Negro de Agua (Q’eq Ja’ Wíinik) is Spanish for Black Man of the Water. He takes drowned bodies to dens under water in rivers. The palms of his hands and feet are white. Ja’ is Maya for ‘water’, Q’eq for ‘black’, Wíinik for ‘man’.
Ole Heg (Xwáay Chikoop). Xwáay is Maya for ‘witch’, Chikoop for ‘vampire bat’. She sucks blood and can transform herself into a flying ball of fire or a thin ray of light to enter a keyhole. She mainly travels at night searching for victims to suck their blood. She prepares by saying a prayer that allows her to remove her skin which she hangs on a ceiba tree. She can strap on two straw mats to fly with. She prefers to suck mainly sleeping children, returning night after night, while the victim becomes paler and thinner and die. She avoids the color blue and asafetida, a foul-smelling gum resin, will keep her away. Skinny, skinny, yu no know me? is her tortured cry. If one scatter wangla seeds, she becomes obsessed with picking them up, fills her hand, then throws them down again. When morning comes, she can be beaten to death with a broom. If you sprinkle her skin with salt, when she puts it on it stings and she gives her cry.
Ralxik is the name given to Mahanamatz’ bocotora clapansaya. It is Maya for ‘large snake’. ‘Ralxik’ is not a Belizean Folklore name.
Sisimito, also known as Mahanamatz: A full description is given in the Foreword.
Tata Duende (Tata Ponopik). Duende is Spanish for dwarf. Tata is Maya for old man, and Ponopik for dwarf (person, animal). He is three feet tall and wears a wide brimmed hat. He has a white beard and dresses in white satin, carries a machete or knotted stick, and smokes a pipe. He may also wear a big red hat, animal skins for clothing, red or brown shirt or pants, a big straw hat, and pointed boots. He is stocky built, has a hairy body, an ugly and mean face. He has his feet turned backwards. When he comes, there is a whistling sound and/or the fragrance of the ‘Dama de la Noche’ orchid flower. He has no thumbs and will wring off those of anyone who falls prey to him. If you meet him, you must hide your thumbs in your hands. He then likes you and will teach you to play his silver guitar or other instrument. If you imitate his whistle, he takes you away. To scare him, you need only to make the sign of the cross. Offer him food and he will return kidnapped children safely.
Waari Massa (Hach-k’ek’en Ajchaq’e). Ajchaq’e is Maya for ‘owner, master’, Hach-k’ek’en for ‘Waari’, (Kriol). He has a white face which is fierce and cruel, and is master and protector of the waaries, the white-lipped peccaries. He has droves of hundreds and when they march the Waari Massa is in front. He directs keeping the youngest animals at the front, the partly mature in middle, the full grown at back. The adults are greyish-black and the younger ones are reddish brown, and they have
razor sharp tusks. The Waari Massa protects the droves, and nurses the hurt. Hunters may be feverish for days after warries have charged them.
Xtabai hides in the Ceiba tree. She can turn into a green snake and may use her tail to stop up a man’s nose. She appears as a beautiful Indian woman with long hair, wears a long flowing white huipil and sometimes a white cloth over her head. She may also appear as an old woman, have human features but no flesh, as a woman spirit with the face of a vulture, or a young woman with large black eyes, small mouth, slender waist. She has a hollow rough back covered with hard bony scales which she tries to hide. Her left foot is cloven like a goat and the other clawed like a turkey. She walks with one heavy step and then one light forming the pattern of an X as she walks. She can appear as a large floating mass and change quickly into a hissing green snake, a prickly tree, or a vicious old hag. Legend states that she was a beautiful Indian woman of the Maya aristocracy, with beautiful eyes and an enchanting smile; yet, ignored all suitors. An enchantress who wanted a gallant noble for herself tricked the maiden to drink a portion that made her promiscuous and led to her early death. She enchants men, especially on moonlit nights when she bares her upper body, enticing the men to follow her beckoning finger. As a snake, she seizes men, carry them to the underworld, or throw them in a well. She may choke a man to death. Men who follow her get fever, lose their mind, and die. If a man stays with her, he is unharmed until he fries to leave. She is stopped by prayers and disappears if she sees the sign of the cross. Villagers wear their sandal straps around the feet from left to right, in order to keep Xtabai away.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Arvigo, Rosita, D.N. and Michael Balick, Ph.D. Rainforest Remedies -One Hundred Healing Herbs of Belize. 1998. Twin Lakes, WI. Lotus Press. ISBN 13: 978-0-9149-5513-9. ISBN 10: 0-9149-5513-6.
