The ancient Mayan civilization
is without a doubt
one of the most important cultures
in the history of humanity.
But curiously,
a lot of myths have been created around it.
And among all these myths,
the best known in the world
is that of
“The Astronaut of Palenque”
Join me on a new journey of exploration and discovery
where we will visit archaeological ruins,
communities with ancient traditions
that will give us clues
about the meaning of the elements
of the image of The Astronaut of Palenque”.
But we will also go
to visit great museums
where we will know an exact copy
of Pakal's tombstone.
But the most important thing
is that we will carry out an iconographic analysis
with other Mayan elements
to be able to know without a doubt
what the true meaning
of this is known as the Astronaut of Palenque.
In the high mountains of Mexico,
sailing rivers alone,
collaborating in the rescue of our heritage
and documenting some of our almost disappeared traditions ...
But always with the advice of the best
and most recognized experts in each subject,
it is the way in which I take the history,
archeology
and decoding of ancient codices
through digital animations,
in order to know,
value
and protect
our beloved Mexico.
I am in the archaeological zone of Uxmal,
one of the most modern
and best organized Mayan cities of its time.
And the reason I am here
is to begin to put things in context:
without intention to belittle
and I repeat it to be very clear:
without intention to belittle!,
the Mayan culture it is very important,
it is beautiful
and with great achievements in different areas
such as the development of calendars
and the use of zero in mathematics.
But nowhere,
absolutely nowhere,
do we see an evolutionary leap
derived from contact with other civilizations.
Here in the city of Uxmal
we find different examples of the so-called "Mayan arch"
although the reality, and that is evident,
is that it is not an arch.
So this is about as close
as the Mayan civilization
was to the compression
of a circumference applied to architecture and physics.
Finally,
before entering the subject
and we are already talking about circumferences,
I comment that almost 800 years before
the Pakal tombstone was carved in Mexico,
which is known as "the astronaut of Palenque",
in ancient Greece
800 years before
the circumference of the earth
and the distance between the earth and the sun
had already been calculated with amazing precision…
Very important information if you want to travel through space!
But going back,
as you can see,
I find myself in the National Museum of Anthropology, in the CDMX
and I am here for a very curious reason:
in Palenque there is no access to Pakal's tomb
(besides you find many chickens on the road! I will tell you about that at the end)
but well,
in this museum you can visit an exact replica
and it is exactly this.
Now
according to the theories that postulate
this is an "alien"
or a "Mayan astronaut" piloting his spaceship ...
well this is the astronaut
and these are the controls and pedals he is activating.
This part is the propellants
and both this element and these others
are the exhaust gases that leave the ship.
This other element corresponds
to the nose of the ship.
And as everyone knows,
aliens are recognized for their great sense of humor!
and a sample of that we find here:
in this little bird that crossed right in front of the spaceship
... poor bird!
Join me on a journey
through different parts of Mexico
gathering information that allows us to know
the meaning of Pakal's tomb.
Well, as you can see
I am in the town of San Cristóbal de las Casas,
one of my favorite places in all of Mexico.
The reality is that here is my hotel room.
But what I want to show you and that is very important
is located in the town next door...
and that's where I'm headed at the moment.
I only ask for your patience.
Not for the horse!
It happens that what they will see may not seem very important
but in the end,
when we start to tie the dots
they will see that it is.
And well,
the truth is that getting to that town
is very easy and fast by public transport,
but I decided that it was more fun
to stretch our legs for a while ...
I mean the horse's legs!
I am in the town of San Juan Chamula.
This church is famous throughout the world
not only for the deep mysticism that is lived in the interior...
Here we also find
one of the greatest examples of religious syncretism.
Different ethnic groups coexist
in the town of San Juan Chamula
and all of them are from Mayan filming.
However,
what I am interested in showing you
is this cross
that seems to be the typical atrial cross
but is actually a Ceiba tree
the “sacred tree” of the Mayans!
When walking through the streets of San Juan Chamula
it is common to find this ceibas tree.
But leaving syncretism aside
what these ceibas represent
is the "Axis Mundi".
Thus, according to the accounts of Mayan mythology,
this sacred tree
sinks its roots in the underworld,
extends its branches through the different star levels
and becomes the axis that connects
the lower superior with the earthly world.
