Title: Ritual of the Bacabs

Date: 1775-1800

Language(s): Yucatec

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

The text comprises incantations and herbal remedies for the treatment of a broad range of injuries and diseases, particularly for seizures (10 spells), snake stomach (5), and bites (4). Asthma, toothache, respiratory congestion, and bone ailments are represented by two spells each, and there is a spell apiece for gout, erysipelas, fever, ulcers, eruptions, burns, running sores, gum inflammation, and placenta ejection. There are also three spells for cooling things and a spell apiece for making fire, shaping flint, and deer calling. Two spells, included in an appendix, appear to be later than those in the remainder of the text.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Material and Layout: Paper; 164 leaves; 1 column, 14 lines; 15.3 x 10 cm.

Script: Written in an unidentified hand, probably dates to the last quarter of the 18^th century. Ten pages at the end are written in various later unknown hands. The last 2 pages of manuscript are written on the verso of a fragment of a printed indulgence (Latin) dated 1779. From the language of the text it would appear that this manuscript was copied from a 16th- or 17th-century manuscript.
Binding: Leather wrapper (type unidentified).

PROVENANCE

Discovered in the Yucatan in native hands by Frederic J. Smith during the winter of 1914-15, under the commission of William Gates; sold to Robert Garrett (purchased from William Gates in 1930); deposited by Garrett at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton in 1942; removed from the Institute in 1949, at Garrett's request, and donated to the Princeton University Library.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tozzer, A. M. Maya Grammar with Bibliography and Appraisement of the Works Noted (Cambridge: The Museum, 1921).

Thompson J.E.S. Moon Goddess in Middle America (Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Institute of Washington, 1939).

Cline, H. F. Guide to Ethnohistorical Sources (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1972-75), no. 1142.

Weeks, J. M. Mesoamerican Ethnohistory in United States Libraries (Culver City, Calif. : Labyrinthos, 1990), no. 51.

Ritual of the Bacabs, translated and edited by Ralph L. Roys (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965).

El Ritual de los Bacabes (México: University Nacional Autónoma de México, 1987).

Title: Book of the Chilam Balam of Nah

Date: 1857-1896

Language(s): Yucatec with some Spanish

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

Manuscript transcribed by Jose Maria Na and Jose Secundino Na of Teabo, Yucatán. The first p. 30 is signed by Jose Secundino Na and dated December 18, 1857. The final pages are signed by Jose Maria Nah and dated August 5, 1863. The manuscript is divided into 2 parts: pages 1-30 constitute a liturgical calendar for an unspecified year, includes calendar count, with ancient daynames, a section on astronomy; p. 30-53 are concerned with diseases and their cures. Page 1 is the seating of January; p. 2 is a correlation of the Gregorian calendar with the Maya months of an unspecified year; p. 3-14 correlates each day of the Gregorian year with the days of the Mayan tzolkin (there are no numbers with the Mayan days); the saint is given for each day, and up to p. 6, it is indicated whether the day has a good omen or bad. Pages 15-30 concern the signs of the zodiac, indicating the significance of the births under particular signs, and the advantages of burning, fields, etc. This portion of the book was composed in 1857. Pages 30-53 are "Libro u tial acob" (book for curing), composed in 1863. The remaining pages, from p. 54 to the end, are later entries concerning sporadic births and deaths in the Na family in Teabo in a mixture of Maya and Spanish; the final pages are upside down. Manuscript divisions/headings are written in Spanish. The latest date is 1896.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Material and Layout: Paper; 32 leaves; 1 column, 28 lines; 23 x 17 cm.

Decoration: Pages decorated with calligraphic birds that embellish initials or stand in the margin; other initials are embellished as a beast with a long neck. Decorative elements highlight titles and, in one instance, frame a paragraph.

Binding: In cloth box.

PROVENANCE

The text indicates that the manuscript was in the hands of the Na family (Teabo, Yucatán) at least until 1896; later acquired by William Gates; sold to Robert Garrett (purchased from William Gates in 1930); deposited by Garrett at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton in 1942; removed from the Institute in 1949, at Garrett's request, and donated to the Princeton University Library.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Roys, Ralph Loveland. The Ethno-Botany of the Maya. (New Orleans, Dept. of Middle American Research: Tulane University of Louisiana, 1931).

Manuscritos de Tekax y Nah. introducción por Héctor M. Calderón. (México: Grupo Dzibil, 1981).

