the generative forces of life and potential of space. At the most elemental level, zenith and nadir, like the summer and winter solstices, draw metaphorical parallels between the course of human life and the natural cycles of growth, decay, and regeneration.
The lifting of the sky and the separation of the earth from sky and water in order to create space, are directly the result of time through the agency of the sun and moon and their movement into the skies. Narrative mythology of these “hero twins” is a Pan American phenomenon that introduces the idea of regeneration, permeating this myth with an agricultural undercurrent.
The nadir and underworld come to embody the regenerative nature of the underworld. The role of the Corn God or yellow precious corn tree emerging out of the primordial water to assume its position as world tree and creator, Imply that through the re-genesis of this progenitor deity, the world is renewed and a creation is complete.
In light of the creation mythology of the Popol Vuh, and other American creation myths it is possible to glean an interpretation of a parallel, though much earlier version of creation recorded at the site of Palenque, Chiapas. ( Fig. Palenque)
Birth of the Progenitor Deity
The first of the major events in the Creation story are cited on the Tablet of the Cross. This tablet was housed inside the Temple Cross, both named for the cruciform iconography that is the main icon of the tablet. (fig. Temple of Cross)The narrative begins with the birth of Palenque’s progenitor deity, Na Ixim Muwan Mat, on 12.19.13.4.0. 8 Ahau 18 Tzek. (Fig. Tablet of the Cross)This date, which occurred 6.79 years before the day of Creation, 13.0.0.0.0. 4 Ahau 8 Cumku (3114 BCE), stands as one of the oldest events mentioned in the tablets of Palenque, (Fig Dates)
The Three Hearthstones and the Nadir
After the birth of this important god, a series of astronomical events occur. The first episode in the creation of this era, was the setting of three stones at TI’ Chan-na, the “Center of the Sky. The three hearthstones may refer to the three stars of Orion’s Belt, (Fig. Orion) depicted as three stones carried on the back of a turtle or as three stars inscribed on the turtle’s back [Fig 5. Turtles]. Because of the triadic shape of these stars/stones it is said that they represent either the central triad of stars in the belt of Orion or the southern triangle formed by Alnitak, Saiph, and Rigel in the same constellation. (Fig. Hearth)
Modern Maya household hearths are also laid in this pattern and so the southern triangle which contains the M42 Nebula, is also described as the smoking hearth laid down in the primordial sky, Visible to the naked eye as a cloudy mass, today, this nebula is now known to be in fact, the birth place of stars.
Our analysis of the astronomical references of the creation date now recognize that on the date given as the creation date, the sun was at zenith passage, the moon was full, The Pleiades rose and set at the celestial equator, and Orion passed through the center of the underworld. (Fig. Cosmos Nadir) Because the sky was still lying upon the primordial sea, the sun was in the center of the sky-earth. The setting up of the three stones undoubtedly refers to the nadir position of Orion, below the sky-earth, in the center of the underworld sky.
The Wak Chan and The Zenith
The next critical event occurs five hundred and forty-two days later, on 13 Ik 20 Mol, Feb 5 3112 BC. The sun was now at nadir and, GI lifted the Wak Chan-Naahal, the “Six-Skies House in the North, or Zenith House. (Fig. Cosmos Zenith) In an expression of biaxial symmetry The Wak Chan was raised when the sun was in the center of the underworld. Just as the three hearthstones were set up when the sun was at zenith. The agency of the sun and its central position in the sky was the direct cause for these critical cardinal positions.
The three temples of the Cross Group may be earthly representations of the three hearthstones of creation. (Fig Cross Group.) Certainly their place in the hilly landscape conforms to the hierarchical structure of the Maya cosmos, with the Temple of the Foliated Cross representing the Middle World, the Temple of the Sun the Underworld, and the Temple of the Cross, as the northernmost, and tallest, structure in the Cross Group, corresponding to the Sky. More precisely, the name of the Temple of the Cross is Wak ? Chan, “or zenith house” This is corroborated by the emergence of the sun during zenith passage as viewed from the Temple of the Sun. The temple is a shrine dedicated to GI, the first born of the three patron deities of Palenque. This god is most likely the sun.
The World Tree
The Tablet of the Cross shows Pakal and K’an Bahlam extending offerings to the World Tree [Fig. 6 Tablet of Cross]. Perched atop its jeweled branches is the Principal Bird Deity. Previously interpreted as Wuqub Kaqix, Seven Macaw, Bassie-Sweet recently identified the avian deity as the laughing falcon, which announces the coming spring rains on the May 3 zenith. vakos is the Tzotzil Maya name for the laughing falcon and vakah as its call). It is likely that it is this bird who is Waka Chan, or the falcon at the center (or zenith) of the sky
At the base of the tree lies the eastern head of the Cosmic Monster. The bowl infixed with the kin glyph that sits atop the monster’s head is a key diagnostic symbol for GI and his association with the sun, sky, and resurrection. As the sign for “east,” with an associated meaning of “to rise” or “to come out.” Thus, rising from its birthplace in the sacrificial kin bowl, the sun or GI climbs the World Tree that is the central feature of the Tablet of the Cross. Specifically, the cross may represent the ascent of the sun to zenith during the creation date. The establishment of the nadir with the three hearth stones, the passage of time through the solsticial points, and finally the raising of the “Wak Chan” to the center of the sky effectively separated the earth and heavens completing the cardinal directions. The World Tree then stood at the center to support the skies, and creation was complete. The World tree became the nexus between sky, earth and underworld.
The Birth of the Gods
The rebirth of First Father, the Maize God, from a crack in the cosmic turtle’s shell is depicted on numerous vessels from the Classic period (Fig. Corn God).
The most famous of these depictions shows the corn god rising as a tree out of the center of the earth, which is represented by the double-headed turtle. On either side of the turtle emerges the two young deities identified as One Ahau and Yax balam. These are the famous hero twins, sons of the fist father and associated to the sun and moon. Their position on opposite sides of the earthly plane is significant. On the first night of the creation, a full moon rose at the nadir azimuth. On the first day of creation, as the sun rose on its way into the zenith, the moon would sink into the horizon on its way into the center of the underworld. The depiction of Hun Ahau and Yax balam poised opposite of one another during the regenesis of the first father most probably represents this moment, when sun and moon were poised on opposite sides of the horizon. This plate like the tablet of the cross contain codified data that reveal an astonishing level of retrospective astronomical awareness. We must conclude then that Classic period mythology is retrofitted to an already established belief system, and the stories that are told about the gods, are designed to interact intimately with the lives of the divine rulers.
Astronomy is born out of a science of observable phenomena and a mathematical system that was capable of reflecting these patterns. this knowledge was employed by the ruler in an effort to link his lineage to a divine origin. A good example of this is the contrived date of the birth of the Progenitor deity which is linked to Ja’nab Pakal through 7 different astronomical and calendrical cycles. Two of these cycles that of the Tzolkin and Haab, came full circle on April 19 2006, in an extraordinary feat of calendrical manipulation, Pakal referenced his own calendrical birthdate of 8 Ahau 13 Pop on March 23 603 AD. 1403 years later and 6 years prior to the new creation, He shows like-in-kindness to the great creator of the current era. As we approach the closure of the grand 13 Bactun Cycle, Janab Pakal has securely placed himself in the conceptual role of the first Father for the next creation. Just like the fabled corn god of the past. It is now his turn to usher in a new era. By aligning his temples to zenith and nadir passages, Pakal further assured his connection to the mythical past, as well as to the future. Their successions and reigns were therefore as inevitable as the cycles of time itself. Palenque’s architectural alignments to zenith and nadir placed the creation in the ruler’s hands.
Beyond these mathematical computations, a grander design was at play. Most amazing is the underlying concept of cosmic drift or precession. The creation event on 3114 BC saw the Pleiades as the marker of the equinox. Slowly over time this constellation began to drift its way into the northern hemisphere. During the Classic period we saw the Pleiades become the marker of Zenith. Today after more than 5120 years on the eve of the completion of the grand cycle, it is now Orion that marks the celestial equator. It may be that the perception of planting the Pleiades (called the handful of seeds) at the equator on the beginning of the cycle was a metaphorical image that time itself was being planted. Time would reach its maturity as the cycle entered its midpoint-the time of the great Maya Kings. The rebirth of the corn god, the progenitor deity would reoccur when the cycle was completed and the primordial hearth and turtle constellation would reach its new sky location- the celestial equator. The Maya Myth of Creation may well be a chart of astronomical drift over the millennia.
Today the Maya culture is experiencing a rebirth. Through years of archaeological research and the new understandings of hieroglyphs, History and myth, reawaken after centuries of slumber. Mesoamerican culture has permeated the world and has inspired millions to look deeper into the Maya world and cosmos. I believe it is here, in this process of remembering that we connect with our true American history and the mythologies that so influenced our way of living as indigenous Americans. For me, it is in this sense that we are truly witnessing the phenomenon of a re-genesis into a new Maya era.
