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The Books of Chilam Balam are handwritten, chiefly 17th and 18th-centuries Maya miscellanies, named after the small Yucatec towns where they were originally kept, and preserving important traditional knowledge in which indigenous Maya and early Spanish traditions have coalesced. Written in the Yucatec Maya language and using the Latin alphabet, the manuscripts are attributed to a legendary author called Chilam Balam, a ''chilam'' being a priest who gives prophecies and ''balam'' a common surname meaning 'jaguar'. Some of the texts actually contain prophecies about the coming of the Spaniards to Yucatán while mentioning a ''chilam'' Balam as their first author.〔Roys 1967: 3, 186-187〕 Nine Books of Chilam Balam are known,〔Paxton 2001:193-194〕 most importantly those from Chumayel, Mani, and Tizimin,〔Roys 1967:6〕 but more have existed. Both language and content show that parts of the books date back to the time of the Spanish conquest of the Yucatec kingdoms (1527–1546). In some cases, where the language is particularly terse, the books appear to render hieroglyphic script, and thus to hark back to the pre-conquest period. ==Contents== Taken together, the Books of Chilam Balam give the fullness of 18th-century Yucatec-Maya spiritual life. Whereas the medical texts and chronicles are quite matter-of-fact, the riddles and prognostications make abundant use of traditional Mayan metaphors. This holds even more true of the mythological and ritualistic texts, which, cast in abstruse language, plainly belong to esoteric lore. The historical texts derive part of their importance from the fact that they have been cast in the framework of the native Maya calendar, partly adapted to the European calendrical system. Reconstructing Postclassic Yucatec history from these data has proven to be an arduous task. The following is an overview of the sorts of texts - partly of Mesoamerican, and partly of Spanish derivation - found in the Chilam Balam books. 1. History *''Histories'', cast in the mold of the indigenous calendar: migration legends; narratives concerning certain lords of the indigenous kingdoms; and chronicles up to and including the Spanish conquest. *''Prognostication'', cast in the framework of the succession of ''haab''s (years), ''tun''s (360-day periods) and ''katun''s (20X360-day periods). *''Prophecy'', ascribed to famous early 16th-century oracular priests. 2. Formularies with Metaphors *''Collections of riddles'', used for the confirmation of local lords into their offices (the so-called ‘language of Zuyua’). 3. Myth and Mysticism *''Myth'', particularly the destruction and re-creation of the world as connected to the start of katun 11 Ahau.〔Knowlton 2010:53-85〕 *''Ritualistic mysticism'', particularly concerning the creation of the twenty named days (''uinal''); the ritual of the ‘Four Burners’ (''ahtoc''); and the birth of the maize, or ‘divine grace’ (the so-called 'Ritual of the Angels').〔Roys 1967:107-113〕 4. Practical Calendars and Classifications *''Classifications according to the twenty named days'' (correlating birds of tiding, plants and trees, human characters, and professional activities). *''Treatises on astrology, meteorology, and the Catholic liturgical calendar'' (the so-called ''reportorios de los tiempos''). The astrology is Ptolemaic and includes the European zodiac. *''Agricultural almanacs''. 5. Medical Recipes *''Herbal medicine'': The Chilam Balam books contain the sort of medical prescriptions that derive from Greek and Arab traditions, rather than the Mayan ‘incantation approach’, as represented by the Ritual of the Bacabs.〔Paxton 2001: 191〕 6. Spanish Traditions *''Roman Catholic instruction'': feast days of the saints, tracts, and prayers. *''Spanish romance'', such as the tale of the ‘Maiden Theodora’. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chilam Balam」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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