The Shaman of Chichén Itza
The shaman gazed through his window towards the horizon where the TEMPLE of Kukulcán stood. He was the ahuacan or the Lord of SERPENTS, the High Priest of the Mayans. A ritual was to be performed today, so he quickly grabbed his MASK and donned the rest of his religious attire. There was to be a new king. The soon-to-be-king was to let some blood in offering to the Gods and then a period of five days was to be spent feasting in his and the God's honour.
It was a fine morning in Chichén Itza, and there was joy in the air. The sun shone bright in a cloudless sky, the grass still wet from the morning dew. Spring had come. The shaman kissed his wife goodbye and began his journey to the place of worship. Children were playing in the streets while mothers looked affectionally at them. It was a welcome change.
Strange men had been sighted near the coast. Their clothing shone bright in the sun, blinding everyone who looked upon them. They brought with them strange food, strange diseases, and strange weapons. The Mayans called them the 'Bringers of Thunder' and everyone feared them. The shaman was troubled by their precence, as was everyone else, and wondered what these foreigners wanted. He wondered if this was a sign from the Gods, that this was the perishing of the world. Come what may, today was a joyous day.
Before long he stood in front of the TEMPLE stairs. It was a long climb but the shaman was both young and lean, and reached the top without losing any breath. He entered the TEMPLE and made offerings of food to the Lord of DEERS and to the Sun god.
At the center stood a STATUE of the God Itzamna. To this he made an offering of his own blood. He took a chain of thorns and punctured his lip. The dripping blood he caught in a wooden bowl. When the bowl was filled he smeared it over the torso of Itzamna. Over his own torso he drew a pattern of circles with the rest of the blood. It would begin soon.
The prince climbed the stairs with little effort. All of Chichén Itza had come to see his coronation. Men, women and children alike stood around the TEMPLE, looking at the heavens. The Prince was young and fair-faced and loved, his wife standing beside him. The Prince knelt before his people while the shaman sliced open his arm. A spray of bright red blood was caught in a bowl made out of bone, before the wound was tended to by the Ix men, women priests devoted to the art of healing.
The Prince rose, entered the TEMPLE and smeared his blood on the STATUE of Itzamna. The shaman placed a crown on the Prince's brow proclaiming that he was King.
Come what may, today was a joyeus day. |