Loyola College - Review Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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EQ. Y ОБА COLLEGE REVIEW HE peninsula of Yucatán, КА once the seat of a mighty М empire, projects into the BY blue waters of the Gulf 994 of Mexico, under the warm rays of the tropi- y) calsun, alasting memori- | al to the culture of the Maya race. Its aboriginal inhabitants have disappeared, its splendour is hidden under a dense and variegated veget- ation, its past is clad in mystery, but the piercing eye and adven- turous heart of the explorer and the untiring efforts of the scholar and hilologist have unravelled its secrets, y opening to the world the treasures of the proudest, most interesting and probably the most ancient race in America, and by deciphering the Calculi- form hieroglyphics which reveal to us all the splendour of its romantic civili- zation. Our purpose is not to show the analogies between the Maya and Egyp- tian or Oriental ruins, neither do we intend to make a deep and scientific investigation into their hieroglyphic script. The sole aim of this article is to give a broad view of Maya culture, as revealed to us from the five sources of information known to the modern archæologist: The architectural re- mains, including temples, palaces and stelæ—the literary evidence exhibited on these monuments—three native man- uscripts: the Codex Dresdensis, which is the earliest one; the Codex Peresianus kept in Paris, and the Codices Troano and Cortesianus, subsequently proved to be parts of the same manuscript which are to be found in Spain. All of these were written in pre-Conquest 57 Maya Civilization times. The third is the Codex Dresden- sis, which exhibits the closest relation to the most antique hieroglyphics. Our next chief source of information com- prises the native traditional records reduced to writing in post-Conquest times, including the books of Chilan- Balan, of Popul Vuh, and of Kachikel; and last, but not least in importance, the accounts of the early Spaniards. Landa, first Bishop of Yucatán, wrote his ' 'Relación'' іп 1566,—this work was discovered only in 1863. It deals with the Mayas as he knew them and with the calendrical system used at the time of the Conquest. The first attempt in deciphering the script exhibited on the walls of the monuments consisted in an application of the calendrical system as presented by Landa, to the hiero- glyphic writing as exhibited on the ruins. Our brief summary of the history, of the institutions, habits and learning, and of the colossal architectural remains of the Mayas, is based on these five sources. What is known about the Maya of to- day? To-day there are about two thou- sand Mayas scattered overa territory of sixty thousand square miles, including the Mexican provinces of Yucatan, Chiapas, Campeche and Tabasco, as well asBelize, Guatamala and Honduras, where monuments may also be found. In the provinces of Vera-Cruz among the Totonacs, and among the Haustexs in the Pánuca Valley, Maya is also spoken, but there is no evidence of any archi- tectural effort. These people, two- thirds of whom are of pure Maya stock, speak twenty different dialects. Some are hunters or trappers, but the majority 15%

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ROY OLA COLLEGE REVIEW A Ship at Sea LOVE to watch a grand old ship Go sailing down the bay, Swept by the winds as she carves her path Athwart the flashing spray. Out where the sea-gulls dip and wheel Her sail gleams from afar, Like to the ray in a sky of blue Of пау ту morning star. With yearning eyes I scan its course - Till it is seen no more, | Then I am left amid wistful dreams Silent upon the shore. And while the sea-winds whisper low, While waves beat o'er the strand, I feel within me a longing throb That would my fate command. W bene er I see a grand old ship Set proudly out to sea, It carries far with its cargo then The very soul of me. SS J. Cummins, '28.

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ШОУ ОНА COLLEGE REVIEW — are engaged in the cultivation of the Products, hemp especially, which grow in those regions. They profess the Catholic religion. Physically they are dark, short and muscular; intellectually they are alert, straightforward and re- liable. Supper, a German explorer, en- thusiastically praises their honesty, punctuality and family life. They have remained to this day virtually a sepa- rate nationality, as their uprisings for independence clearly demonstrate. Let us leave for the present this prosaic and mechanical era, and guided by our antique Codices, allow our imaginations to transport us to two thousand years ago, when Itzammá, the first deified hero of the Mayas, opened his way through the turbulent waters of the Pacific. He came with all the pomp and splendour of an oriental monarch to found a mighty empire, destined to produce a race of thrifty men, who left as a legacy to mankind architectural jewels which show forth both the vivacity of their imagination and the serenity of their genius, by their bold and picturesque designs and by the elegant and tasteful symmetry of their edifices. Itzammá, at the head of the first mi- gration came to this continent with the setting sun. About тоо А.р., Kukulcan (Feathered-serpent) arrayed with the brilliant splendour of the rising sun, reached Yucatän from the East. He was the founder of the Maya civilization. Mayapan was the royal city where the kingly family of Cocom ruled over their entire domain. Three other noble fami- lies shared their power: Tutl-xiu at Uxmal; Itz4 at Chichen-Itzá, and Chelé at Izamal, the sacred city governed by a hereditary priesthood. The rulers of these three cities were compelled to spend part of the year in Mayapan with the supreme authority. In the eleventh century Mayapán was des- troyed as a result of a successful revolt of the confederates against the emperor. The sceptre passed to the family of =-— Tutul-xiu at Uxmal. Mayapán was ге- built only to encounter the same dis- astrous fate early in the Fifteenth cen- tury, when the old Empire broke up into petty kingdoms still extant at the time of the Conquest. The early mis- sionaries, inflamed with zeal for the diffusion of the Christian faith, were extraordinarily active and energetic in their defence against the oppression of the early conquerors. It is unfortunate, from an historical point of view, that many pagan images and manuscripts were ordered to be destroyed at this time. We must not, however, be over- strict in our criticisms, since we are ignorant of the actual and practical circumstances of the case, and since it is a fallacy to judge the actions of the men of past ages 1n the light of modern thought. In 1575, the ‘‘Matlalzahuatl,”’ a dreadful desease, brought death to two thousand people, while by 1597, through the pest and Nine the populos had decreased by three- ourths. The Seventeenth and Eight- eenth centuries were marked by several revolts, which continued even after Mexico had cast away the yoke of Spain. Even in roro, President Porfirio Diaz was compelled to send detachments to Yucatán to quell a rebellious out- burst. Such is briefly the history of the Maya race, up to modern times. Society was constituted according to the clan system. Authority was cen- tered in the king with absolute power; a counc il of nobles and priests held the place of an advisory board. The legisla- tive and executive power resided in the emperor, and while he also exercised judicial functions in important cases, minor ones were left either to provincial kings or to local judges. The right of general ownership was also vested in the emperor, who in turn gave out land to nobles and officials who wereresponsible for the cultivation of the soil and the support of the aged and crippled. The ordinary people had their share of the i6k