The people of ancient Mesoamerica shared a unique, yet complex view of the world around them. The world was understood as both square and round-shaped, but it was also perceived as a turtle or caiman floating on a primordial sea. The world was divided into four directional corners with a fifth central point. Mountains, caves, and water combined were a foundational aspect of this geography that divided the world into horizontal and vertical layers. Many times these features were depicted as alive, a trait that continues today among many groups.
Shape of the World
Ancient Mesoamericans perceived the world as simultaneously square and round and having three vertical divisions, a setup that was established when the world was created. The square world had four corners and a central point or axis mundi that connected the three vertical layers of the sky, land, and underworld. This square shape likely represents an agricultural field, or milpa.
This square shape of the earth with a fifth central point is best seen in Olmec art, particularly carved greenstone celts that depict four corn plants arranged in a square, and a fifth figure, usually the maize god, in the middle. The San Bartolo Murals in Guatemala depict the creation of the world as the setting up of five trees, each symbolizing one of the world directions. Almost 1,000 years later, an almost identical scene is found in the Dresden Codex, indicating the continuity of this belief.
Colonial period maps show the boundaries of settlements as round, suggesting that they perceived the world as round. In some instances the round world has turtle elements. The idea of the earth as a turtle is common in Maya iconography, especially in relation to the Hero Twins and their father, the Maize god, who is depicted as emerging from the cracked carapace in a famous plate.
Directionality
Depictions of the four-cornered world, particularly in the Fejervary-Mayer and Madrid codices show that each direction had associated attributes tied to it. For example, each direction has a specific type of tree, in which sits a different bird. Colors were also tied to directions, though they were not standardized throughout Mesoamerica. Among the Maya, east is yellow; north is white; west, red; south, black; and the center is green. Specific days were also related to these directions. For example, if today had the quality of east, tomorrow would have the quality of north, two days from now, west, and three days south, returning to the east on the fourth day. The complexity of this time and direction relationship was recorded by the Maya in what is known as the 819-day count.
The Living Landscape
Beginning at least as early as the Formative/Preclassic period, ancient Mesoamericans considered the world around them as alive. The Olmec frequently depicted caves as gaping-mouthed, fanged monsters. The Maya depicted hills as zoomorphic entities. Researchers refer to these depictions as witz monsters. The Azteccontinued with this tradition, as evidenced in the depictions of their emergence place, Chicomoztoc, which frequently is illustrated with a gaping mouth full of fangs. The belief in an animate landscape continues today. For example, the Q’eqchi’ Maya of highland Guatemala believe that the mountains that surround them are living beings who are the guardians of the natural world, and must be properly worshipped. Furthermore, these beings act just like people, holding council meetings, gossiping among themselves, and engaging in acts of violence.
Sources and Further Readings
This glossary entry is a part of the guide to Mesoamerica , and the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Adams, Abigail, and James E. Brady, 2005, Ethnographic Notes on Maya Q'eqchi' Cave Rites: Implications for Archaeological Interpretation. In In the Maw of the Earth Monster: Mesoamerican Ritual Cave Use, edited by James E. Brady, and Keith M. Prufer, pp. 301-327. University of Texas Press, Austin.
Bassie-Sweet, Karen, 2008, Maya Sacred Geography and the Creator Deities. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.
Brady, James E., and Wendy Ashmore, 1999, Mountains, Caves, Water: Ideational Landscapes of the Ancient Maya. In Archaeologies of Landscape: Contemporary Perspectives, edited by Bernard Knapp, and Wendy Ashmore, pp. 124-145. Blackwell Publishers, Inc., Oxford.
Coe, Michael D., 1965, A Model of Ancient Community Structure in the Maya Lowlands. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology 21:97-114.
Danien, Elin, 2005,May a Folktales from the Alta Verapaz. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology, Philadelphia.
GarcÃa-Zambrano, Ãngel JulÃan, 1994, Early Colonial Evidence of Pre-Columbian Rituals of Foundation. In Seventh Palenque Round Table, 1989, edited by Merle Greene Robertson, and Virginia M. Fields, pp. 217-227. Pre-Columbian Art Research Center, San Francisco.
Gillespie, Susan D., 2000, Maya "Nested Houses": The Ritual Construction of Place. In Beyond Kinship: Social and Material Reproduction in House Societies, edited by Rosemary A. Joyce, and Susan D. Gillespie, pp. 135-160. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, PA.
McLeod, Barbara, 1981, The 819-day cout : A Soulful Mechanism. In Word and Image in Maya Culture, edited by W. Hanks, and D. Rice. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.
Reilly III, F. Kent, 1990, Cosmos and Rulership: The Function of Olmec-Style Symbols in Formative Period Mesoamerica. Visible Language 14:12-37.
Reilly III, F. Kent, 2001, Mountains of Creation and Underworld Portals: The Ritual Function of Olmec Architecture at La Venta, Tabasco. In Mesoamerican Architecture as a Cultural Symbol, edited by Stephen A. Kowalewski, pp. 14-39. Oxford University Press, New York.
Saturno, William A., Karl A. Taube, David S. Stuart, and Heather Hurst, 2005, The Murals of San Bartolo, El Petén, Guatemala: Part 1: The North Wall. Ancient America 7. Boundary End Archaeological Research Center, Barnyardsville, NC.
Stuart, David, and Stephen D. Houston, 1994, Classic Maya Place Names. Studies in Pre-Columbian Art and Archaeology, No. 33. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C.
Taube, Karl A.,1988, A Prehispanic Maya Katun Wheel. Journal of Anthropological Research 4:183-203.
Wilson, Richard, 1993, Anchored Communities: Identity and History of the Maya-Q'eqchi'. Man 28:121-138.
