The Annals of the Cakchiquels Part 5

[14-1] "Si bien se advierte, todo cuanto hacian y decian, era en orden al maiz, que poco falto para tenerlo por Dios, y era, y es, tanto el encanto y embelezo que tienen con las milpas que por ellas olvidan hijos y muger y otro cualquiera deleite, como si fuera la milpa su ultimo fin y bienaventuranza." _Chronica de la S. Provincia del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus de Guattemala_, Cap. VII. MS. of the seventeenth century, generally known as the _Cronica Franciscana_.

[14-2] See Francisco Ximenez, _Las Historias del Origen de los Indios de esta Provincia de Guatemala_, p. 191. (Ed. Scherzer, London and Vienna, 1857).

[14-3] Their first conqueror, the truculent Captain Pedro de Alvarado, speaks of the _muy grandes tierras de panes_, the immense corn fields he saw on all sides. _Relacion hecha per Pedro de Alvarado a Hernando Cortez_, in the _Biblioteca de Autores Espanoles_, Tom. XXII, p. 459.

[15-1] "Hay mucho alG.o.don, e son las mugeres buenas hilanderas e hacen gentiles telas dello." Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes, _Historia General y Natural de las Indias_, Par. III, Lib. III, Cap. IV. "De la fertilidad de la tierra e gobernacion de Guatimala."

[15-2] "Son muy dados a edificar, y en lo que hoy vemos erigido de los antiguos, reconocemos ser maquinas soberbias." Fuentes y Guzman, _Recordacion Florida_, Lib. II, Cap. I.

[15-3] "Esta ciudad es bien obrada y fuerte a maravilla." _Relacion de Pedro de Alvarado_, in _Bib. de Autores Espanoles_, Tom. XXII, p. 459.

So Herrera wrote from his authorities: "En Utlatan (_i. e._, the city of Gumarcaah, capital of the Quiches), havia muchos, i mui grandes templos de sus dioses, de maravillosos edificios." _Historia de las Indias Occidentales_, Dec. III, Lib. IV, Cap. XIX.

[16-1] _The Lineal Measures of the Semi-Civilized Nations of Mexico and Central America_, by D. G. Brinton, in _Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society_, and separately.

[16-2] "En la Provincia de Utlatan, junto a Guatemala, se averigu _por las Pinturas, que los Naturales tenian de sus antiguedades, demas de ochocientos anos_, etc." Herrera, _Historia de las Indias Occidentales_, Dec. III, Lib. IV, Cap. XVIII.

[17-1] "Son amigos de hacer colloquios y decir coplas en sus bailes."

Thomas Coto, _Vocabulario de la Lengua Cakchiquel_. MS. sub voce, _Poesia_.

[17-2] "Son flecheros y no tienen hierba." Oviedo, _Historia General de Indias_, Par. III, Lib. III, Cap. IV.

[18-1] This word is doubtful, as I do not find it in the dictionaries, and judge of its meaning from its derivation and context. See the Vocabulary. Sanchez y Leon speaks of the "very long lances pointed with flint," used by these people. _Apuntamientos de la Historia de Guatemala_, p. 27.

[19-1] The statement of Gavarrete, in his notes to Sanchez y Leon, _Historia de Guatemala_, p. 3, that the Xahils and Zotzils were two branches of the ruling family, the one residing at Iximche, the other at Solola, rests on a misapprehension, as will be seen from the _Annals_ published in this volume.

[20-1] It is interesting in this connection to observe how widespread was the symbolic significance of the canopy, or sun shade, as a mark of dignity. The student of Shakspeare will recall the lines in his 125th sonnet--

"Were it aught to me I bore the canopy, With my extern the outward honouring;"

while the ethnologist may consult Richard Andree's suggestive essay, _Der Schirm als Wurdezeichen_, in his _Ethnographische Parallelen und Vergleiche_, p. 250 (Stuttgart, 1878).

[21-1] Alvarado writes "La tierra es muy poblada de pueblos muy recios."

_Relacion_, etc., ubi supra, p. 459. The following extract is quoted from Las Casas, _Historia Apologetica_, MS., by Mr. Squier, in his notes to Palacio:--

"En el Reyno de Guatemala, en la parte que va por la Sierra, estaban ciudades de caba muy grandes, con maravillosos edificios de cal y canto, de los cuales yo vi muchos; y otros pueblos sin numero de aquellas sierras."

Sanchez y Leon states that there were, in all, thirty independent native states in the former confines of Guatemala. _Historia de Guatemala_, p.

1.

[22-1] On the derivation of Guatemala, see Buschmann, _Ueber die Aztekischen Ortsnamen_, p. 719. That this is probably a translation of the Cakchiquel _Molomic chee_, which has the same meaning, and is a place-name mentioned in the _Annals_, I shall show on a later page.

[22-2] See the _Otra Relacion hecha por Pedro de Albarado a Hernando Cortes_, printed in the _Bibliotheca de Autores Espanoles_, Tom. XXII, p. 460.

[23-1] Bernal Diaz, _Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva Espana_, Cap. CXCIII.

[23-2] _Historia de Guatemala, o Recordacion Florida_, Lib. XV, Cap. V.

