Chilam Balam facts for kids
The Books of Chilam Balam are old handwritten books, mostly from the 1600s and 1700s. They were created by the Maya people in Mexico. These books get their name from the small towns where they were kept.
They are like special collections of important knowledge from the Maya people. They mix ancient Maya traditions with some early Spanish ideas. These books cover many topics, like history, future predictions, religion, special ceremonies, stories, the calendar, stars, and even medicine.
The books are written in the Yucatec Maya language using the Latin alphabet (like the one we use today). They are said to be written by a legendary person named Chilam Balam. A chilam was a priest who could see the future, and balam means 'jaguar'. Some parts of the books even talk about the Spanish coming to Yucatán and mention Chilam Balam as the first writer.
We know about nine Books of Chilam Balam today. The most famous ones are from places like Chumayel, Mani, and Tizimin. Many more books probably existed a long time ago.
The way the books are written and what they say shows that some parts are very old. They might even date back to when the Spanish first arrived in Yucatán (around 1527–1546). Some parts are written in a very short, direct way, almost like they were copied from older hieroglyphic writings before the Spanish arrived.
Contents
What's Inside the Books of Chilam Balam?
The Books of Chilam Balam give us a full picture of what spiritual life was like for the Yucatec Maya people in the 1700s. Some parts, like the medical texts and history stories, are very straightforward. But other parts, like riddles and predictions, use lots of old Maya metaphors and hidden meanings.
This is especially true for the stories about myths and rituals. These parts use very complex language and were likely meant for people who knew special, secret knowledge. The history sections are important because they use the native Maya calendar to tell time, though it's partly mixed with the European calendar system. It's been quite hard for experts to figure out the history of the Yucatec Maya from these old dates.
Here's a look at the different kinds of writings you can find in the Chilam Balam books. Some ideas come from the ancient Mesoamerican world, and some come from Spanish traditions.
Stories of the Past and Future
- History: These parts tell stories based on the Maya calendar. They include legends about how people moved around, stories about important leaders of the Maya kingdoms, and records of events up to the Spanish conquest.
- Predictions: These are forecasts about what will happen, based on cycles of the Maya calendar, like the haab (years), tun (360-day periods), and kʼatun (20 x 360-day periods).
- Prophecies: These are special predictions believed to come from famous priests who could see the future in the early 1500s.
Riddles and Hidden Meanings
- Riddles: These are collections of tricky questions. They were used when new local leaders were chosen for their jobs. This was part of what was called the 'language of Zuyua'.
Myths and Spiritual Beliefs
- Myths: These stories often talk about the world being destroyed and then created again. This is linked to the start of a specific time period called kʼatun 11 Ahau.
- Rituals: These sections describe special ceremonies. They talk about the creation of the twenty named days of the Maya calendar (called uinal), a ritual called the 'Four Burners', and the birth of maize (corn), which was seen as a 'divine grace' or gift from the gods. This last one is sometimes called the 'Ritual of the Angels'.
Daily Life and Calendars
- Classifications: These sections organize things based on the twenty named days of the Maya calendar. They connect different birds, plants, trees, types of people, and jobs to each day.
- Astrology and Weather: These parts discuss stars, weather, and the Catholic church calendar. The astrology ideas come from ancient Greek traditions and include the European zodiac signs.
- Farm Calendars: These are like guides for farmers, telling them when to plant and harvest crops.
Traditional Medicine
- Herbal Medicine: The Chilam Balam books also contain medical recipes. These often use ideas from Greek and Arab medicine, rather than the older Maya way of using chants and spells, which is found in other Maya texts like the Ritual of the Bacabs.
Spanish Influences
- Catholic Teachings: Some parts of the books include information about Catholic saints' feast days, religious writings, and prayers.
- Spanish Stories: You can also find parts of Spanish adventure stories, like the tale of the 'Maiden Theodora'.
Studying the Books
Many of the texts appear in different Books of Chilam Balam. So, experts compare them to see how they are similar or different. The old Yucatec language and the hidden, metaphorical meanings in many texts make them very hard to translate. How a text is translated can sometimes depend a lot on what the translator already thinks the text means. Because of this, the quality of translations can vary a lot.
A Spanish translation from 1948 by Barrera Vásquez and Rendón is still helpful today. As of 2012, complete English translations are available for several Books of Chilam Balam, including those from Chumayel, Mani, Tizimin, Na, and Kaua.
An excellent book that explains how Maya and Spanish ideas mixed together in these texts is the introduction to the Kaua edition by Bricker and Miram. Knowlton (2010) also provides a detailed look at the main myths and rituals, explaining how they combine different traditions.
In Popular Culture
The Books of Chilam Balam are mentioned in the book The Falling Woman by Pat Murphy. They are used to describe old sacrifices at Chichén Itzá.
A poem from the Chilam Balam is also a big part of a short story by the American writer Lucia Berlin. She lived and traveled a lot in Latin America, including Chile and Mexico. The poem even gives her story its title. Here is the poem in Spanish: "Toda Luna, todo año,/ Todo día, todo viento/ Camina y pasa también./ También toda sangre llega/ Al lugar de su quietud."
The Spanish version is probably a translation from the original Maya. The main character in the story translates the poem like this: "Every moon, every year/ Every day, every breeze/ Goes along, and passes away./ And thus all blood arrives/ To its own quiet place."
See also
In Spanish: Chilam Balam para niños