Now
this that I have just mentioned
is very important
to understand the precise meaning of Pakal's tombstone
and I refer to the ceiba tree
interpreted as “the cosmic tree”
and which in turn is “the Axis Mundi”.
In the Kohunlich archaeological zone
I have come across some of the most impressive ceiba trees that
I have had the opportunity to see
and particularly it is an ideal place
to quickly explain the concept of Axis Mundi.
Now,
using this magnificent Ceiba tree as a background,
I will give you a brief introduction to the basic concepts
of “sacred geometry”
which, by the way,
has nothing to do with esoteric issues
and which I talk about extensively
in another documentary…
But one of the many postulates of sacred geometry
mentions that the human body
is contained within a kind of prism
and here two horizontal axes are located
that divide "the four directions of the universe".
But we also find
a vertical axis
that connects the earthly level of men on the surface
with the underworld
and the higher or heavenly levels
and this is the Axis Mundi.
But let's continue gathering clues
and go to a perhaps unexpected place:
the Otomí region in central Mexico.
The Xamagé carnival festivities
have their origin in pre-Hispanic times
and the whole concept revolves around the struggle and sacrifice
derived from the scarcity of resources in the region.
In this place,
as in many other towns in Mexico,
Catholic festivals are accompanied
by pre-Hispanic rites.
Here people cross themselves
and then make a copal smoke offering
to “the four directions of the universe”
and also to the Axis Mundi.
This same religious greeting
is replicated by the cowboys in the area.
And finally
in a massive way
with the members of different communities
this offering is made to heaven,
to earth,
to the north and south
and east and west.
Not far from here,
on the edge of the town
you will find in this area with cave paintings.
Here we can see
what is interpreted as a group of people
surrounding and perhaps worshiping
a gigantic corn plant.
Is it possible that this corn plant
acts as an Axis Mundi
from which the four directions of the universe radiate?
Yes. It is probable.
I must comment
that many plants exchange roles as sacred elements.
Thus in the Mayan area the ceiba tree predominates,
but also the corn.
By the way,
all this that I am commenting is very important
to know the meaning of Pakal's tombstone.
So don't despair.
When we start tying up the dots
you will see that everything is connected!
This is the number one page
of the Fejérváry-Mayer codex.
What is represented here is,
among other things, "the four directions of the universe"
and as we can see in each direction there is a tree.
Now the course and the tree that interests us is this.
And how we can recognize branches curdled with thorns on its trunk
is a ceiba tree.
But wait! This coming is a very important fact:
As we can see
this ceiba tree is seen swollen in the trunk
and this has been interpreted as a symbol of "pregnancy";
as if she was going to give birth!
According to experts,
this codex has both Aztec and Mayan influences.
Oh! Look:
here is also a little bird!
What a coincidence, right?
No.
The truth is not a coincidence.
These are pages 49, 50, 51 and 52
of the Borgia codex.
These pages also represent,
among other things,
“the four courses of the universe”
and each course is represented by a tree
and as we observe on each tree is a bird.
Now,
explaining the meaning of each one would take too long
and for that there is the documentary "Sacred Geometry".
And what I want to make clear here
and for the subject that concerns us
is the iconography
and in that sense what I must highlight in addition to
"the four directions of the universe"
is that each course is represented by a tree
and this one has the shape of a cross.
Also on each tree we find a bird.
But in these images we discover a new element
and it is this one
that provides us with important information to solve the mystery
of Pakal's tombstone.
So; As we see,
each tree is born from an entity related to the underworld.
To understand the importance of these,
let's look at the last element,
the last piece of the puzzle,
before we begin to decipher
the tombstone of Pakal's tomb!
This other work in
I deciphered the page of a codex
related to the god Tlaloc.
On that occasion
I briefly told you about
“Cipactli, the monster of the earth”.
Cipactli is a mythical being
that floated in the primeval seas
and is often identified with a kind of colossal crocodile.
According to the myth Cipactli was cut in half
to create heaven and earth,
and these two halves of his body were separated and supported
by four trees placed
in the four directions of the universe.
Let's look at page 27 of the Borgia codex.
Here, at the bottom,
we find a representation of Cipactli,
although unfortunately it is already very damaged
so in order to explain it,
I am going to make a digital transfer,
reconstructing the missing parts a little.
