A Maya Glossary

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Linda Schele Drawings

A Maya Glossary

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Ahau or Ahaw: Lord. Also, last day of the tzolkin.
Atlantean Figure: Column carved into a figure.
Atlatl: Spear thrower.
Aztecs: Native Americans who occupied the region around Mexico City at the time of the Spanish Conquest.
Bacabs: Four gods who held up the sky in Maya cosmology.
Baktun: A period of ~400 years. In actuality it is 400 times 360 days.
Balam: Jaguar in Yucatec Maya.
Ball Game: Games played on an I shaped field, with a rubber ball. The ball was kept in play with the arms and legs, but not the hands or feet. The size of the ball varied over time, as did the rules of the game. Played through Mesoamerica, and into what is now the Southwest United States. Maya kings frequently listed one of the titles as being a ball-player.
Cacao: Seeds from which chocolate is extracted.
Ceiba: Very large tree of the Maya regions, considered sacred.
Cenote: A sinkhole formed by underground water eroding away limestone. The ceiling collapses, allowing access to the water below. Cenotes were the primary source of water in the Yucatan peninsula.
Chac mool: Stone reclining figure with a receptical for offerings on it's stomach.
Chilam Balam: A series of books written by various Maya tribes in Spanish after the Spanish Conquest. The content probably came directly from Maya codices.
Chol: Maya language and ethnic group.
Codex (plural Codices): Ancient book. Maya books were composed in a fan-fold manner with paper coated with lime. They were hand painted.
Copal: Incense.
Corballed Arch: A false arch constructed by putting ceiling tiles closer together on each successive layer until a capstone could be laid.
Eccentric Flint: Flint cut in a pattern.
Emblem Glyph: Glyph designating a polity of the Maya.
Epigraphy: The study of writing.
Glyph: A written symbol.
Haab: A 365 day period broken into 18 twenty day periods plus a five day period.
Hero Twins: Two characters from the Popol Vuh.
Hotun: Five year Maya period.
Huipil: Embroidered female dress.
Initial Series: The starting glyphs of a passage that starts with a Long Count.
Katun: A period of approximately 20 years. In actuality it is 20 times 360 days.
Kin: The word for the Sun. Also one day in the Maya Calendar.
Lintel: The upper beam of a door or window.
Long Count: A count of days from the Maya start of this creation. In the most popular correlation the zero date is August 13th, 3114 BC.
Maya: Native Americans populating regions of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras.
Milpa: Corn field, generally created by slash-and-burn agriculture.
Mixtec: The Native American people populating the region in the modern Mexican state of Oaxaca.
Olmec: The oldest pre-Columbian civilized society in Mesoamerica. They occupied the regions in the modern Mexican states of Veracruz and Tobasco.
Pahuatun: Wind gods that occupied and represented the four directions.
Peten: The region covering Southern Yucatan and Northern Guatemala.
Popol Vuh: A book written in the Maya language of Quiche shortly after the Spanish Conquest in Spanish. However, it covers many stories of Maya mythology.
Puuc: The region in Southwest Yucatan and Northeast Campeche, with a distinctive architecture.
Quetzal: A plumed jungle bird, highly prized for its tail feathers in Maya costumes.
Rabinal Achi: A Maya Play encompassing some Maya history.
Roofcomb: The part of a Maya temple that extends over the usable area. Frequently carved with glyphs and figures.
Sacbe: White road. A Maya man-made causeway for travel from one place to another.
Sahal: Sub-lord.
Short Count: A Maya technique of measuring time that designates a Katun that a particular event occurred in.
Stela: A Maya stone monolith, frequently engraved with hieroglyphs.
Toltec: Native Americans from the city of Tollan.
Tun: A period of approximately one year. In actuality, 360 days.
Tzolkin: A calendar system recording a period of 260 day, with two parts: a number from 1 to 13, and a day name.
Uinal or Winal: A period of 20 days.
Xibalba: The Maya underworld.

