Early Mesoamerican Writing Systems

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Discovered in southeastern Veracruz, Mexico in 1986, La Mojarra Stela 1 features one of the earliest readable scripts in Mesoamerica. Calendar glyphs on the 2.34 x 1.42m basalt slab suggest the monument was carved ca. A. D. 150. The decipherment of the text by T. Kaufman (University of Pittsburgh) and J. S. Justeson (SUNY Albany) describes ritual bloodletting, warfare, and political intrigue during the reign of Harvester Mountain Lord, the figure depicted on the stela.

Running translation of the La Mojarra Stela

A1-9 It was the third day of the seventeenth month; the long count was 8.5.3.3.5, and the day was 13 Snake.

B1-4 A sun-eating moon [solar eclipse] took place;

B5-C7 Piercingly the bludgeon star [Venus] had shone earlier [the day before], late in the day.

D1-F6 Coronated ones hallowed by sprinkling, noble war-leader ones, fought against succession-supporters [would-be usurpers] .

G1-H2 Earlier a day, a night, and a day had passed, [ [two-day time increment leading to 8.5.3.3.7] ]

H3-I4 (when) behold, there was a prisoner for thirteen years. [13 (and 2 day) year time increment leading to 8.5.16.3.7, 23 June 156 CE, the day before summer solstice]

15-J5 And then there was an imprisonment that was for six months. [six months time increment leading to 8.5.16.9.7]

J6-8 He [HML] speaks:

K1-7 "My arm was bristling/prickling,"

L1-3 (said) the youthful (boy-type) commanding general Harvester Mountain-Lord.

L4-9 "When I chopped (off his head), he was ruined/it was his ruin."

M1-7 Thus the latter saw the ascent/installation/accession.

M8-16 It was the fifteenth day of the first month; the long count was 8.5.16.9.7, and the day was 5 Deer.

[13 years 6 months and 2 days after previous long count]

N1-4 For four months (is/was the) sprouting. [four month time increment leading to 8.5.16.13.7]

N5-8 When he goes up, another year is in a bundle. When he goes.up/ascends, the year is bundled.
ORWhen he/they go(es).up/ascend(s), a(nother) year is (in a) bundle(d).
ORWhen he goes.up/ascends, there/it is a year-bundle. His ascent/re-accession year was (a) bundled (thing).
[one year time increment leading to 8.5.17.13.7]

N9-12 His offering got scattered.

N13-17 That governor('s headdress) was A skin-drum (and a) hummingbird.

N18-29 His-Macaw.sign, his eccentric.flint, and his pectoral stone memento got brandished.

[ABOUT TEN SIGNS MISSING] [was the “spiller” mentioned here?]

N*30-*32 ... (he) got bedecked.

N*33-*37 Now the calendar priest was he who is a lordly beard-mask (wearer) .
OR Now the lordly beard-mask wearer was a/the calendar priest.

N*38-O17 After thirteen days, the god(s) Macaw Monster and Scorpius, and King Harvester Mountain-Lord and/on the ascension throne got revealed/appeared in rulership.

[13 day time increment leading to 8.5.17.14.0, 3 Face, day 3 in month 6: 9th Venus anniversary at new moon]

018-26 When Sky Quetzal was ascending for others (OR elsewhere) (at) the hallowed ground jointly measured by handspans ...
OR the ground jointly measured by handspans had been hallowed.

[ABOUT EIGHT SIGNS MISSING] [was the “spiller” mentioned here?]

027-31 The drum got pounded;

030-33 the garment(s) was/were getting folded in front [win paks-pa tuku7] [cf. Q3 - 8]

034 - P2 When his buttocks were getting pierced, he [HML] speaks:

P3 - 9 "He spilled/hid my blood in another's place."

P10-15 (The) royal ruler(ship) is/was (a/the) X time/count success-ion/or;

P16-18 Y is/was a coronation cloth.

P19-22 (the god) Ten Sky is/was the rainy season god.

P23-30 Their [HML and his cronies'] power-assuming buttocks got pierced and covered for others.
OR His [HML's) royal buttock-cheeks got pierced and covered for others.