The _Recordacion_ was first printed at Madrid, 1882-83, edited by Don Justo Zaragoza, as one of the numbers of the _Biblioteca de los Americanistas_.

[27-1] _Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan_, Vol. II, Chap. IX. I am inclined to believe that the original stone, evidently supposed to be of great value, had been stolen, and this piece of slate subst.i.tuted. It was sewed up in a bag, which makes the supposition probable, as it offered facility to conceal the theft.

[28-1] They are referred to by the Archbishop Garcia Pelaez, in these words: "Los planos y vistas tomadas por el comisionado y el informe que las acompana, muestran vestijios de adoratorios, fortificaciones y trazas de edificios, calles y plazas ajustadas a dimensiones y con elecion de materias en su estructura."--_Memorias para la Historia del Antiguo Reyno de Guatemala_. Por Don Francisco de Paula Garcia Pelaez, Tom. I, p. 15, (Guatemala, 1851).

[28-2] The names applied to these intercalary days are a.n.a.lyzed differently by various authorities. For the etymology given of _nemontemi_, I have followed M. Remi Simeon, in his notes to Dr.

Jourdanet's translation of Sahagun's _Historia de Nueva Espana_; the Cakchiquel _[tz]api_ is undoubtedly from _[tz]ap_, fault, evil, crime.

[31-1] _May_ is allied to the verb _meho_, to go somewhere and return again. Hence _may_ came to mean a cycle of years, months or days.

[31-2] _Apuntamientos de la Historia de Guatemala_, p. 28.

[32-1] "_Chinamitl_, seto o cerca de canas," from _chinantia_, to build a fence, to enclose.--Molina, _Vocabulario de la Lengua Mexicana_.

[32-2] Torresano, in his _Arte de la Lengua Cakchiquel_, MS., gives this word as _ca_, which indicates its probable derivation from the verb _cae_, to join together, to unite, "those united by a common tie."

[32-3] Coto, _Vocabulario de la Lengua Cakchiquel_, MS., sub voce, _Cunado_.

[32-4] Coto, u. s., s. v. _Alguacil_. The word _[c,]alam_ is now applied to the canvas or tablets on which are painted the saints in the churches. It also means a box or chest.--_Dicc. Cakchiquel Anon._

[32-5] See Bra.s.seur, _Hist. du Mexique et l' Am. Cent._, Tom. II, pp.

489-90.

[33-1] "Tienen tambien renombres de sus chinamitales parcialidades que tambien son de signos vel nombres senalados, como Xahila, etc."--Coto, _Vocabulario_, MS., s. v. _Renombre_.

[34-1] _Hist. du Mexique_, Tom. II, p. 84.

[34-2] Their names are given in the _t.i.tulos de la Casa de Ixcuin Nehaib_, p. 3. They are called "pueblos princ.i.p.ales, cabezas de calpules." The Nahuatl word, _calpulli_, here used, meant the kinsfolk actual and adopted, settled together. They were the gentes of the tribe.

See Ad. F. Bandelier, _On the Social Organization and Mode of Government of the Ancient Mexicans_, for a full explanation of their nature and powers.

[34-3] _The Lenape and their Legends_, p. 139.

[37-1] Father Coto, in his MS., _Vocabulario Cakchiquel_, gives the rendering "mandadero," and states that one was elected each year by the princ.i.p.als of each _chinamitl_, to convey messages. He adds: "Usan mucho de este nombre en el Pueblo At.i.tlan."

[37-2] Compare my edition of the _Cakchiquel Grammar_, p. 58. Bra.s.seur translates this t.i.tle erroneously, "decorated with a bracelet."--_Hist.

des Nations Civilisees_, etc., Tome. II, p. 515.

[37-3] "El retorico, platico." Pantaleon de Guzman gives the fuller form, _naol ah uchan_, which means "he who knows, the master of speech."--_Compendio de Nombres en Lengua Cakchiquel_, MS.

[37-4] Usually written by ellipsis, _atzih vinak_. Bra.s.seur translates it "distributor of presents," but it appears to be from _tzih_, word, speech. The vocabularies are, as usual, very unsatisfactory. "_Atzijh vinak_, Princ.i.p.al deste nombre."--_Dicc. Cakchiquel Anon._

[38-1] _Dicc. Cakchiquel Anon_,[TN-11] MS., sub voce.

[38-2] _Requete de Plusieurs Chefs Indiens d'At.i.tlan a Philippe II_, in Ternaux-Compans, _Recueil de Pieces relatives a la Conquete du Mexique_, p. 418.

[38-3] Not "of the bird's nest," "ceux du nid de l'oiseau," as Bra.s.seur translates it (_Hist. du Mexique_, Tome. II, p. 89), nor "casa de la aguila," house of the eagle, as it is rendered by Fuentes y Guzman, _Recordacion Florida_, Tom. I, p. 21. _[c,]iquin_ is the generic term for bird.

[39-1] _The Names of the G.o.ds in the Kiche Myths of Central America_, in the _Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society_, 1881.

[40-1] "Chamalcan u bi qui gabauil Cakchequeleb, xa Zotz u vachibal."--_Popol Vuh_, p. 224.

[40-2] _Hist. des Nations Civ. du Mexique_, Tom. II, p. 173.