The Visionary Mayan Queen: Yohl Ik'Nal of Palenque (15 page)

“This must be the great northern sea,” thought Yohl Ik’nal. She was astonished that the sea could be so immense. “The woman must be Elie, grown up as I am.” There was a resemblance in eyes and mouth that made it likely, where was she going? But it was not possible to enter the woman’s thoughts or contact her consciousness. The expression on the woman’s face was one of eagerness and curiosity.

“She is going on an adventure, perhaps she is coming to visit my land, as she promised.”

The thought of home snapped her back to the rocky clearing. She sat for a few moments, reflecting upon her journey and grateful for the vision. What it might mean for people from such a far away, vastly different culture to come to the lands of the Maya, she could not fathom. She knew Elie had a good heart and would do no harm, but the men seemed ominous. Their thin lips and small sharp noses, ruthless eyes and wind-dried ruddy skin left a menancing impression. Flitting on the edges of her mind was the realization that this journey of her friend and the stern men was in a distant future.

Bass blares from eight long trumpets resonated throughout Lakam Ha, their summons echoing through courtyards and alleys. Standing on the top platform of the city’s tallest pyramid, the trumpeters projected four blasts in each of the four directions. The mid-morning sun burned through thin mists hovering around mountaintops, dispelling the last tendrils. In the sun’s annual journey across the sky, it was now halfway between its farthest north and farthest south positions. This was the time of balance, when day and night were equal in length. The calendar priests marked equinox by sighting first rays of the rising sun at the central marker of the sun pyramid. At the solstices, the first rays hit either the north or south marker when the sun reached the extremities of its annual travels.

It was the time of fall equinox, leading to renewing winter rains. While an important time in itself, the day was doubly important for it marked the wedding of the daughter of Kan Bahlam, K’uhul B’aakal Ahau. The ceremony was performed in the central plaza so all people of Lakam Ha could partake in this holy ritual. The marriage ceremony reenacted union between the B’aakal royal family and the lineage founders, the deities of Matawiil. Proper rituals anchored spiritual into physical and sealed the union of lineage holders. As above with patron gods and goddesses, so below with humans of royal blood. This was necessary and kept the realms of humans, nature and deities in alignment.

After the ceremony, commoners and nobles alike would indulge in a great feast with much dancing and drinking that would continue through the night.

In the center of the plaza a thick rope marked off an area in the shape of a square representing the cosmos. For the Maya, the cosmos was quadripartite, having four parts with multiple expressions that repeated from the infinite to the smallest of things. The earth was formed to reflect the quadripartite cosmos, having four cardinal directions. Each direction had its Pauhautun who held up the firmament, its Bakab - Lord of Winds, its Chaak - Lord of Waters. The relationships among them formed an equal-sided cross, a symbol of highest reverence.

The cardinal points began with the east where the sun rises, Lak’in, chak zib Chaak, the red color of new light; then crossed to the west where the sun sets, Chik’in, ek zib Chaak, the black color of the watery underworld; then to the north, Xaman, sak zib Chaak, the white color of cold winds and polar stars; and last to the south, Nohol, kan zib Chaak, the yellow color of warmth, growth and emergence.

At each cardinal point, flowers the colors of the direction were placed, along with elements representing that point: fire for the east, water for the west, earth soil for the north, and wind symbols for the south. Colored cloth mats for each direction filled in the four quadrants of the rope square. In the center was a carved stone image of the Wakah Chan Te – Jeweled Tree with its nine roots for the Underworld, thick trunk for the Middleworld, and thirteen branches for the Upperworld. This sacred tree connected the dimensions of Maya existence; all were necessary for the roots must nourish the trunk and branches, the trunk must convey sap with life force energies up and down, and the branches with leaves must draw in the sun’s light and spiritual sustenance from the cosmos for life on earth.

Musicians began playing flutes, drums and whistles as people gathered at plaza edges. The ahauob stood on stairways around the plaza while chanting priests and priestesses surrounded the rope square. At each cardinal point, priests blew large conches with red-tinged shells whose blaring voice was echoed by higher tones of the priestesses’ small white conches. The conch chorus announced the marriage ceremony.