Belize Audubon Society. March 1995. Snakes of Belize. Sponsored by World Wildlife Fund. Printed by Belize Paper.
Belize Kriol Project. Kriol-Inglish Dikshineri (English-Kriol Dictionary). 2007. Belmopan, Belize: Print Belize Ltd. ISBN: 978-976-95165-1-9.
Editors of Archaeology Magazine. Secrets of The Maya. Hatherleigh Press. New York. London. ISBN: 1-57826-123-6.
Folklore Book Fund Committee. 1998. Characters & Caricatures in Beliz-ean Folklore. Belize: Belize UNESCO Commission.
Harris, Kate. Trees of Belize. Bay Cedar Publishing.
ISBN: 978-0-9927582-0-2.
Henderson, John S. The World of The Ancient Maya. New York: Cornell University Press, 1997. ISBN: 0-8014-8284-4.
Laughton, Timothy. The Maya - Life, Myth, and Art. Barnes and Noble Books. ISBN: 0-7607-4859-4.
Lt. Col. D.N.A. Fairweather. A Short History of the Volunteer Forces of British Honduras (Belize).
Martin, Simon and Grube, Nikolai. Chronicle of The Maya Kings and Queens. Thames and Hudson Ltd. London. ISBN 978-0-500-28726-2
McCarthy, Timothy J., Mendez, Eustorgio, Waight, Lydia, Lumb, Judy. Mammals of Belize: A Checklist. ISBN: 976-8142-03-0.
Miller, Carolyn M. 100 Birds of Belize. 1995. Gallon Jug: American Bird Conservatory.
Montgomery, John. Maya (Yucatec) Dictionary and Phrasebook. Maya-English. English-Maya. Hippocrene Books, Inc. New York.
ISBN: 0-7818-0859-6.
Nations, James D. The Maya Tropical Forest - People, Parks, and Ancient Cities. 2006. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press.
ISBN 0-292-71282-0 (hardcover) ISBN 0-292-71318-5 (pbk).
Toledo Maya Cultural Council and Toledo Alcaldes Association. 1997. Maya Atlas - The Struggle To Preserve Maya Land In Southern Belize. Berkely, California: North Atlantic Books. ISBN: 1-55643-256-9.
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Visit us at: http://jabirubooksbelize.com
Notes
[←1]
U Wach Ulew: The Maya gods created the Face of the Earth, U Wach Ulew, as a propitious place for human life.
[←2]
The Maya year is divided in nineteen months and each is designated as an Uinal. Each has a name and a corresponding glyph. Of these months, the first eighteen have twenty days and the last one, called Uayeb, has only five.
[←3]
The Haab’ is part of the Maya calendric system, the 365 day calendar, approximating the solar year. It comprises eighteen “months” of twenty days each, plus an additional period of five days at the end of the year known as Wayeb’ and regarded as five nameless and unlucky days. In the Sisimito Series, Yaxk’in’ conincides with the first twenty days of May.
[←4]
Ha’ is Maya for ‘lake’.
[←5]
Kish is a Maya male name meaning ‘Stingray Spine’ or ‘Feathered’.
[←6]
The áayin as it sleeps in the chokoh: The crocodile as it sleepes in the warm weather. Áayin is Maya for ‘crocodile’. Crocodiles sometimes sleep through the warm season without eating. They rest in the mud and they can stay in that state for up to a year. During their hibernation or estivation, they live off their stored fat.
[←7]
Kabraqan is Ke’kchi for ‘earthquake’.
[←8]
Kisin is the ‘evil earthquake’ spirit in Maya Mythology.