And well this is Cipactli.
It is cut in half
and this is its lower part
that corresponds to the earth
and here we see some corn plants
growing on the surface
As you will remember
the cartoonists called “Tlacuilos”
were the ones who were in charge of painting the codices in ancient Mesoamerica
and as I already showed you in the documentary
"The Place Where the Trees Have Teeth",
although there was a kind of visual language
the reality is that each Tlacuilo interpreted it in a way,
let's say… personal!
This image is from page 44 of the Nuttall codex.
But give me the opportunity to eliminate
some elements that are not left over at this time,
such as this priest,
this calendrical element
and this mountain.
So what we are left with is a "sacred tree".
But do not think that it is any tree ...
No!
This is the Axis Mundi!
And we know it by several elements.
Some of us have already seen them.
Others are new:
like this division in two that represents two flows,
one ascending and another descending,
and that connect the celestial levels,
with the earthly
and the underworld
and vice versa!
This other element is a stream of blood
and is a reference to the mythical Tamoanchan tree,
which I also talked about in another documentary.
But ... wait!
How did we get to this point
and why am I talking about this?
Don't forget…
For the last clue we just saw:
Cipactli, “the monster of the earth”
And just like
that Cipactli we find it here,
synthesized
and represented only by its crocodile head
and acting as the root of the cosmic tree.
So
to close topics
and as we can see
the iconography can change
but the concepts are the same.
Well,
now,
in this same element,
we are going to analyze one last concept
before finally moving
on to deciphering the tombstone of Pakal's grave.
Do you remember the ceiba tree
that we saw a moment ago?,
the one that had been interpreted
as if it were "pregnant"?
Well,
what we are seeing in this image
is what has been interpreted
as a "cosmic tree"
from which the sun has just born.
This other image belongs to the Vindobonensis codex
whose origin is the Mixtec region of Oaxaca
and tells us about the birth of a caudillo
or a god.
But what matters to us for the subject we are dealing
with is that we see that this character is born
from the top of the sacred tree.
Well, what do you think ...
These were more than 15 minutes
just to gather pure information!
Perhaps more than one thinks that it was too much ...
But believe me:
I know these issues.
They arouse a lot of passion
and I am one of those who prefer
“to have all the flanks covered”
But we are already back at our point of origin:
the National Museum of Anthropology.
And by the way ...
see this fountain?
It represents Axis Mundi
and "the four directions of the universe".
A concept that,
as we have already seen,
is very common in all the cultures of ancient Mexico.
But let's go back to the Mayan culture room for,
now yes!
Start putting all the pieces of this puzzle together.
And well ...
What is the gravestone of Pakal's grave telling us?
Are you a Mayan astronaut?
Are you a visitor from space?
is it an ancient alien?
Absolutely not!
This is the tombstone of a tomb:
the tomb of Pakal,
a great Mayan ruler
who is fully documented.
And like the epitaphs in some modern tombs,
what these inscriptions tell us
are only the beliefs that were held
of a life after death.
In other words:
this is an aspect of the worldview of the Mayan culture.
But let's go to decipher it
by applying everything we saw earlier...
This is the correct position to analyze Pakal's headstone.
This is the Pakal ruler
and his posture,
quite unusual,
does not manipulate any kind of pedals
or controls of a spaceship.
On the contrary,
Pakal's position is that of a newborn
and as it is a tombstone,
we understand that Pakal is going to be reborn.
(See the attached video for more examples of newborn adults in Mayan art)
Well,
let's welcome our first clue:
the god being born from a sacred tree.
And now let's look at the sun
that rises from “the cosmic tree” the Axis Mundi
... And let's not forget,
of course,
the pregnant ceiba!
All of these are references of birth
or regeneration linked to "sacred trees"
And since we are talking about sacred trees ...
well, what do you think?
This element that arises or is born from Pakal himself
is a "sacred tree"!
In this sense, some researchers identify it as a "corn plant",
but others as a ceiba tree.
But what I want to highlight
in its stylized form,
very stylized!
It refers us to a cross
and this one not only reminds us
of the Crosses of the town of San Juan Chamula,
those that are not crosses ... that really are ceiba!