From the south palace, the ruler’s family descended broad stairs toward the rope square. They made a splendid troupe with bobbing feather headdresses, shining metallic and gemstone jewelry, and richly colored clothes of the finest fabrics and weaving. Simultaneously, another entourage emerged from the east side of the plaza. This was the family of Hun Pakal, also extravagantly attired in their finery. The groups came to the edge of the rope square, to cheers and whistles of the gathered people.

The High Priest Ah K’in Wak Batz and the High Priestess Ix K’in Lahun Uc entered the square and stood on either side of the sacred tree of life. Silence fell upon the crowd as the marriage pair emerged from their surrounding families and entered the rope square, she from the south and he from east.

The sun at zenith caught opalescent shells of Yohl Ik’nal’s headdress. Silvery metallic discs glimmered in her huipil, spirals inside white starbursts. Sparkling like the stars, these flashes of brilliance contrasted with dark blue fabric draping her lissome shape. Hun Pakal radiated golden tones from metallic beading on his short skirt, as his magnificent neck collar shimmered in multi-colored jades from warm tan to bright forest green. Feathers of red, yellow, black and white hung in overlapping layers from the neck collar. His headdress was the stylized corn plant with long drooping feather leaves behind and cobs dangling in front. A tuft of hair arched over his forehead, representing corn silk.

The marriage pair was dressed to symbolize core concepts in Maya cosmology. The styles and colors of her attire conjured the Cosmic Mother, Ix Muwaan Mat, the creatrix and ancestor of B’aakal, through the deep blue of infinite skies filled with silvery stars and spiral galaxies. He embodied the young maize god, Yum K’ax, whose golden cornsilks, yellow kernels and green foliage represented the power to sustain growth and life, bringing abundance to the people.

The couple stood beside the Wakah Chan Te, as the High Priest and Priestess chanted invocations to call down the presence of these deities and merge them with the humans readied by costume—and also days of fasting, prayer and visioning to be pure and fit vessels. Waves of copal smoke poured from incensers and filled the air with woody pungency. Simply breathing these sacred fumes was enough to put most Mayas into an altered state of consciousness. Indeed, the entire plaza seemed to quiver in anticipation, breathless in this suspended moment, entering a shimmering dimension on the edge of different realities.

The contingent of priests and priestesses took up a soft, rhythmic chant as the couple went to each cardinal direction, beginning in the east, to perform element rituals. Together they lifted an incense cup with glowing coals and placed twigs inside; immediately a small fire burst forth and they murmured a prayer to the Lords of the East as they moved the cup in form of a Maya cross: east to west, north to south, then a circle counter-clockwise and another clockwise. This completed, they proceeded across the square to the west, taking a cup of water, praying to the Lords of the West, and performing the ritual cross-clock movements. Next to the north, lifting a cup of soil and doing ritual for the Lords of the North, and last to the south, lifting a cup with smoking copal for the air and doing ritual for the Lords of the South.

Returning to the center, the couple gave symbolic gifts to each other. Drawing from ancient roots of Maya agricultural traditions, Hun Pakal gave her a cob of corn and several cacao pods as the raw materials for making food and drink. After accepting these, Yohl Ik’nal offered him a prepared maize cake and cup of cacao as the food fashioned from his raw materials. Both nibbled of the maize cake and sipped the cup of cacao, sweetened with honey to signify the pleasures of married life. Once he had eaten of food prepared by her hand, the marriage bond was made between them. Among commoners, marriages were sealed by this simple gesture without accompanying ceremony. A man would go to the palapa house of a woman, where she would feed him, and they were considered married.

The High Priestess spoke:

“Hun Pakal, you have eaten of food prepared by the hand of Yohl Ik’nal. By this act, your marriage is accomplished. Now I will bind your hands that all may see that your lives are bound together in everything that happens. You are the provider and the seed, she is the preparer, the bearer and the nurturer. Together may you bring forth progeny, abundance and happiness with the grace of the gods.”

Taking a strand of red agate beads, she wrapped his right and her left wrists together, lifting their arms so the crowd could see. Approving roars issued from thousands of throats. The High Priestess then led the couple around the square with arms lifted, displaying the bound wrists to continued waves of approval.

The couple returned to the center, and the High Priest approached with a large cloak of purest white trimmed in a geometric border of red and black. He swung the cloak out in a dramatic flare, then settled it around the couple’s shoulders until they were completely enclosed.

