This week at BYU International Cinema, they had a film on Yuri Knorosov, the Soviet linguist who made significant contribuitons to deciphering Mayan glyphs. It was very interesting, including interviews with Michael Coe, excerpts from Diego de Landa's writings, and several great photographs of Mayan ruins.
Towards the end of the film, Knorosov started talking about the origins of the Maya. he suggested that they migrated from the north down into Mesoamerica. Knorosov theorized that the Mayan homeland was somewhere in the American SW.
Knorosov suggested that Mesa Verde may have been of particular importance in the Mayan cave emergence. In other words, K. believed that Mesa Verde may have been the site of the seven caves/seven rivers where the Maya believed they emerged. Knorosov provided no real evidence, he just quoted from the Popul Vul and other Mayan writings.
A lack of evidence aside, this is an interesting idea. Especially since the idea of a southwestern Aztlan has been mentioned by Mike.
So I guess the question is this: Is the Southwest the epicenter of Great Basin and Mesoamerican cultures?
4 comments:
Although Knorosov made some brilliant leaps in the Maya decipherment, he was pretty much otherwise full of it. Much of his other work was later invalidated and is a little crazy.
I'm inclined to write the whole Maya theory off as the latter. As Uto-Aztecan speakers, the whole northern Aztlan deal makes a lot more sense for the Aztec than for the Maya.
Throwing Mesa Verde into the mix is just plain strange. I chalk this up to the amateurish tendency to want to link sexy places together, solely based on their status as sexy places.
Although the idea is enticing for me and millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S. today (supposedly giving them a valid reason to receive a green card), I believe Knorosov never set foot in the Mayan region. He learned everything from books. The same may be true about his experience with the Southwest/Mesa Verde.
Granted, he was a self-taught mayan linguist, and that says a lot. After living with the Q'eqchi for 15+ months, I still have to ask people to repeat things and am confused by grammatical constructions. To not hear a lick of any Mayan language and be able to determine (or conjecture, rather) that the glyphs were written phonetically is a notable achievement.
I do think there may have been interaction earlier than we think between the SW and Mesoamerica. I will also point to maize agriculture as one of piece of technology/evidence that showed up in Mesoamerica BEFORE the Southwest.
Something to think about, but we have to remember that oral traditions have their weaknesses. The "Aztlan" concept is sexy and has been kicked around for a while(c.f. Riley 2005, DiPeso 1974, Kelley and Kelley 1973). Remember, the Navajo claim origins in the Southwest, but the proof is in the cornmeal pudding.
cornmeal pudding...nice.
Knorosov did visit the Mayan region towards the end of his life, but that was long after he had made any significant contributions.
I agree that it is a stretch of an idea, and I think Chris put it best: Sexy to Sexy doesn't always work.
A few hours after I saw the film, I went to a party where there was a girl who had also seen it and was pontificating about the Olmec's relationship to the Ainu of Japan. Blah, Blah, Blah...everyone bought into it and I had to set a few straight after she left.
On a side note, I think that Mexicans arguing for a green card because they supposedly came from the north would be like me trying to argue for Irish, British, or German citizenship.I even have the records to prove my ancestors came from those places. Unlike the illegals, I'm not just relying on some Tecate-enduced hope.
Pseudo-intellect...
The Ainu? Overrated.
People, know your stuff.
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