There was one main element, however, underlying both foreign and native civilizations, which formed the basis of both, united and made them as one, namely, the recognition of fixed immutable laws governing the universe, attained, by both races, by long-continued observation of Polaris and the "Northern" constellations.
To me the most precious result of the preceding investigation is the gradual recognition that the entire intellectual, moral and religious evolution of mankind has been the result of the fixed laws which govern the universe. From the time when our world began to revolve in s.p.a.ce, at intervals, a luminous point of fixity in s.p.a.ce has existed and an unknown force, irresistible as that which controls the magnetic needle and gyrostat,(160) appears to have raised the mind of man from ignorance and darkness and guided his footsteps towards a higher scale of existence and a more elevated conception of a supreme central power.
From this, amongst favored races, the higher conception of an invisible supreme deity seems to have been gradually developed by the human mind, as it rose in the scale of spiritual evolution. To many, the idea that it was the observation of the stars and the recognition of the fixity of Polaris which first led man to realize the existence of immutable laws, and of a supreme celestial power ruling the universe and to form the sacred sign of the cross, will appear as the fulfilment of the text in Genesis, which expressly mentions as the first, and therefore chief, purpose for which the lights in the firmament were created, that "they should be for _signs_ and portents, for seasons, for days and years ... and for lights."
When we realize that all revolving spheres in s.p.a.ce, and the beings that may live upon them, have been, are, or shall be subject to the same conditions as govern our tiny world, forcing their intellectual evolution to proceed in parallel lines to ours, we are compelled to recognize the existence of One Great Plan, and to render reverent homage to the Master-Architect of the Universe.
APPENDIX I. COMPARATIVE TABLE OF SOME QUECHUA, NAHUATL AND MAYA WORDS.
QUECHUA. NAHUATL. MAYA.
hatun=great. huey=great. pax=name of pacha=time, pachtli=name of festival in name of annual annual harvest which prayers harvest festival. were offered to festival. obtain abundant harvest.
yacu and atl=water. haa=water.
unu=water. aak=moist.
aakal=lagoon.
yachhaa=ca.n.a.l, stream of water.
pihi-huy=first pil-conetl=infant born. son.
pilli=n.o.bleman, or son.
pilhua=he who has sons.
pilli=the fingers.
all=good. qualli=good.
ycacha= mala-cachoa, frequentative. verb, to spin or ahua=to spin or twist or turn weave. something around ahua-ycacha=to continuously.
spin malacatl=spindle.
continuously. icpac=to be on ticpac=to lie the top of mouth upwards. something high.
ticnu=the ticatla=midnight.
zenith.
cosca=things cozcatl=beads, that are alike, strung precious necklace. stones, metaphorically used to designate one"s children.
maqui or maitl=hand. kab=hand.
maki=hand. macpalli=palm of tankab=palm of makip-pampa=palm hand. pan=affix, hand.
of hand. meaning upon, pampa=name for above.
plain.
humihua=small comitl=earthen c.u.m=earthen vessel. vessel. vessel.
hooch=vessel in general.
hunu and huni=a hun=one.
number, a hunkinchil=one.
division of men, count=10100,000.
ten thousand (Markham).
hunu=all.
palla=woman of tlapalli-eztli=n.o.bility n.o.ble birth. of blood or lineage (metaphor).
pallca=the tlapalli=color or dye. pal, pa"al, fingers, or tlapaloloni=worthy of palal, branches of a being reverenced and palil=child, boy, tree saluted. servant.
(Chinchaysuyo tlapaliui=able-bodied, dialect.) marriageable young man.
atlapalli=wing of a bird, leaf of tree.
cuitlapilli, atlapalli=metaphor signifying the people and servants of the state, literally the tail and wing of a bird.
It is quite obvious how this metaphor came to be employed. The words for tail and wing respectively terminate with pilli the word designating n.o.bleman, the upper cla.s.s, and palli, signifying the lower cla.s.s, women, boys, servants. The head of the bird signified the chief and the two eyes and two halves of the beak conveyed the idea of duality, or two in one.
There are indications that the right foot, with its four claws, symbolized the four chief rulers of the Above and the left foot the four rulers of the Below.
The control of the feet and entire body was, of course, a.s.signed to the head. It is only when the full metaphorical significance of the eagle, as an emblem of the state, is understood, that the meaning of the eagle in the arms of Mexico and the native bird symbolism begin to become apparent.
I have shown that in Peru and Yucatan the word for head was synonymous for chief. It remains to be ascertained how far the same symbolism prevailed throughout the American Continent and whether in other cases the words for bird, wings, tail and claws are h.o.m.onymous or synonymous for the state and its divisions. Amongst the Zunis the State and entire scheme of organization is a.s.sociated with the imaginary form of a quadruped and in Mexico there are indications that at one time the human form was regarded as an emblem of the State and its subdivisions. This subject is referred to more fully in the text.
QUECHUA. NAHUATL. MAYA.