And as I was saying,
this stylized Cross
that is actually a "cosmic tree"
reminds us of other cosmic trees,
also stylized and cross-shaped
that I already showed you earlier.
Those related to the four directions of the universe
But wait.
Later we will talk more about this ...
But now we have to focus on what is known
as the "cosmic tree"
and the cosmic tree
is nothing more than the Axis Mundi,
and as we have already seen, the Axis Mundi
is that vertical axis
that connects the earthly level
with the different higher levels
and the underworld.
Thus, the connection with the higher levels
is found here
with this element that is
the "heavenly bird"
or the God Itzamnaaj.
At the bottom we find,
of course!
with “the monster of the underworld”
that is something like the Mayan equivalent of Cipactli
and likewise acts as the root of the "Cosmic Tree".
This will be perfectly clear later,
but in this case,
this monster is represented
in his dedication of
"the four-part monster".
Now,
the latter we know
from this symbol
that is of solar filiation
and how we can appreciate
it is divided into four directions,
lobes
or quadrants.
So,
as we can see,
all the concepts we saw
at the beginning of this documentary
begin to take shape
and meaning
in the figures carved in this tomb.
But we continue with the analysis
that other elements that are of great importance
are still missing,
such as this two-headed snake
that is a single entity,
but with characteristics of duality.
This fact is reinforced
with these two ages that emerge from their jaws
and that according to some researchers
could be the representation of the same God.
Now,
this other element,
let's say it is not common
but it is not strange either
and it was identified as an "astral path"
and in this case it is nothing more than
an extension of the body
or jaws of the “earth monster”.
So that;
what Pakal's tombstone actually tells us
has absolutely nothing to do with ancient aliens.
This tombstone (work of art!)
represents Pakal's death,
his descent into the underworld,
his rebirth
and his ascent
through the "Cosmic Tree"
or Axis Mundi
to the heavenly levels.
Well,
I know that at this moment many will say
"Okay: Pakal, the Tree, the Monster and the Bird ...
but I still see the shape of a spaceship!”
And of course!
We have been hearing about this pareidolia
for decades!!
But the curious thing
is that these pseudo-scientists
who postulate in the theory of "ancestral aliens"
only compare Pakal's tomb with space rockets
but never,
not even jokingly,
has it occurred to them to compare it
with other Mayan works of art ...
But I am going to do it!
Right here,
in the National Museum of Anthropology,
in the Mayan room
we find this other replica,
also from Palenque
and that is
"the Board of the Temple of the Cross".
As we will see below
in the iconographic analysis,
this piece has nothing to do with spaceships,
but it does bear a profound similarity
in terms of its symbolism with Pakal's tombstone.
By the way,
this is Pakal,
who although he had died a few years earlier,
is depicted alive.
Leaving aside the effigies of rulers
and calendrical symbols,
we will focus on a central element.
And here we can see another image
almost identical to the one found on Pakal's tombstone:
a "Cosmic Tree" or Axis Mundi
Well,
this possible ceiba tree
or corn plant
is born from the earth,
from the "monster of the underworld"
that as we see with this symbol
is also represented in its dedication of
"four-part monsters".
Another element of duality
but that when found intertwined
with the branches of the "Cosmic Tree"
could give a reference
to the "four directions of the universe",
is this two-headed serpent.
And finally,
crowning the upper level of this Axis Mundi
we see "The Heavenly Bird" again.
A further example,
also of Palenque
and of a similar temporality
is "the foliage cross board”.
Here we can distinguish practically
the same elements.
However, when it comes to formal treatment,
we do observe some differences.
For example,
the "Cosmic Tree",
the Axis Mundi
is in this case obviously a corn plant.
Now,
as far as the "Earth Monster"
is concerned, we continue to see a similar style here.
Even the element "of the four parts",
which is of solar filiation
and which shows us the "four directions of the universe"
is also present.
On the other hand,
in the "Foliage Cross"
the double-headed serpent is not found,
but in a similar way to the one that appears on Pakal's tombstone,
what we do find are two heads,
possibly deities,
which in one case, Pakal's,
they emerge from the jaws of the “double-headed serpent”
and that in the case of the foliage Cross
they emerge from the corn plant itself,
as if they were the ears of corn!