[←9
]
Knot Ajaw was the brother of K’an II. He was born November 28, 575 and had his accession on June 24, 599. He ruled until the accession of K’an II on March 6, 618. He was also known as Ruler IV, Ahau Serpent, and Flaming Ahau.
[←10]
Ajawinel is Maya for ‘King’ of a large independent state or kingdom.
[←11]
Ja’ Xakanul is ‘Water Volcano’. Ha ‘ is Maya for ‘water’ and xakanul is Ke’kchi for ‘volcano’. This particular volcano is known as Agua Volcano in Guatemala.
The 3,760 meters high Agua Volcano, Ja’ Xakanul in the Sisimito Series, has an isolated position that makes it a very prominent landmark from all directions. The volcano has a small, 280 meters wide circular crater that is breached on the North-northeast side. Six small pit craters are located on the Northwest flank. Agua Volcano has had no historical eruptions, but its name (the water volcano) originates from a devastating mudflow on September 11, 1541 when part of the crater wall collapsed. The mudflow, caused by heavy rains, destroyed the first Guatemalan capital city established by the Spanish Conquistadores, which is now known as Ciudad Vieja (Old City). A new capital city, Antigua, was established nearby.
In recent history, there were other disasters caused by Pacific storms. In early October, 2005, torrential rains from Hurricane Stan caused extensive damage throughout Guatemala. A massive landslide buried the lakeside village of Panabaj, causing many deaths. Four and a half years later. Tropical Storm Agatha (2010) dropped even more rainfall causing many deaths between San Lucas Toliman and San Antonio Palopo, the small community of Chutinamit being destroyed by a mudslide.
[←12]
Xpoo is the Maya name for the local ‘puffer fish’. If one scratches its belly, the fish swells up. Once it is replaced in the water, it returns to normal size. It is commonly found in the Corozal Bay, Belize.
[←13]
Mix-ba’al is Maya for ‘nothing’.
[←14]
Tulam Tzu is the ancient name for Kaminaljuyu, located near modern day Guatemala City.
[←15]
Chay-abaj is Ke’kchi for ‘obsidian’. Some sources state chay alone for obsidian and abaj for stone or pebble. El Cayal is an extensive obsidian workshop Maya site northeast of Guatemala City. In the Sisimito Series, obsidian will be referred to as chay, and El Cayal as Chay Abaj.
[←16]
Ja’-nima’ is Maya for the Motagua River.
[←17]
Nohoch Atz’am Ja’ is Maya for ‘Great Salt Water’. Kish is referring to the Caribbean Sea.
[←18]
The author could not find a source giving an ancient name for Quiriguá.
[←19]
Qas Mm Ha ‘ is Maya for ‘very large lake’. In the Sisimito Series, this is the name given to Lake Isabel, Guatemala.
[←20]
Worq’otik is Ke’kchi for the ‘sound of an earthquake’.
[←21]
Síina’an is Maya for ‘scorpion’.
[←22]
Cabrakan is the Mountain God. He is also listed as one of the Earthquake Gods. He is the son of Vucub Caquix and Chimalat.
[←23]
Nohochacyum is the creator-destroyer deity.
[←24]
Xch’úup Xma’ K’aaba’ is Molly’s Maya name translated as ‘Woman With No Name’
[←25]
Xir is Maya for ‘cricket’.
[←26]
Kaloonte’ is an elite Warrior associated with the jaguar. He may be a hunter, or a nacon (officer), or a batab (war chief). Nabe means ‘first’.
[←27]
The author could not find a source giving an ancient name for El Baúl. When speaking of the city, it is referred to as Baúl.
[←28]
The Chixoy River is a distant tributary of the Rio Usumacinta that empties into the Gulf of Mexico. It is also called the Salinas River.