Cline, H. F. Guide to Ethnohistorical Sources (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1972-75), no. 1150.

Weeks, J. M. Mesoamerican Ethnohistory in United States Libraries (Culver City, Calif. : Labyrinthos, 1990), no. 151.

Title: Book of the Chilam Balam of Calkini

Date: 1824

Language(s): Yucatec

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

Contains a historical chronicle concerning the geographical description of the province of Ah Canul; listing of native leaders in the province and succession to office; historical account of relations among native leaders and changes in command in the last half of the 16th-century. The last folio includes the Spanish date November 20, 1821.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Material and Layout: Paper; 15 leaves; 1 column, 25 lines; 21 x 15 cm.

Decoration: The subtitle on p. 32 is embellished by 2 outstretched arms with hands pointing in opposite directions

Binding: In cloth box

PROVENANCE

Early provenance unknown; previously owned by William Gates; sold to Robert Garrett (purchased from William Gates in 1930); deposited by Garrett at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton in 1942; removed from the Institute in 1949, at Garrett's request, and donated to the Princeton University Library.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cline, H. F. Guide to Ethnohistorical Sources (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1972-75), no. 1143.

The Maya Calkini Chronicle. (Baltimore: Maya Society, 1935).

Códice de Calkini, proemio y versión de Alfredo Barrera-Vásquez. (Campeche: Gobierno del Estado [de Campeche], 1957).

Códice de Calkini. Facsimile reproduction, with introduction, transcription, translation, and notes by Tsubasa Okoshi Harada: (Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 2009).

Title: Chilam Balam Texts

Date: 1850-60

Language(s): Yucatec with some Spanish

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

Manuscript copy of several different manuscripts concerning the history of the conquest of Yucatan by the Spaniards (Chilam Balam of Chumayel), possibly written in the hand of a copyist working for Bishop Carrillo y Ancona in Mérida (Mexico); political history of the province of Ah Canul, second half of the 16th-century (Chilam Balam of Calkini); uses of plants for medical treatment (El Libro de los Medicos Yervateros de Yucatan); historical chronicle, katun prophecies, calendrical correlations and almanac (Chilam Balam of Tizimin); paraphrase in Maya of Old Testament (?); also medical texts (Chilam Balam of Ixil); and calendrical correlations and medical texts (Chilam Balam of Kaua). Numbered blank leaves at end of v. 1 (fol. 118-144), v. 2 (fol. 146-196). Ms. section headings written in Spanish.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Material and Layout: Paper; 2 vols. (174, 196 leaves); 22 x 17 cm.

Decoration: Illustrations in red pencil, black ink, and purple pencil.

Binding: Quarter calf binding and marbled papers.

PROVENANCE

Early provenance unknown; previously owned by William Gates; sold to Robert Garrett (purchased from William Gates in 1930); deposited by Garrett at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton in 1942; removed from the Institute in 1949, at Garrett's request, and donated to the Princeton University Library.

Title: Book of the Chilam Balam of Kaua

Date: ca. 1824

Language(s): Yucatec with some Spanish

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

Manuscript fragment. Contains an almanac, calendrical correlations, and medical-botanical texts. Calendar years covered in manuscript are 1797-1826, but with entries only to 1824. Includes a Spanish Prayer "Oracion; Que sea en e Santo Sepulcro ..." on old pagination (CXIV and CXV). There are 3 separate numbering systems.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Material and Layout: Paper; 19 leaves in various foliations;1 column, 24 lines; 20 x 15 cm.

Decoration: Solid lines (some decorated) at the end of each paragraph; 1 embellished initial; 1 full-page illustration in blue, black, and orange watercolor of two crowned beasts pawing a central object under the moon, stars, and sun.

Binding: In cloth box

PROVENANCE

Early provenance unknown; previously owned by William Gates; sold to Robert Garrett (purchased from William Gates in 1930); deposited by Garrett at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton in 1942; removed from the Institute in 1949, at Garrett's request, and donated to the Princeton University Library.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cline, H. F. Guide to Ethnohistorical Sources (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1972-75), no. 1148.

Weeks, J. M. Mesoamerican Ethnohistory in United States Libraries (Culver City, Calif. : Labyrinthos, 1990), no. 150.

