TRANSLATIONS

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Macaw here seems to have a flaming torch in one hand (the right of course) and a water container in the other:

I think his rainbow colours in a way are illustrated - rain followed by sunshine generates colours. Once again: he is standing at the point where the new fire starts. In this picture, though, his black 'eye' (as in a bird mask) is at left and his ring-dotted eye at right. An inversion has occurred.

It is now time to try a summary page for Kayab:

17 Kayab
"Six glyphs at least are clearly pictographic in base: Pop, mat; Sotz, bat; Xul, ?; Kankin, skeleton ribs; Moan, falcon; Kayab, turtle." (Gates)

All four representations above share the characteristic of having a spiral sign at the back of their heads. Such a spiral possibly indicates 'ear', but may also allude to the center of the spinning sky close to the Big Dipper. A turtle with a quincunx sign probably refers to the time and space where the year needs to be regenerated.

"The patron of Kayab [head at top left] is a goddess, whom Thompson (1950, pp. 116-117) regarded as the young Moon Goddess. She is the patron of the number one [hun - see first two glyphs below (Coe resp. Kelley)] and of the day Caban, apparently [cfr third glyph below]. The equivalent Aztec month, Tecuilhuitontli, was the feast of the death of Huxtocihuatl, a goddess of salt."

      

When sun goes down it appears as if he enters into the earth. The patron of the 17th month therefore ought to be Mother Earth, signified by Caban I guess. If this month is regarded as the 1st, it will in a way correspond to the waning moon (given 16 as the last night of waxing moon).

The last night of waxing moon is, though, apparently not set in parallel with the last month of waxing sun, but with the last month of present sun (before he leaves in Pax). For sun the spatial directions east and west determine the two seasons ('birth' respectively 'death'), while north and south determine beginning and end in time. Moon and Mother Earth go together in time, both are women, while sun as a male moves in space.

In Tahua I have earlier suggested Aa1-13 could depict an ariki with head down and signs of no longer being among us living.

Aa1-13 Aa1-14 Aa1-15

The three little 'balls' in Aa1-14 possibly correspond to the three little black balls in the sign for Jaguar:

16 Pax

"The Mayan glyph for the day called Ix in Yucatec is extremely similar to glyphs from the Mexican codex Fejervary-Mayer for the equivalent day, but has a slightly less conventionalized form, which is clearly the ear of a jaguar.

In the other language groups of Mexico which share the calendar, this is normally the Day of the Jaguar, and, in Kekchi, hix is 'jaguar'. The Quiche name for the equivalent day, Balam, also means 'jaguar'. In any case, it seems that the glyph is a jaguar's ear and means 'jaguar', although it is not so clear whether the original was ix or balam ..."

When sun leaves moon takes over, and the black Jaguar in question could very well be a female, I imagine. Sun is connected with sight via an eye symbol, and when sun is gone the ear comes in as the major sense organ. Moon (earth) should therefore be symbolized with a black ear.

Ix is the 14th day, certainly a sign of the moon.