Códices Mayas
Dresdensis · Peresianus · Tro-Cortesianus
J. Antonio Villacorta C. & Carlos A. Villacorta
Tipografía Nacional · Guatemala · 1930–1933 · First Edition
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Maya Hieroglyphic An extraordinary inundation or destructive outpouring of water from the celestial/divine realm, carried out or accompanied by supernatural beings.
Dresden Codex, LXXIV — Celestial Flood
The page depicts an outpouring of water from the celestial realm. Divine beings participate directly in the event: torrents fall from the sky, a goddess pours water from a vessel, and the rain deity Chaak is associated with the flood.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Maya Hieroglyphic [At this Venus station/appearance] is the manifestation/presence of [named supernatural being/deity]. [At the Venus manifestation] the deity/agent appears or is present; its influence/action is directed toward the terrestrial sphere. [Venus station] — [supernatural manifestation/action …].
Dresden Codex, XLVI — Venus and Divine Manifestations
The Dresden Codex calculates stages in the cycle of Venus and associates those celestial periods with supernatural beings depicted as divine actors. Rather than presenting Venus solely as an astronomical object, the manuscript portrays its calculated appearances with earthly manifestations and their consequences within the Maya world.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Maya Hieroglyphic [Venus] is held/takes its position in the east — Tawiskal, the Great Star. The Maize God is speared. This is the omen in the east, upon the earth/land and the ch’en [place/settlement]; this is the omen for the maize people(?).
Dresden Codex, XLVIII — Venus and the Piercing of the Maize God
The Dresden Codex records Venus taking its calculated position in the east as Tawiskal, the “Great Star.” The text describes the spearing or piercing of the Maize God and interprets the celestial event as an omen extending to the earthly realm - possibly specifically affecting “maize people.”
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Maya Hieroglyphic Upper register [At the stated calendrical station], [named deity/supernatural being] performs or receives a prescribed ritual action with [offering/ritual object]. [Divinatory condition/prognosis follows]. [At the next calendrical station], [named deity/supernatural being] performs or receives a ritual action with [offering/ritual object]. [Divinatory condition/prognosis follows].
Lower-left [At the stated calendrical station], [named supernatural/deity] acts in association with the accompanying supernatural figure. [Ritual/offeratory action and prognosis].
Lower-right — Great Serpent [At the calendrical station, 7 Ajaw], [The named supernatural] appears in intimate association with a large spotted celestial/atmospheric serpent-monster. The anthropomorphic being is positioned at its open jaws, represented as either emerging from the serpent or being swallowed by it. A yax-qualified element — “green/blue-green; fresh/new/first” — is held or associated with the supernatural's action. The event is associated with the earth/terrestrial realm.
Madrid Codex, LXVII — Deity and the Great Serpent
The Madrid Codex depicts a being emerging from or entering the mouth of a supernatural serpent. Elsewhere in Maya imagery, great serpents participate in celestial and atmospheric contexts. The accompanying calendrical text places the event on 7 Ajaw and associates the deity with a yax element, a term carrying meanings: “green/blue-green,” “first,” and “new.”
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Maya Hieroglyphic At successive calendrical stations, supernatural beings appear and perform ritual actions. The sequence is organized by repeated numerical and day-sign notations.
In the lower register, an anthropomorphic supernatural being is positioned astride an enormous spotted serpent, appearing to ride upon its body, while another supernatural figure is intimately associated with the serpent below. The calendrical notation records four successive intervals of 13, connecting: 13 Ajaw, 13 Chikchan, 13 Ok, 13 Men
[Additional deity names and ritual clauses remain uncertain.]
Madrid Codex, XXXI — The Great Serpent and the 52-Year Cycle
The Madrid Codex shows supernatural beings closely connected to a large serpent, including a human-like figure seemingly riding on it, while noting four consecutive periods of 13.
Scholarly analysis proposes that these represent 13-year intervals connecting 13 Ajaw, 13 Chikchan, 13 Ok, and 13 Men, together encompassing the 52-year Calendar Round.
The scene integrates the great serpent and its associated supernatural beings into a precisely structured long-duration calendrical framework.
DIRECT TRANSLATION — Maya Hieroglyphic
[Successive calculated intervals / counts] proceed through the bodies of the great serpents. [At the completion/associated stations of these counts], named supernatural beings are present or act. The sequence connects calendrical stations, numerical intervals, and supernatural manifestations/actions.
Madrid Codex LXII — Great Serpents and the Celestial Count
The Madrid Codex depicts an extended numerical and calendrical sequence within the winding bodies of two large serpents. The serpents end below anthropomorphic supernatural beings, visually integrating the calculated passage of time with celestial entities.
In the wider Maya codical tradition, great serpents participate in celestial and astronomical contexts, making this page significant evidence for the association of supernatural beings, large non-human serpent forms, and calculated time.
[Further Analysis Pending…]
