4 Ahau was the katun when the four divisions were called <together>. The four
divisions of the nation, they were called, when they descended. They became lords when they descended upon Chichen Itzá. The Itzá were they then called.
Thirteen katuns they ruled, and then came the treachery by Hunac Ceel. Their town was abandoned and they went into the heart of the forest to Tan-xuluc-mul, as it is called.
4 Ahau was the katun when their souls cried out!
Thirteen katuns they ruled in their misery!
13 Ahau was the katun when they founded the town of Mayapan, the Maya men, as they were called.
Chapter XXI The Third Chronicle
A record of the katuns for the Itzá, called the Maya katuns.
4 Ahau.
2 Ahau.
13 Ahau.
4 Ahau.
2 Ahau.
13 Ahau.
4 Ahau. The stone was taken at Atikuh. This was the katun when the pestilence
occurred. It was in the fifth tun of Katun 4 Ahau.
2 Ahau. The stone was taken at Chacalna.
13 Ahau. The stone was taken at Euan.
On this 18th day of August, 1766, occurred a hurricane. I have made a record of it in order that it may be seen how many years it will be before another one will occur.*
(Author’s Note: 1766 occurred during a katun 4 ahau cycle, thus I’ve included this passage here.)
On this 20th day of January, 1782, there was an epidemic of inflammation here in the town of Chumayel. The swelling began at the neck and then descended. <It spread> from the little ones to the adults, until it swept the entire house, once it was introduced. The remedy was sour ashes and lemons or the young Siempre vive. It was the year of '81 when it began. After that there was a great drought also. There was scarcely any rain. The entire forest was burned <with the heat>, and the forest <trees> died This is the record which I have written down, I, Don Juan Josef Hoil. (Rubrica.)*
(Author’s Note: 1782 occurred during a katun 13 ahau cycle, thus I’ve included this passage here.)
About the Author
Gary C. Daniels has had a lifelong interest in Native American and Mesoamerican culture. He is a writer, television producer and documentary filmmaker and began seriously researching these cultures in 2001 while pursuing his Master’s Degree in Communications at Georgia State University in Atlanta. This research culminated in the production of a documentary film, Lost Worlds: Georgia and website, LostWorlds.org.
During this research he noticed that many Native American civilizations in the Southeastern U.S. lasted for around 250 years before collapsing. Later he learned of the Maya belief in a 256-year katun cycle that governed the rise and fall of civilizations. Intrigued he delved deeper into Maya beliefs immersing himself in their mythology and religious beliefs finding many similarities between the cultures of the Southeastern U.S. and Mesoamerica as well as the possible presence of Maya in America. It was then that he discovered their “prophecies” related to this 256-year katun cycle. His research resulted in the creation of the websites 2012Quest.com and MayaProphecies.com.
He is currently working on a new book entitled The Real Mayan Prophecies which brings together his latest findings and research on Maya history, mythology, religion and predictions about the future.
References
[*] As stated several times, the katun prophecies repeated every 256 years thus wouldn’t this mean the Maya believed this comet would have returned every 256 years thereby invalidating the previous conclusion of a 12,500 year cycle? Astronomer and Mayan scholar Maud Makemson argued in her book The Book of the Jaguar Priest that many of the katun prophecies were likely earlier related to the baktuns and when the Maya stopped using the Long Count calendar the priests simply converted these baktun prophecies into katun prophecies. Yet this does not completely solve the problem for if this was true then it suggests the Maya believed this comet returned once every 5000 years. Thus could the Kukulkan prophecy have been unrelated to neither the katun or baktun cycles? The key words in this particular prophecy that support this possibility are, “Kukulcan shall come with them for the second time.” If this event were supposed to have happened once every 256 years then why would the Maya specify that this return was the second one? Perhaps this phrase was to alert a future Mayan calendar priest that this particular prophecy would only be fulfilled in the Katun 4 Ahau period at the end of the Long Count ‘Great Cycle’ in 2012.
[] Coincidentally, the ancient Greek deity Atlas was associated with holding up the sky and was also associated with the Pleiades since the seven stars were seen as his seven daughters. One of these daughters was named, interestingly enough, Maia and another, Electra, was transformed into a comet.
[1] “Foundation for the Study of Cycles.” FoundationForTheStudyofCycles.org. Accessed online 18 August 2012 at < http://www.foundationforthestudyofcycles.org/>.
[2] “Foundation for the Study of Cycles.” FoundationForTheStudyofCycles.org. Accessed online 18 August 2012 at < http://www.foundationforthestudyofcycles.org/>.
[3] “Earthquakes, Tsunami’s, and the Seismic Cycle.” Tectonics.CalTech.edu. Accessed online 12 September 2012 at <http://www.tectonics.caltech.edu/outreach/animations/subduction_youtube.html>.
[4] Vaquero, J.M. “A 250-year cycle in naked-eye observations of sunspots.” GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 29, 1997, 4 PP., 2002. Accessed online 4 September 2012 at <http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2002/2002GL014782.shtml>.
[5] Asher, D. J., et al. “Earth in the Cosmic Shooting Gallery.” Observatory. Accessed online 21 October 2012 at <http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?2005Obs...125..319A&data_type=PDF_HIGH&whole_paper=YES&type=PRINTER&filetype=.pdf>.
[6] Baille, Mike. New Light on the Black Death: The Cosmic Connection. Tempus, 2006, p.199.
[7] “Tunguska event.” Wikpedia.org. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event>.
[8] Finsinger, Walter and Willy Tinner. “Holocene vegetation and land use changes in response to climatic changes in the forelands of the southwestern Alps, Italy.” Journal of Quaternary Science. Wiley InterScience. 2006: Vol. 1, pp. 243-258. Accessed online 16 August 2012 at < http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/bio/2008-0930-200335/Finsinger_06_ Holocene vegetation.pdf>.
[9] Vaquero, J.M. “Sunspot numbers can detect pandemic influenza A: The use of different sunspot numbers.”
[10] Hayes, Daniel P. “Influenza pandemics, solar activity cycles, and vitamin D.” Medical Hypotheses. 2010 May;74(5):831-4. Accessed online 4 September 2012 at <http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_file.php?fileId=201>.
[11] Hayes, Daniel P. “Influenza pandemics, solar activity cycles, and vitamin D.” Medical Hypotheses. 2010 May;74(5):831-4. Accessed online