Uira-cocha=name In the native of mythical harangues the personage and Supreme Being t.i.tle of is referred to Creator. as being like an unfathomable abyss.
ixachicatlan=abyss.
ixachi=great, much.
cochca=coch-allpa=fallow cochi=to sleep. cuchil=place or land, "tierra tlacochcalli= town.
de descanso": literally house of ah-cuch-cab=the literally, land rest, burial chief or ruler that is towers. of a town or resting. place.
collana= excellent, princ.i.p.al, sovereign, first and best of each species.
collanan ayllu=royal coyauac=something line, name used by the broad, like a Incas. coya=princess of spring of water or royal blood, virgin, a window(161) queen.
hapichi=t.i.tle, meaning tlapixqui=t.i.tle of piz=measure, the collector of some priests, quant.i.ty.
produce, he who collects literally, he who pizil=to or gathers in. gathers in the measure.
harvest. _Cf._ pixquitl=harvest, etc.
tiani=to sit down. tiacauan=brave men, tialtic= tiyana=seat of honor strong warriors. appurtenance, such as were employed as tiyacapan=first-born. right of mark of chieftainship. tiyacapanyotl=the possession.
huahua-tiana=matrix. right of tiya-chicu=to be selling primogeniture and something in the public property.
square. tiyachi=to offer tianquiztli=market, or place something in also place or the public square to be square where market sold or exchanged. was held.
micuy=food. tiamiquiztli=act of buying or selling.
tiamictli=merchandise.(162) in-ti or in-tin=the sun. tona-ti-uh=the sun, kin=the sun.
literally, that which shines.
mitimaes=name for ce-mitime=sons of one colonists. mother.
tayta=father. tatli=father.
mama=mother. ta-tzin=father, reverential huarmi=woman. form. nantli=mother.
Mama-ciuaco=name of a nantzin=reverential form.
female ruler of royal cihuatl=woman. mama=verb, blood, mother of Inca to rule.
Rocca.
uma=literally, the head, ome, literally two, t.i.tle hool, ppool or t.i.tle of priest. Ingua of head priest, for pul, head, or Inca=t.i.tle of instance: ome acatl, ome chieftain, Peruvian ruler. tochtli. quaitl=head. beginning.
in-quaitl=the head.
qua=abbreviation for quaitl (see Sahagun, book IX, chap. XXIX, par. 6).
Tonapa=name of culture tonal pouhque=diviner or hero who established soothsayer, from verb Inca civilization at tonalpoa=to divine by signs Tiahuanaco, erected or count festivals by large cross, etc., made ancient calendar (Molina his way to the ocean and dictionary). _Cf._ departed. tonal-mitl=ray of sun; literally, sun"s arrow, from tona-tiuh=sun. _Cf._ tona-catzon=the ancient men, or the ruins.
ticsi=foundation. icxitl=foot.
ticsik=founder. icxinecuiltic=a lame tecci-muyu-pacha=the person. _Cf._ name of Ursa entire world or Major. qua= tecciztle= universe. literally: "heads decorated with sh.e.l.l."=disciples of Quetzalcoatl "who called themselves sons of the sun and toltecas." _Cf._ Ticitl=medicine man or woman, astrologer or divines, who employed the pearl-oyster sh.e.l.l tici-caxitl, for divinatory purposes. yoal-ticitl=t.i.tle of earth-mother, or ancestress of human race, whose symbol was a sea-snail=tecciztli.
Pacha-Yachachic=t.i.tle of pachoa=verb, to rule or am=spider.
Supreme Being or Creator govern others. yacana=to aman=North.
translated as guide others, to govern a ah-men=he who pacha=world, time. town, to lead the blind. builds.
paccha=spider. paccamachtia=to teach ah-pakcah=he yachachic=the teacher cheerfully and with who founds a from yacha=to learn with patience. amanteca=skilled town and affix chi, means to artisans. peoples it.
teach, like ru-rachi=to cause others to make something).
Pachacamac=t.i.tle of Creator.
pa-chac-an or yaca-tecuhtli, t.i.tle of the bacab=t.i.tle of pa-cha-ca=t.i.tle of G.o.d of the travellers or the rulers of officer of the Inca. merchants, literally the four ccapac=t.i.tle of supreme meaning the lord who provinces or ruler; ccapac apu, male guides, governs or leads. quarters.
ruler; ccapac The names of his five chac=t.i.tle of ccoya=female ruler. brothers were four a.s.sistants Chiconquiauitl, Xomocuitl, of high priest.
Nacxitl, Cochimetl, Yacapitzauac. The sister who completed the group of seven, was named Chalmeca-ciuatl (Sahagun, op. cit. Book I, chap.
XIX). This G.o.d and his six brethren, to whom the merchants offered sacrifices when they had safely returned from their perilous and long expeditions, doubtlessly were Polaris and the Ursa Minor or Major.
APPENDIX II. A PRAYER-MEETING OF THE STAR-WORSHIPPERS.