The Maya Chronicles: Brinton's Library Of Aboriginal American Literature, Number 1
History
The Maya Chronicles: Brinton's Library Of Aboriginal American Literature, Number 1
Maya language -- Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.; Maya language -- Texts; Mayas -- Antiquities; Mayas -- History
_Hauic_, from _haual_, to end, finish, cease to exist. Thus the
chronicler closes his recital, repeating the to him no doubt bitter fact
that the Maya nation and the Maya name had passed away.
FOOTNOTES:
[178-1] pachah u cah.
[178-2] oxlahunte.
[178-3] nohemel.
[178-4] ɔeɔemel.
[178-5] likul.
[178-6] hoki.
[178-7] uchci.
THE CHRONICLE
OF
CHAC XULUB CHEN.
BY
NAKUK PECH.
1562.
CHRONICLE OF CHICXULUB.
Among the ancient documents collected by Pio Perez was a series relating
to the town of Chicxulub, about six leagues north of Merida. They are
entitled _Documentos de Tierras de Chicxulub, 1542_. They consist of a
history of the town and of the conquest of the country, written by Nakuk
Pech, about 1562; a survey of the town lands by several members of the
Pech family, testified to Feb. 7, 1542; a partial list of the Spanish
conquerors; a portion of an account by another member of the Pech
family, and a further statement by Nakuk Pech.
The longest and the most interesting of these is the history of the
Conquest, or, as the writer calls it, "the history and the chronicle of
Chacxulubchen"--_u belil u kahlail Cħac Xulub Cħen_--this being one of
the native forms of the name of the town. It is headed "Conquest and
Map," but the map has disappeared. Usually such "maps" accompanying the
title papers of towns in Yucatan have as a central figure the outlines
of a church with the name of the town; around this is drawn the figure
of the town lands, with the names of the wells, trees, stones and other
landmarks mentioned in the titles.
The writer, Nakuk Pech, baptized Pablo Pech, must have been between
sixty and seventy years of age when he drew up his statement, inasmuch
as he mentions occurrences, as late as 1562, and also speaks of himself
as an adult in 1519. He belonged to a noble family, the Pechs of Cumkal,
who are mentioned by Sanchez Aguilar as hereditary _batabs_, or
independent chiefs. They appear to have given their names to the
province on the west coast called Kin Pech, or Campech, known to the
English as Campeachy, and to that of Ceh Pech, in which the city of Ho,
afterwards called Merida, was situated. The Abbe Brasséur,[TN-24] on very
slight grounds, surmised that they were not originally of Maya stock,
but probably descendants of the Caribs.[190-1]
He states that he was the son of Ak Kom Pech, in baptism Martin Pech,
and the grandson of Ah Tunal Pech, while the head of the house of Pech
seems to have been Ah Naum Pech, baptized Don Francisco de Montejo Pech.
Pech always uses as the name of his town _Chac Xulub Chen_, which means
"the well of the great horns," probably because some huge antlers were
found there, or were set up to mark the spot. The modern name _Chic
Xulub_ was probably applied to it as a parody, or a play on words. It
means to cuckold one, to put horns on him.[191-1]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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