|
"The unit of measurement in question, still used by Quichés, is the
k'a'm or 'cord', a length of rope about twenty yards (or paces)
long. Xiloj was familiar with the phrasing used here, umej k'a'maxik
[camaxic], 'its-folded cording', and uyuq k'a'maxik [uyuc
camaxic], 'its-stretched cording'. He explained that the 'folded'
measurement is done with the cord doubled back on itself to halve its
length, while the 'stretched' measurement is done with the cord pulled
out to its full length. His reading of k'a'maxik (which has a passive ending) is confirmed by an entry in DB, k'a'maj [caamaah] (with an active ending), 'to measure lands'. He observed that the PV describes the measurement of sky and earth as if a cornfield were being laid out for cultivation; house and loom construction are also suggested by this passage (B. Tedlock and D. Tedlock 1985). In the Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel, the measurement of the world is described in terms of twenty footsteps (equal to a cord) that span the twenty day names of the divinatory calendar (Roys 1967:116-18). The same source refers to a celestial cord (Ibid.:155); according to Yucatec Mayas living near Valladolid, a cord suspended in the sky once linked Tulum and Cobá with Chichén Itzá and Uxmal (Tozzer 1907:153)." (Popol Vuh) |