Mary Miller and Karl Taube notes that in Maya thought, the earth was viewed as a great caiman floating on the sea.
- Type
- Book
- Source
- Mary Ellen Miller Non-LDS
- Hearsay
- Direct
- Reference
Mary Miller and Karl Taube, An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya (London: Thames & Hudson, 1993), 82-83
- Scribe/Publisher
- Thames & Hudson
- People
- Mary Ellen Miller, Karl A. Taube
- Audience
- Reading Public
PDF- Transcription
earth The surface of the earth was considered in a variety of ways in ancient Mesoamerica. Quite frequently, the earth was regarded as a living entity. Thus in both Central American and Yucatec Maya though, the earth could be viewed as a great CAIMAN floating point upon the SEA. The Aztecs considered it took as a monstrous devouring being, with a huge gaping maw, talons, and gnashing mouths placed in joints of the limbs. Known as TLALTECUHTLI, or "earth lord," this being is actually dually seized, and possesses a strongly feminine component. The earth was also regarded as a flat four-sided field, with the four DIRECTIONS corresponding to each of the sides.
- Citations in Mormonr Qnas
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