New book on THE MAYA now available

Posted November 30, 2022

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Since Michael Coe passed away, his legacy is continued with a now a 10th edition of his book, THE MAYA, co-authored by Stephen Houston. The same was the tradition when Sylvanus Morley passed away. Another archaeologist, Robert J. Sharer, co-authored a 4th edition in 1983 and then 5^th edition update in 1994 (a whopping 892 pages). And then gradually when 90% of the book was new information, the sole authorship appropriately passed to the new author Robert Sharer for 6th edition in 2005, with Loa P. Traxler as co-author.

The 10th edition 2022 is an update of the also co-authored 9th edition 2015 (when Coe was still at his desk). 10th edition is 320 pages, Thames & Hudson.

A photo by Nicholas Hellmuth is on page 95. This photograph shows our lighting style; our goal is to bring out all the details so you can see the different motifs. So we put our portable studio lights at special angles to help show the iconography. I estimate this Costa Sur area Teotihuacan-oid style incensario lid is in the Museo Popol Vuh, Universidad Francisco Marroquin. It helps when an artifact is authentic (as is this) without modern adornments being glued on.

The jade mosaic jar in Fig. 5.49 was jade mosaic on a wooden container; the wood obviously rotted over a thousand years ago but could be reconstructed. This was discovered by Hellmuth in the Tomb of the Jade Jaguar in 1965 and its position in the Burial 196 is shown in Hellmuth’s Harvard undergraduate thesis (nice photo in THE MAYA is by another photographer).

Stephen Houston is both an epigrapher and archaeologist so he brings diverse recent information to this general introduction to Classic Maya culture. The pre-Maya and Post Classic Maya are also covered. Many aspects of ancient Maya culture are still alive in rural areas of both the Maya Highlands and the Maya Lowlands so it is good reading to learn about this civilization

I and FLAAR (in USA) and FLAAR Mesoamerica (Guatemala) recommend this book. It shows the advances in studies that reveal fresh new information.

Iconography of Classic Maya Enema Rituals, Maya Lowlands

Posted November 17, 2022

The enema ritual often involved a long ceremony before actually inserting the enema syringe. Tepeu 1 bowls and Tepeu 2 vases and bowls show dozens of individuals in elaborate rituals. Elsewhere only a few people are present (in Early Classic scenes).

In Late Classic scenes females often administer the enema. The women however they themselves do not receive enemas.

On Monday evening, Nov 21, 2022, a PowerPoint presentation will be delivered by Nicholas Hellmuth on his research on enemas that started in 1977, immediately after Furst and Coe announced their discovery in March 1977. This research by Hellmuth on the iconography and Peter De Smet on the chemical aspects won the Ig Nobel Prize 2022 for art history for Dr Hellmuth and Dr Peter De Smet. The iconographic aspect has been updated for the November 2022 presentation.

Classic Maya Enema Ritual Iconography

The Mysterious World of Maya Enemas

• Enema Jugs
• Enema Syringes
• Enema Bibs
• Enema Rituals
• Jaguars in Enema Rituals
• Females in Enema Rituals
• Hand-carried jugs or same jugs hung from necklace

8 pm EST, 7 PM CT, via ZOOM, via The Aztlander (newsletter) (link is on attached PDF) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89340702821

For zoologists: in addition to the common jaguar, deer, monkeys and other animals (or people in animal costumes) are occasionally present.

For iconographers: this ritual is shown in this PowerPoint much more often than published so far. Women are present in many of the scenes, however they themselves do not receive enemas; the females prepare the men to receive the injection.

For epigraphers: updated study is needed of all the hieroglyphs and symbols associated with the enema jug and participants. The lecture shows dozens of enema jugs. Many of these jugs have hieroglyphs on the jug and other symbols nearby.

For botanists: LOTS of plants were ingredients in the enemas. Peter De Smet has studied this aspect in his PhD and subsequently. I still estimate that lots more plants were added (including possibly cacao). His documentation will be cited in the bibliography.

The lecture will be in English but questions can be asked and answered also in Spanish.

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Master Class: Representaciones de jaguares en rituales mayas del periodo clásico by Nicholas Hellmuth

Posted November 15, 2022

Learn more here
Wednesday November 30th 6:PM Edificio del Museo Popol Vuh Q30 Students and tourism guides with a valid ID Q15 Q40

This presentation on art and iconography of jaguars in the murals of Bonampak and Cacaxtla and in the stelae, lintels, vases, bowls and plates of the Classic Maya is potentially the most complete full-color presentation on this subject.

Those that attend in-person will be able to ask questions before-after-or during each aspect of the conference. This is labeled as a Master Classic, so much more than just."a lecture".

Lots of edible terrestrial bromeliads in Maya Lowlands of Peten

Posted June 16, 2022 by Nicholas Hellmuth

Aechmea magdalenae has an edible pineapple shaped “fruit.” The individual parts are edible; so it's different than a cultivated pineapple. Bromelia karatas is another edible terrestrial bromeliad (so a bromeliad that does not grow in trees). Lots of other edible terrestrial bromeliads in the Maya Lowlands.