Title: Prescriptions

Date: 1800s

Language(s): Spanish and Yucatec

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

Manuscript concerning specifications of plants used and the manner of their preparation for cures for Ahito, almorranas, azma, ardores de inflamacion, de la orina, y de aradoes (p. 1); maxcay, tacam, x chac mulal kak (p. 2); and para azma (p. 3). Verso of second leaf (p. 4) is blank.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Material and Layout: Paper; 2 leaves; 21.5 x 15.5 cm.

PROVENANCE

Early provenance unknown; previously owned by William Gates; sold to Robert Garrett (purchased from William Gates in 1930); deposited by Garrett at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton in 1942; removed from the Institute in 1949, at Garrett's request, and donated to the Princeton University Library.

Title: Maya Fragments - Medicinal Plants

Date: 1800-50

Language(s): Yucatec with some Spanish

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

Manuscript fragments concerning the medicinal uses of plants for curing specific diseases.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Material and Layout: Paper; 7 leaves; 21 x 15.6 cm.

PROVENANCE

Early provenance unknown; previously owned by William Gates; sold to Robert Garrett (purchased from William Gates in 1930); deposited by Garrett at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton in 1942; removed from the Institute in 1949, at Garrett's request, and donated to the Princeton University Library.

Title: Apuntes sobre algunas plantas Medicinales de Yucatan escritas por un Fraile Franciscano de Campeche

Date: ca. 1820

Language(s): Spanish and Yucatec with some Latin

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

Contains botanical drawings with Mayan names on the recto of each leaf and descriptions of uses in Spanish on the verso. The description indicates the medical uses of each plant (use of the root to keep snakes away, etc.) and includes other data about the plant, such as aesthetic qualities, growth period, and classification. Written by a Franciscan friar of Campeche. The original ms. had at least 123 folios with herbal remedies described in alphabetical order. The manuscript was later rebound, probably in 1859, with 22 leaves extant (f. 81-84, 100-101, 107, 109, 112-114, 119-120, 123, and 3 leaves unidentified) and bound out of order.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Material and Layout: Paper; 22 leaves; 17 x 22 cm.

Decoration: Full-page drawings (in pencil, some in red and green pencil, and watercolor) of plants on verso of each leaf.

Binding: Sewn sheets laid inside modern cardboard covers; in cloth box

PROVENANCE

The original manuscript was written by a Franciscan friar of Campeche about the beginning of the 19th century; was presented to Dr. Berendt by a Yucatecan friend, in Veracruz in 1859; previously owned by Sir Thomas Phillipps (Ms. 21239); later acquired by William E. Gates; sold to Robert Garrett (purchased from William Gates in 1930); deposited by Garrett at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton in 1942; removed from the Institute in 1949, at Garrett's request, and donated to the Princeton University Library.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tozzer, A.M. Maya Grammar with Bibliography and Appraisement of the Works Noted. (Cambridge: The Museum, 1921, pp. 195-196).

Apuntes sobre algunas plantas medicinales de Yucatán. translated and edited by Elizabeth C. Stewart. (Baltimore: The Maya Society, 1935). 

Title: Sotuta B

Date: 1900-25

Language(s): Spanish with some Yucatec

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

Medical-Botanical manuscript. Contains prescriptions/recipes for the use of plants in medical remedies and treatments. For example under the heading "Contra todo mal de orina" (p. 36) are found 73 separate entries detailing cures for urinary ailments; and under the heading "Contro todo mal de oydos" (p. 38) are 38 separate entries for the treatment of ear ailments. The manuscript is written in Spanish, containing only the Mayan plant names where necessary for identification.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Material and Layout: Paper; 16 leaves; 30 x 18 cm.

Binding: In cloth box

PROVENANCE

Early provenance unknown; previously owned by William Gates; sold to Robert Garrett (purchased from William Gates in 1930); deposited by Garrett at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton in 1942; removed from the Institute in 1949, at Garrett's request, and donated to the Princeton University Library.

Title: Sotuta A

Date: 1875-1900

Language(s): Spanish with some Yucatec

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

Medical-botanical manuscript. Contains prescriptions/recipes for the use of plants in medical remedies and treatments. The manuscript is written in Spanish, containing only the Mayan plant names where necessary for identification.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Material and Layout: Paper; 13 leaves; 31 x 21 cm.

Binding: In cloth box

PROVENANCE

Early provenance unknown; previously owned by William Gates; sold to Robert Garrett (purchased from William Gates in 1930); deposited by Garrett at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton in 1942; removed from the Institute in 1949, at Garrett's request, and donated to the Princeton University Library.