P*31-*39 [ABOUT 6 SIGNS MISSING: here we need a verb with the meaning ‘it was done to him’ or ‘he underwent’] ancestral(?) ... blood-letting from inside his princely penis.

P*40-Q1 Now a macaw-lashing was supposed to get taken.

Q3-8 Earlier, (a) garment/cloth(s) was/were getting folded in plain sight. [ma ken.e paks-pa tuku7] [cf. 030-33]

Q9-14 The ?notable royal-type X is/was a lordly beard-mask (wearer) .
ORQ9-12 The notable royal-type one is the X.

Q15-25 King Harvester Mountain-Lord, when he was putting it [cloth/garment?, macaw lashing?, eccentric.flint?, beard-mask?] away, piercingly now the star-warrior got hallowed.

Q13-17 The lordly beard-mask (wearer) is King HML.

Q18-25 When he put it (etc.) away, piercingly now the star-warrior got hallowed.

Q26-33 The aforementioned one sings a song which is about/of a shape shifter/day('s length):

Q34-42 "Now earlier my penis-receivers [staunchers] had been a body-covering and a ruler's head-wrap." [talk to J. Kerr]

Q43-47 Scorpius shone. [Venus was in Scorpius, just past its head.]

Q48-R3 Now a noble heavenly animal jaguar [=Mercury?] appeared/got revealed/shown.forth.

R4-8 The bludgeon star [Venus] shone.

R9-17 Nine days later (once again) a (tenth) jaguar was supposed to get taken.

[nine day time increment leading to 8.5.17.14.9]

R18-22 This governor('s headdress) was a skin drum (and a) hummingbird.

R23-27 The hallowed ancestral(?) "x-badge" had for one year Macaw Monster status/role.

R27-40 When he [the Macaw Monster player] placed stones in order he fought against the overthrow(ers) of inscribed monuments (lit. symbols).

R41-48 As for his [HML's] blood, when it was flowing, he [HML] shouts:

S1-6 "My blood is getting sprinkled for others/elsewhere."

S7-12 We [the raisers of this stela] arrow-shot/?dismembered him/them [the rebel(s)] for them.

S13-21 When he set down bloodily, the macaw-bedecked [HML] one was a shape-shifter-impersonator.

S22-24 "It/He is My bloody thing/one."

S25-31 When he quivers/flaps bloodily, what Macaw [HML] shouts (is):

S32-34 "It/He is my bloody thing/one."

S35-43 Now, when he [HML] stepped (on tip-toe) bloodily, [he said] "I am the sun, a coronated.one/crowned.prince.

S44-T6 Then when my overthrown (rival)'s wing came to rest bloodily, it/he had been quivering/flapping."

T7-10 Behold, he [HML?] had been an "x-badge" for one year.

Tll-12 He was a star-warrior-type one.

T13-23 After thirteen days ascent jaguar (number) twenty-three got taken. [13 day time increment leading to 8.5.17.15.2]

T24-30 The symbol(-stone)s got replaced upright.

T31-36 His [HML's] set-aside symbols [?body-parts] got shared out.

T37-46 We [the raisers of this monument] had arrow-shot/?dismembered the crowned one's brother-in-law for him.

U1-3 The dripping sacrifice was supposed to be finished/used.up.

U4-8 He [HML] was sprinkling it for others;

U9-14 The symbols [?body-parts] had gotten shared out earlier in pieces.

V1-5 Behold, there/he was a twelve (OR thirteen)- year ?regional.overlord. [possible 12- or 13-year time increment]

V6-8 And then a garment was getting folded [pa-conversive]

V9-10 He uttered:

Vll-18 -- The stones that he set in order thus were symbols, ancestral (?) - type ones --

V19-24 "What I chopped has been planted and harvested well."
OR "What I chopped is a planting and a good harvest."

V25-30 (A) shape-shifter(s) appeared divinely in his body.

END

Early Mesoamerican Writing Systems

Terrence Kaufman