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	A Maya Glossary	Search [chkjckij]
Previous Next Maya Info A Maya Overview Maya Photos Maya Meetings Maya Related Works Maya Vase Database Linda Schele Drawings A Maya Glossary Other Important Papers about the Maya Links Other Xoc managed sites: https://mayacalendar.xoc.net http://www.mayameetings.org http://www.xoc.net http://www.986faq.com http://grr.xoc.net http://www.yachtslog.com	Ahau or Ahaw Lord. Also, last day of the tzolkin. Atlantean Figure Column carved into a figure. Atlatl Spear thrower. Aztecs Native Americans who occupied the region around Mexico City at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Bacabs Four gods who held up the sky in Maya cosmology. Baktun A period of ~400 years. In actuality it is 400 times 360 days. Balam Jaguar in Yucatec Maya. Ball Game Games played on an I shaped field, with a rubber ball. The ball was kept in play with the arms and legs, but not the hands or feet. The size of the ball varied over time, as did the rules of the game. Played through Mesoamerica, and into what is now the Southwest United States. Maya kings frequently listed one of the titles as being a ball-player. Cacao Seeds from which chocolate is extracted. Ceiba Very large tree of the Maya regions, considered sacred. Cenote A sinkhole formed by underground water eroding away limestone. The ceiling collapses, allowing access to the water below. Cenotes were the primary source of water in the Yucatan peninsula. Chac mool Stone reclining figure with a receptical for offerings on it's stomach. Chilam Balam A series of books written by various Maya tribes in Spanish after the Spanish Conquest. The content probably came directly from Maya codices. Chol Maya language and ethnic group. Codex (plural Codices) Ancient book. Maya books were composed in a fan-fold manner with paper coated with lime. They were hand painted. Copal Incense. Corballed Arch A false arch constructed by putting ceiling tiles closer together on each successive layer until a capstone could be laid. Eccentric Flint Flint cut in a pattern. Emblem Glyph Glyph designating a polity of the Maya. Epigraphy The study of writing. Glyph A written symbol. Haab A 365 day period broken into 18 twenty day periods plus a five day period. Hero Twins Two characters from the Popol Vuh. Hotun Five year Maya period. Huipil Embroidered female dress. Initial Series The starting glyphs of a passage that starts with a Long Count. Katun A period of approximately 20 years. In actuality it is 20 times 360 days. Kin The word for the Sun. Also one day in the Maya Calendar. Lintel The upper beam of a door or window. Long Count A count of days from the Maya start of this creation. In the most popular correlation the zero date is August 13th, 3114 BC. Maya Native Americans populating regions of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras. Milpa Corn field, generally created by slash-and-burn agriculture. Mixtec The Native American people populating the region in the modern Mexican state of Oaxaca. Olmec The oldest pre-Columbian civilized society in Mesoamerica. They occupied the regions in the modern Mexican states of Veracruz and Tobasco. Pahuatun Wind gods that occupied and represented the four directions. Peten The region covering Southern Yucatan and Northern Guatemala. Popol Vuh A book written in the Maya language of Quiche shortly after the Spanish Conquest in Spanish. However, it covers many stories of Maya mythology. Puuc The region in Southwest Yucatan and Northeast Campeche, with a distinctive architecture. Quetzal A plumed jungle bird, highly prized for its tail feathers in Maya costumes. Rabinal Achi A Maya Play encompassing some Maya history. Roofcomb The part of a Maya temple that extends over the usable area. Frequently carved with glyphs and figures. Sacbe White road. A Maya man-made causeway for travel from one place to another. Sahal Sub-lord. Short Count A Maya technique of measuring time that designates a Katun that a particular event occurred in. Stela A Maya stone monolith, frequently engraved with hieroglyphs. Toltec Native Americans from the city of Tollan. Tun A period of approximately one year. In actuality, 360 days. Tzolkin A calendar system recording a period of 260 day, with two parts: a number from 1 to 13, and a day name. Uinal or Winal A period of 20 days. Xibalba The Maya underworld.
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