[←29]
Porobal Awaj is Maya for ‘sacrificial altar’. Porobal Awaj is used here for the city of Altar de Sacrificios. It is a ceremonial center and archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, situated near the confluence of the Pasion and Salinas Rivers (where they combine to form the Usumacinta River), in the present-day department of Peten, Guatemala. Along with Seibal and Dos Pilas, Altar de Sacrificios is one of the better-known and most intensively-excavated sites in the region, although the site itself does not seem to have been a major political force in the Late Classic period
[←30]
The author could not find a source giving ancient names for Zaculpa, Altar de Sacrificios, and Seibal. In the Sisimito Series, Altar De Sacrficios is called Porobal Awaj. Seibal is called Jumulaj Yaché.
[←31]
Sacbeob is Maya for ‘road’ or ‘causeway’.
[←32]
Nim-ja’ is Maya for ‘river’. Nim-ja’ Ti’ Síina’ans is River of Scorpions.
[←33]
Fok is Kriol for ‘fock’ (British), ‘fuck’ (American).
[←34]
Sak-ya’ is the Maya name for the Sapodilla tree, Manilkara Zapota, also known as Chico Zapote. The sap, chicle, is used for making chewing gum.
[←35]
Chico Zapote is the Spanish name for the fruit of the Sapodilla tree, Manilkara Zapota. The tree itself is also known as Chico Zapote. The sap, chicle, is used for making chewing gum.
[←36]
Maami is Kriol for ‘mamey’ or ‘mammy apple’, Pouteria sapota. It is known as sapote in Spanish.
[←37]
Waari kuhoon (Kriol), Astrocaryum mexicanum, also know as ak-te (Maya), pacaya (Spanish), and cohune palm, gets its name from the dangerous bark; the entire length of the stout, black, flattened spines resembles the bristles of the white-lipped peccary, the waari.
[←38]
Ix-tot is Maya for Wild Pineapple, Bromelia pinguin L., also known as pinuela (Spanish). Its leaves are long, hooked, thorny, up to 2 meters.
[←39]
Kaan is Maya for ‘snake’. This is not to be mistaken with Kaán which is the upper level of Yaxché.
[←40]
Ixtutz’ is Maya for ‘frog’.
[←41]
Ixpeq is Maya for ‘toad’.
[←42]
Chan-koxol is Maya for ‘mosquito’.
[←43]
Recce is used in the British Military for ‘reconnaissance’.
[←44]
Kaán is the upper level of Yaxché which holds the three levels of Maya Cosmology, Cab (Earth), Kaán (sky), and Xibalba (the Underworld). Kaán is also used to refer to the ‘sky’ over U Wach Ulew, the Surface World.
[←45]
Ixazaluoh is the Goddess of Water and Weaving.
[←46]
Ch’ich’-rech-par is Maya for the “smell of a skunk’. Par is Maya for ‘skunk’.
[←47]
Chikoop is Maya for ‘vampire bat’.
[←48]
Xop is Maya for Coral Snake.
[←49]
Tutuchci is Maya for ‘stiff penis’.
[←50]
Batab is the name given to a local chief or chieftain charged with general administration and judicial oversite. Some sources also refer to the Batab as a ‘war chief.
[←51]
Manik is the god of sacrifice, of sacrificial victims, and of purifying suffering.
[←52]
Patzoj is Maya for ‘coitus’ or “sex’. As an exclamation and cuss word, it is used here to mean ‘fuck’.
[←53]
Tijobal is Ke’kchi for ‘classroom’ or ‘school’. Here it is used to mean ‘university’.
[←54]
Tijoxel is Ke’kchi for ‘student or disciple’.
[←55]
Úúk is Maya for ‘skirt’.
[←56]
Suc-pic is Maya for ‘underwear’.
[←57]
Abix is Maya for ‘corn plant’ or ‘cornfield’.
[←58]
Baktu
n: This is a period of 144,000 k’iin (days) or 400 tuns (years).
[←59]
Chac, is the Maya god of rain and storms. He was also the enemy of Camazotz. He was depicted in Classic times with protruding fangs, large round eyes, and a proboscis-like nose. Like other major Maya gods, Chac also appeared as four gods, the Chacs. The four gods were associated with the points of the compass and their colors: white, north; red, east; black, west; and yellow, south.
Sisimito III--Topoxte Page 75