The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilizations: A Comparative Research Based on a Study of the Ancient Mexican Religious, Sociological, and Calendrical SystemsNuttall, Zelia
Religion
The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilizations: A Comparative Research Based on a Study of the Ancient Mexican Religious, Sociological, and Calendrical Systems
expressed _per se_, in Maya, the numeral ho=five, which was also the name
of a state which invariably consisted of the central capital and four
provinces. As such it was carried as an emblem of power by the central
ruler, as may be seen in the native codices. The thumb being regarded as
the principal or ruling finger, the chief lord was metaphorically spoken
of as the thumb, whilst the minor lords were entitled fingers=pilli.
THE PYRAMID AND SACRED MOUNTAIN
was primarily an artificial elevation destined to be a place of refuge in
times of inundation; the pyramid ultimately symbolized: (1) the sacred
stable centre of the world and the Four Quarters; (2) central power and
its four manifestations or elements. The great pyramid of the ancient City
of Mexico which was crowned by two chapels, respectively containing
symbolical images of the two principles of nature, is a striking
illustration of the employment of the pyramid to express the dual centre
(the Above and Below, etc.) and the quadruple organization of all things
which was expressed not only by the four sides of the structure but by its
four superposed terraces. The fact recorded by Friar Duran, that the
flight of steps which led to the summit of the pyramid on its eastern side
consisted of 365 steps, and that the annual ceremony of ascending these,
performed by a consecrated individual, “signified the course of the sun in
a year,” indicates that the pyramid was also associated with the idea of
the quadruplicate division of time which pervaded the entire calendar
system.
It should also be borne in mind that in ancient Mexico the summits of high
mountains were regarded as sacred, “because it was there that Heaven and
Earth met and generated fructifying showers.” As religious cult developed,
the rites performed on the summit of the pyramid or artificial mound were
for the purpose of evoking rain and the renewal of life upon earth, and
symbolized the union of heaven and earth. To the native mind the pyramid
thus represented the consecrated meeting-place of heaven and earth, the
Above and Below, the masculine and feminine elements, the “divine twins,”
as well as universal, all-pervading, quadruplicate organization. The
massive pyramid likewise typified, in an impressive manner, the main idea
connected with the Middle: that of stability, immutability, quietude and
repose, combined with power.
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