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This first 16 pages is just an introduction. We have longer reports in preparation for each laguneta west of Lake Yaxha and the inlet at the southwest side of Lake Yaxha. But we wanted to start with showing how 90% of printed maps and Google maps on the Internet don’t show any name for the Laguneta La Guitarra (also named Laguneta El Juleque in Plan Maestra reports of the PNYNN). And we point out the confusion of names: Juleque for the lagoon over the other side of the hill; and Julequito for an inlet on the east side of the hill; an inlet of Lake Yaxha so not really a separate lagoon.

We are making lists of what plants in grassland savannas, cibales, and tasistal savannas of the RBG are edible. Since you have to hike many kilometers to reach these never-before-studied savannas, you also find wild native plants in the bajos that are also edible.

Aechmea bracteata also has edible parts. We found lots in Nakum area and Poza Maya area of Parque Nacional Yaxha, Nakum and Naranjo (PNYNN).

Bromelia pinguin also has edible parts: we found this in Nakum and other sectors of PNYNN.

Cacao species and regional variants for Maya chocolate in Guatemala

Posted June 8, 2022 by Nicholas Hellmuth

We continue to find regional variants of Mayan cacao. We will return with a 3-meter tall ladder so we can photograph each Theobroma species and each variant of Theobroma cacao up in the trees. We will bring portable studio lighting and a photography team.

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Not all these pods are Theobroma cacao! Estimate how many are Theobroma cacao and which are other species? More to come: we visited a lot of Mayan cacao trees in kitchen gardens around Mayan houses; lots more than just "chocolate trees."

Not all these pods are Theobroma cacao! Estimate how many are Theobroma cacao and which are other species? More to come: we visited a lot of Mayan cacao trees in kitchen gardens around Mayan houses; lots more than just "chocolate trees."

Spanish interview at El Búho with Dr Nicholas Hellmuth

Posted June 6, 2022

FLAAR Mesoamerica Founder, Dr Nicholas Hellmuth was invited by El Búho and Canal Más TV to speak about his many years of experience in Guatemala and how he created FLAAR Mesoamérica and MayanToons and about more of what we do. Here you can watch the entire interview held in Spanish.

Edible vanilla orchids grows wild throughout the Maya Lowlands and Maya Highlands

Posted May 19, 2022

Veracruz is the best known area for mass production of vanilla. Did the Totonac spread vanilla production over a thousand years ago? But the Olmecs were also in Veracruz plus Tabasco. Adjacent to the Classic Maya ruins of Comalcalco (Tabasco) is a cacao orchard with vanilla growing up and down the shade trees. So was the route Veracruz-Tabasco-Peten?

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Whoa, there are several species of wild vanilla orchid vines in Peten, Belize (and in Campeche, Quintana Roo, Chiapas, etc.). In May 2022 we found wild Vanilla insignis vines flowering in two different bajo areas of Peten (Los Pescaditos-La Gloria which is west of Uaxactun; and along the road from Yaxha to Nakum). We will have two FLAAR Reports ready during June to show the vanilla vines and to discuss all the wild vanilla plants that the Maya had. So no need for Veracruz or Tabasco to have introduced this (though processing technology information could have been shared).

Flavoring chocolate (foods and drinks from Theobroma cacao) is the best known use of vanilla but vanilla has many more uses past, present, and future. I am curious why no vanilla flowers or vanilla beans have been featured in palace scenes.

It helps to stay at the Ecolodge El Sombrero to accomplish field work to find and photograph wild orchids in flower. Be sure to have a licensed registered Peten area guide with you and high-axel 4WD for the road from Yaxha to Nakum. No SUV can survive the deep ruts. You can rent a vehicle and driver from the hotel.

Lots of edible seed pods from Gonolobus vines of PNYNN

Posted March 21, 2022

Gonolobus is a vine we are interested in because parts of some species are eaten, especially in Peten and adjacent Alta Verapaz. Best before it is totally ripe; you eat as if it were guisquil asado (Teco, personal communication, 2022).

The photos by park ranger Teco (Moises Daniel Perez Diaz) are in Parque Nacional Yaxha, Nakum and Naranjo (PNYNN), near the border of Yaxha-Nakum area and adjacent Parque Nacional Tikal (PNAT). North of Yaxha, but closer to Nakum, en route from El Tigre. After El Tigre (forest consession of Arbol Verde), (CONAP) campamento La Perra.

El Tigre is where you can climb the pyramid and to see Temple IV on the horizon. Comparable view from climbing the main temple pyramid of El Zotz: from there you can see Tikal on the horizon from a different angle.

There are several species of Gonolobus vines native to different parts of Peten. Two species we raise in our FLAAR. Here are photos of seed pods of one of these vines in our garden (today, 21 March, 2022). They are not yet mature; a few weeks more and they will pop open and the seeds will fluff out on kapok-like cotton parachutes (like Ceiba kapok).

We show additional photographs on our www.Maya-ethnobotany.org web site.

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Achievements:
Livingston Biodiversity Documentation

Posted March 16, 2022

Join us in our "Livingston Biodiversity Documentation" to learn about our achievements and experiences during our field trips.

This presentation will be in Spanish starting 6 PM on Thursday, 17 March.