Even the vegetable fibers
act as the hair of the heads themselves
And finally,
to conclude this comparison,
we also see "the Heavenly Bird"
So,
as we can see in these three elements,
the styles between them are almost identical!
But also
the concept or message is without a doubt the same:
a "Cosmic Tree"
that connects the levels of the underworld
with the earthly
and the heavenly.
And the only difference
it has nothing to do with space rockets!
is that in one of these three examples Pakal appears
and appears for the simple reason o
f what his grave is
and why in this case
the concept of Axis Mundi
is the metaphor
that his rebirth and rise
from the underworld and to the celestial level .
While the other two examples
are simply stelae.
Well,
to conclude
I know that there will still be a skeptic.
Someone who is possibly thinking:
"Well, I understand the concept
but I don't see a relationship with the image."
"Those trees are very rare"
and
"the monster does not look like a crocodile" ...
Okay;
in principle you could say they are right
and yet they forget that this is not a naturalistic style.
On the contrary,
here the treatment of the images
is strongly schematized
But if you do not believe me
and have doubts,
then I "have an ace up your sleeve"
and this is the last image that I am going to share with you
to conclude the topic:
the stela number 25 of Izapa.
Izapa, like Palenque,
is located in the state of Chiapas
and is an archaeological zone
with great Mayan influence.
Now, as for this stela,
if we eliminate these elements ...
what are we left with?
Yes, obviously
here we see that the "monster of the earth"
is a crocodile!
and as for the "Cosmic Tree"
it is undoubtedly a ceiba tree.
Even the circular trunk formations
like those of the ceiba trees
that I showed you in Kohunlich archaeological zone
appear here
and also refer to the same crocodile skin
On the other hand,
here the Heavenly Bird looks quite naturalistic.
However, it has a great symbolic charge.
If we look closely we will see
that it has another face in the body
in the same way as the birds that I already showed you
in the past examples.
Why are these style changes
between the first three and the latter?
Well, it happens that the first ones
are of a similar temporality:
between the years 680, 690 and 700 of our era
and that of Izapa is dated between 300 and 50 BC.
This means
that there is a separation between them that goes
from the 700,
to almost a thousand years of difference
and obviously
in this long period of time
the styles changed,
evolved,
transformed;
although in its essence
the message remained the same.
Let's not forget
that neither Picasso nor Miguel Angel
painted in the same way
at the beginning,
as at the end of their careers.
Oh! Music is over!
But also the subject.
So again here,
in San Cristóbal de las Casas,
I will make the final considerations.
The great historian Alfredo López Austin
mentions in history the existence of something called
"the hard core"
and these are the "primordial elements",
the internal structure
of a worldview
that takes a long time to change.
As we have just seen
throughout this documentary,
the concept of "Axis Mundi"
and "the four directions of the universe"
remains in force,
not only in the Otomí region we visited.
We also saw it present
in the Cross - Ceibas tree of San Juan Chamula.
As for the elements that we analyzed,
we saw codices of the central zone of Mexico
and the Valleys of Oaxaca.
And well,
we also analyze various elements of Maya art
and after all the above
we found nothing,
absolutely nothing!
to support the theory of "ancient aliens".
But on the other hand
everything reinforces the concept
that Pakal's tomb
is this ruler's vision of his own rebirth
and his rise
from the underworld
to heavenly levels.
Only this and no more and no less!
On the other hand,
and excuse me for saying it,
but we also do not know our culture,
even the basic concepts!
That any pseudo-scientist
comes with a theory that is clearly stupid
and without foundations ...
and we believe it !!
It is sad and shameful.
"They keep giving us little mirrors"!
And ... “tan, tán".
This documentary is over!
cheers!!
I almost forgot to tell you the story of the chicken
Well, many will wonder:
"Why do you make a documentary about Palenque,
without having gone to Palenque?"
And the truth is that I did ... but I didn't!
It happens that in a town not far from Palenque
there were some children playing along the road
and with a chicken…
And well "casually"
that escapes them
and I passed with my truck on the chicken.
But here "the news flies",
and 10 meters ahead
was a group of armed men
who wanted to force me to pay for the dead chicken.
They said I should pay them $ 100 US for the chicken.
And if I paid that amount for the chicken,
I no longer had money to enter Palenque,
so I turned around and returned…
