3. A third possibility is to read a sense of seating, i.e. the time when a coming season is making itself felt; like a baby soon to be born is felt in the body of his mother. "The Maya New Year started with 1 Pop, the next day being 2 Pop, etc. The final day of the month, however, carried not the coefficient 20, but a sign indicating the 'seating' of the month to follow, in line with the Maya philosophy that the influence of any particular span of time is felt before it actually begins and persists somewhat beyond its apparent termination." (The Maya) The fully grown season, we know, is expressed by the figure of a standing man (tagata), and at the other extreme we can see a man at his lowest position, presumably illustrating the time of birth (hanau). In between there ought to be a man sitting down:
At noon sun stands at his highest position, at dawn he is rising from the sea in the east. In between his stature must be in between. Likewise moon is rising from the horizon (in the west), moving higher for each night, until she is reaching full moon. Movement is the signature of life, and the energy needed comes by way of eating. At the end, e.g. a solstice, movement stops - the eating has stopped. At winter solstice a new baby sun will be born, hanau, and his mother will stop growing. The Q calendar of daylight ends abruptbly at noon:
5 * 52 = 260 = 10 * 26. The cycle is finished at noon, presumably alluding to summer solstice. |