“May the sacred energies of love and honoring life surround you and enclose you in their protection,” intoned the High Priest. He seemed straighter, voice steadier than usual. “As this cloak is a barrier to the wind and cold, may you always protect your marriage from the dulling forces of daily living, from the negative forces of bitterness and resentment, from the harmful gossip of evil-sayers. Keep your hearts open to the truth in each other. Listen well and speak with care. Remember your highest loyalty is to each other, even as you are loyal to B’aakal and our Triad Gods. Here we invoke the deities’ protection of your spirits so that love grows within you as one.”

The High Priest and Priestess joined voices for a series of chants, with a chorus in response by the priesthood around the square. The names of all the Maya deities were intoned with a call for protection and guidance throughout the couple’s life together and continuing to their progeny.

With this ritual the wedding was completed. The cloak and wrist cords were removed, and the couple walked slowly toward the royal family group, up the broad stairs and into the palace while wooden and turtle carapace drums beat a stately cadence. The sun had dropped midway through its afternoon descent, long shadows reaching across the city on the plateau. People returned to their homes and chores, while the priests and priestesses ceremoniously removed the marriage ritual accoutrements and de-sanctified the plaza. Soon thereafter the work crew readied the area for feasting.

Although the ahauob would feast and drink in the palace courtyard with the ruler and his family, and the commoners would over-indulge in rich food and drink that they only accessed on such special occasions, the marriage couple was by custom allowed to be alone this evening. They were still in sacred space, and remained so through their first night together as their marriage was consummated. The following day they would participate in another round of feasting and celebration.

But this night they were alone together. A light meal was brought to their chambers and left by discreet servants. The heavy curtains closing doorways were pulled tight. As dusk settled, the couple—ritually undressed of their marriage costumes and bathed for purification—were reunited in their secluded chambers.

Hun Pakal was already there when Yohl Ik’nal entered. She wore the fabric from the market at the flower war, sewn by her own hand into a loose-fitting dress with long sleeves. The transparent material of pale blue, with large orange rounds decorated in yellow geometric symbols, draped gracefully around her form. It rippled and flowed with each movement, even with her breath. The silkiness caressed her skin with sensuousness that was cooling and exciting at the same time, making her skin feel tingly. She was aware of her erect nipples as the fabric slipped like water around every contour and revealed what lay beneath. Still in a state of ritual consciousness, she felt amazing calmness deep inside while her heartbeat raced.

Leaping to his feet, Hun Pakal drew in a sharp breath of admiration.

“Aaah, my precious one, you are so beautiful!”

She bowed her head, causing her long unbound hair to slip around her shoulders. She reached both hands toward him; he quickly moved to cradle her hands in his. He was dressed simply in white loincloth and short cape with embroidered border.

He slipped his arms around her and drew her close, fingering the fabric.

“Incredible, what fine material,” he murmured. “Fine as it must be for one so perfect, so lovely.”

They touched noses and he nuzzled the hollow of her neck. As the contours of their bodies melded, powerful passions coursed through both and food was entirely ignored.

In the melodic but clipped tones of the Mayan language, he said:

“Ti hebix u hok’ol yalche y tipil lol.”

You are as the flower that emerges and blossoms.

“Chamuibtasbon kolonton,”
she whispered into his ear.

You perfume my heart.

“Xk’uxub kolonton.”
His voice was husky with desire.

My heart aches for you.

“Ti tech in dzama in wuinclil yetel in vol.”

To you I surrender my body and spirit.

And Yohl Ik’nal did surrender herself—heart, body and spirit—into Hun Pakal’s empassioned embrace for a night of ecstasy beyond her imagining.

3

The great calendar of the Maya, the Long Count of the Baktuns that stretched into the past beyond the formation of stars and galaxies, and projected into the future beyond the death of planets and suns, had reached a significant point for the Maya of B’aakal. In this Long Count, set at 13 Baktuns followed by a string of four zeros when the present creation began, an important milestone had arrived. Now Fourth Sun in which halach uinik-real people had come into being, the katun count rolled over from Katun 6 to Katun 7. The other three values – tuns, uinals and kins – reset to zero. On this day in mid-winter, with pounding rains and boiling rivers, as Lakam Ha sat drenched upon its mountain ridge, the Long Count became: