The Maya Creation Centre in Orion (2)

4th Apr 2024

Mexicolore contributor Jim Reed

This is Part Two of Jim Reed’s intriguing study of the importance of the Orion constellation to the Maya.

Quirigua: The Maya Creation Stones (from Robin Heyworth) continued...

’Like Stelae A and C, Zoomorph B also features the face of Cauac Sky – only this time his head appears to emerge from an enormous turtle shell, which is symbolic of the Creation of Hun Nal Ye, who was reborn through the shell of a turtle. A closer inspection reveals a row of teeth above his head, which demonstrates he is emerging from a monstrous mouth. Unlike Stelae A and C, which are dedicated to recounting the story, Zoomorph B is a thought to be a replica of the third stone. It does look like a large hearthstone as well as an amphibious monster, so it doubly fits the description of the third stone. The glyph that names this monstrous character is badly eroded, but it does start to name Itzamna, which further ties this unusual looking stone to the creation myth text on Stela C.

‘However, an even closer inspection suggests the single stone of Zoomorph B may represent all three stones. From the front, you can see that above the teeth are a pair of eyes; combine that with two spiral ears on either side of the muzzle (just above and either-side of the teeth) and you have what appears to be the jaguar from the bar on Stela C.
’While the three stones planted are thought to be symbolic of the preparation of the world for a new human existence, the tying of the stones by Itzamna is thought to represent the creation of a throne for the ruler of the new world.
’Zoomorph B could therefore be considered to be the three stones tied together, and rather than symbolizing the third stone, it is the divine Throne of Creation, and the purpose of these three stones at Quirigua is to tell us that Cauac Sky owns this almighty throne.’

Triadic Structures in Maya Architecture
No article is complete without mentioning Triadic Structures and their apparent connection to the Maya Creation Story and the resurrection of the Maize God.
The ancient Maya site of Caracol in Belize has one of the best examples as you’ll soon see. Caracol has been excavated by Diane and Arlen Chase for decades. Equally important to our discussion of a Maya creation center based on the setting of three stones is a quote from their son Adrian S.Z. Chase who also works hard at Caracol: ‘Around 650 CE, the city of Caracol was one of the largest cities in the world. However, it did not begin as a large city. Instead Ux Witz Ha’ (“three stone place” – the city’s hieroglyphic name) came into being from the conurbation of three separate centers. Three architectural complexes formed the initial districts of the larger city – Downtown Caracol, Hatzcap Ceel, and Cahal Pichik – between the Preclassic and Early Classic Periods.’

Triadic pyramids were an innovation of the Preclassic Maya civilization consisting of a dominant structure flanked by two smaller inward-facing buildings, all mounted upon a single basal platform. The largest known triadic pyramid was built at El Mirador in the Peten Basin of Guatemala; it covers an area six times as large as that covered by Tikal Temple IV, which is the largest pyramid at that city. The three superstructures all have stairways leading up from the central plaza on top of the basal platform. Triadic pyramid structures are found at early cities in the Maya lowlands.
There are only a few Middle Preclassic examples of the triadic pyramid complex, although their exact chronology might not be secure. No securely established forerunners of Triadic Groups are known, but they may have developed from the eastern range building of E-Group observatory complexes. The triadic form was the predominant architectural form in the Peten region during the Late Preclassic.
Examples of triadic pyramids are known from as many as 88 archaeological sites, among them Nakbe, El Mirador, Tikal, Uaxactun, Naranjo, Palenque, and Caracol. At Nakbe, a sizeable city dating to the Middle Preclassic, there are at least a dozen examples of triadic complexes and the four largest structures in the city are triadic in nature. At El Mirador, there are probably as many as 36 triadic structures. Examples of the triadic form are even known from Dzibilchaltun in the far north of the Yucatan Peninsula, and Q’umarkaj in the Highlands of Guatemala. El Tintal has a massive triadic pyramid complex that is the second largest after El Mirador.

The triadic pyramid remained a popular architectural form for centuries after the first examples were built. The triadic form continued in use into the Classic Period, with later examples being found at Uaxactun, Caracol, Seibal, Nakum, Tikal, and Palenque. The Q’umarkaj example is the only one that has been dated to the Postclassic Period.
The triple-temple form of the triadic pyramid appears to be related to Maya mythology. According to one theory, the three hearthstones of the Maya creation myth can be associated with three stars in the constellation of Orion and the triadic pyramid complex may be an architectural representation of this. New studies favor an alternative interpretation, according to which the Triadic Groups may represent the moment of resurrection of the Maya Maize god on the top of the Flower Mountain, accompanied by two other deities.
Jan Szymański notes that ‘The mythical story about the Maize God was pivotal for ancient Maya people, who were maize farmers and agriculturalists. It must have evoked self-identification across all levels of ancient Maya societies from the humblest farmers attending to maize in their milpas on a daily basis, to the kings themselves. All of them routinely identified with the Maize God and his post-mortem destiny through their acts of production and consumption of maize. Triadic Groups then were so powerfully loaded with important religious messages that they eventually grew in value and became cultural symbols of their own.

‘This conclusion, however, evokes a number of secondary questions. Not the least important of them is: if the Maize God myth is indeed so essential and the Triadic Groups are indeed the stages of its reenactment, why do many of the Preclassic and Classic sites lack this kind of architecture? Was there another type of specialized space that could replace a Triadic layout in the veneration of the Maize God? Perhaps the presence of Triadics was linked to a specific type of political organization within a given site, such as one with a centralized ruler and a strong social hierarchy, whereas the sites without Triadics exercised more egalitarian political systems.’

* NOTE on picture 1: It seems this massive monument plays an important role in replaying the Maya Creation Myth as it may be one of a trio of stones designed to commemorate the beginning of time.

Resources/Notes on picture sources:-
• Miller, James: ‘Interesting Facts About Orion’, 2012. Downloadable from https://www.astronomytrek.com/step-4-interesting-facts-about-orion/
• The Ancient Maya of El Mirador National Park / The Maya of El Mirador ‘Myth & Daily Existence’. Downloadable from http://www.miradorpark.com/#!/ancient
• The Linda Schele Drawing Collection is preserved by LACMA on their archival site at: AncientAmericas.com
• The cartouches from Room 2 at Bonampak are from an image scanned from Bonampak, Chiapas, Mexico, by Karl Ruppert, J. Eric S. Thompson, and Tatiana Proskouriakoff
• ‘The Cosmic Hearth’, image of the Orion nebulae from NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA, downloadable from
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/cosmic-hearth/#:~:text=The%20Maya%20of%20Mesoamerica%20envision,of%20all%20traditional%20Maya%20homes
• Explanation of the imagery on the Maize Tree depicted in the Temple of Foliated Cross from https://mayaruins.com/palenque/a1_244.html
• The carved bones depicting the Maize Gods appeared in this publication:
Schele, Linda, and Mary Miller 1986 The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art 270, Fig. VII.1, George Braziller, Inc., New York, NY
• ‘Quirigua: The Maya Creation Stones’. Article with texts and images by Robin Heyworth here: https://uncoveredhistory.com/guatemala/quirigua/the-maya-creation-stones-of-quirigua/
• Szymański, Jan 2014 ‘Between Death and Divinity. Rethinking the Significance of Triadic Groups in Ancient Maya Culture’. In Estudios de Cultura Maya, Vol. 44, No. 44. Downloadable from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0185257414713978#:~:text=A%20Triadic%20Group%20is%20formed,the%20platform%20(figure%201a).

All pictures on this page supplied by the author, except picture 5 - photo by Ian Mursell/Mexicolore.

Further Reading:-
• Bricker, Harvey M., and Victoria R. Bricker 2011 Astronomy in the Maya Codices. American Philosophical Society. Philadelphia, PA
• Chase, Arlen; Diane Z Chase; John M. Morris; Jaime Awe; and Adrian S.Z. Chase 2020 ‘Archaeology and Heritage Management in the Maya Area: History and Practice at Caracol, Belize’. Paper downloadable from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342126203_Archaeology_and_Heritage_Management_in_the_Maya_Area_History_and_Practice_at_Caracol_Belize
• Christenson, Allen J. 2007 Popol Vuh: Sacred Book of the Quiché Maya People. Downloadable from https://www.mesoweb.com/publications/Christenson/PopolVuh.pdf
• Fridberg, Diana 2005 ‘Peccaries in Ancient Maya Economy, Ideology, and Iconography’. Thesis presented to Harvard University. Cambridge, MA
• Kerr, Justin 1992 ‘The Myth of the Popol Vuh as an Instrument of Power’, in New Theories on the Ancient Maya, ed. Elin C. Danien and Robert J. Sharer. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
• Layser, Chris ‘The Turtle, the Peccary, and the Two-Headed Serpent: Comparison of Maya Zodiac Constellations in the Paris Codex and the Murals of Bonampak’. Downloadable from http://spica.org.uk/index.php/2019/02/01/the-turtle-the-peccary-and-the-two-headed-serpent-comparison-of-maya-zodiac-constellations-in-the-paris-codex-and-the-murals-of-bonampak/
• Looper, Matthew G. 2009 Lightning Warrior: Maya Art and Kingship at Quirigua. University of Texas Press
• Lounsbury, Floyd G. 2008 ‘Astronomical Knowledge and Its Use at Bonampak, Mexico’, in Foundations of New World Cultural Astronomy, ed. by Anthony Aveni. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
• Milbrath, Susan 1999 Star Gods of the Maya. University of Texas Press, Austin, TX
• Miller, Mary; and Karl Taube 1993 The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. Thames and Hudson, New York, NY
• Reilly, Kent 1993 ‘Visions to Another World’. Lecture at the H.M. de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
• Schele, Linda; David Freidel, and Joy Parker 1995 Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman’s Path. William Morrow. Photos by Justin Kerr and Macduff Everton
• Schele, Linda, and David Freidel 1992 A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya. William Morrow
• Sharer, R.J. 1994 The Ancient Maya. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA
• Taube, Karl 2001 ‘The Classic Maya Gods’. In Maya: Divine Kings of the Rainforest. N. Grube, ed. Könemann, Cologne, Germany
• Tedlock, Dennis 1996 Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of the Mayan Book of The Dawn of Life and The Glories of Gods and Kings. Simon & Schuster. New York, NY
• Wagner, E. 2001 ’Maya Creation Myths and Cosmography’. In Maya: Divine Kings of the Rainforest. Nikolai Grube, ed. Könemann, Cologne, Germany
• Wirth, Diane E. 2002 ‘Quetzalcoatl, the Maya Maize God, and Jesus Christ’, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Article 3, Vol. 11, No.1. Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, downloadable from https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol11/iss1/3/.