Itzamná Kauil shall rise. Our lord comes, Itzá. Our elder brother comes, <oh> men of Tantun. Receive your guests, the bearded men, the men of the east, the bearers of the sign of God, lord. Good indeed is the word of God that comes to us. The day of our regeneration comes. You do not fear the world, Lord, you are the only God who created us. It is sufficient, then, that the word of God is good, lord. <He is> the guardian of our souls. He who receives him, who has truly believed, he will go to heaven with him. Nevertheless <at> the beginning were the two-day men.
Let us exalt his sign on high, let us exalt it <that we may gaze upon it today> with the raised standard. Great is the discord that arises today. The First Tree of the World is restored; it is displayed to the world. This is the sign of Hunab-ku on high. Worship it, Itzá. You shall worship today his sign on high. You shall worship it furthermore with true good will, and you shall worship the true God today, lord. You shall be converted to the word of Hunab-ku, lord; it came from heaven. Oh it is he who speaks to you! Be admonished indeed, Itzá. They will correct their ways who receive him in their hearts in another katun, lord.
Believe in my word itself, I am Chilam Balam, and I have interpreted the entire message of the true God <of> the world; it is heard in every part of the world, lord, the word of God, the Lord of heaven and earth. Very good indeed is his word in heaven, lord. He is ruler over us; he is the true God over our souls.
But those to whom <the word> is brought, lord: thrice weighed down is their strength, the younger brothers native to the land. Their hearts are submerged <in sin>. Their hearts are dead in their carnal sins. They are frequent backsliders, the principal ones who spread <sin>, Nacxit Xuchit in the carnal sin of his companions, the two-day rulers. <They sit> crookedly on their thrones; crookedly in carnal sin. Two-day men they call them. For two days <endure> their seats, their cups, their hats. They are the unrestrained lewd ones of the day, the unrestrained lewd ones of the night, the rogues of the world. They twist their necks, they wink their eyes, they slaver at the mouth, at the rulers of the land, lord. Behold, when they come, there is no truth in the words of the foreigners to the land. They tell very solemn and mysterious things, the sons of the men of Seven-deserted-buildings, the offspring of the women of Seven-deserted-buildings, lord.
Who will be the prophet, who will be the priest who shall interpret truly the word of the book?
C. The Mayan Chronicles from the Chilam Balam of Chumayel
Within the Chilam Balam of Chumayel translated by Ralph Roys were a series of chronicles or histories recorded for each katun. The Maya believed that what happened in one katun could happen again when the katun returned in the future. Since each named katun reoccurred every 256 years, the Maya priests wanted to keep track of events in each katun in order to detect patterns in each katun from which they could make more accurate predictions about the future. This is little different than modern forecasting.
Below you will find the events which the Maya recorded as happening in previous katuns. I’ve only included events for the three katun periods covered by this book: katuns 4, 2 and 13. If the katun is blank then that means nothing was recorded for this katun. Since each katun cycle consisted of 256 years and there are five katun cycles for which events were recorded, these chronicles cover around 1200 years of Maya history.
Chapter XIX The First Chronicle
4 Ahau.
2 Ahau.
13 Ahau was when the mat <of the katun> was counted in order.
4 Ahau was when the land was seized by them at Chakanputun.
2 Ahau.
13 Ahau.
4 Ahau.
2 Ahau.
13 Ahau.
4 Ahau was when the land of Ich-paa Mayapan was seized by the Itzá men who had been separated from their homes because of the people of Izamal and because of the treachery of Hunac Ceel.
2 Ahau.
13 Ahau.
4 Ahau was when the pestilence occurred; it was when the vultures entered the houses within the fortress.
2 Ahau was when the eruption of pustules occurred. It was smallpox.
13 Ahau was when the rain-bringer died. It was the sixth year. The year-count was to the east. It was <the year> 4 Kan. Pop was set to the east. . . . It was the <fif>teenth <day of the month> Zip. 9 Imix was the day when the rain-bringer, Napot Xiu, died. It was the year of our Lord 158.
Chapter XX The Second Chronicle
4 Ahau was the name of the katun when occurred the birth of Pauahs, when the rulers descended.
Thirteen katuns they reigned; thus they were named while they ruled.
4 Ahau was the name of the katun when they descended; the great descent and the little descent they were called.
Thirteen katuns they reigned. So they were called. While they were settled, thirteen were their settlements.
4 Ahau was the katun when they sought and discovered Chichen Itzá. There it was that miraculous things were performed for them by their lords. Four divisions they were, when the four divisions of the nation, as they were called, went forth. From Kincolahpeten in the east one division went forth. From Nacocob in the north one division came forth. But one division came forth from Holtun Zuyua in the west. One division came forth from Four-peaked
