August 13, 3114 BC was one of those most popular dates inscribed in dozens of stone stelae in dozens of different ancient cities of the Maya. This is the Beginning date of Creation in the ancient Maya world. Who knows how long it has been since people gathered at Izapa to watch Creation unfold between dusk and dawn? Most likely a 1,000 years or more. Izapa is the origin of the Zenith overhead calendar; the gnomons(stone pillars) of Group B mark the overhead passage of the midday sun on April 30th and August 11(or 13 by the modern correlation). This 260 day demarcation has become the foundation of the Tzolk’in, the Sacred Calendar of the Maya today.
And who better to go celebrate this date with? A group of 4 Daykeepers from Zunil, a bunch of TMC members, and some Tapachula citizens. Mary Lou and Gloria Galvez had preceded our arrival with a trip to Tuxtla Guiterrez to the offices of INAH to secure a permiso for the Sacred Fire Ceremony, as well as to check out the exact location of the future Museo Izapa on the INAH map. They returned with a fire permiso in hand, as well as with acknowledged permiso to build on part of the Maya Conservancy property that sits nestled in a cacao grove, awaiting a future Museo Izapa.
The Izapa daykeepers guided us in the building of the fire and in a specially beautiful Fire Ceremony. Flowers, copal, the resounding of the day name cycles wafted up thru the cacao canopy and towards the towering volcano of Tacana. At the conclusion of the Ceremony, Roberto picked up our symbolic hearthstone and swirled it in the smoke of the fire. He asked for blessings for the future Museo Izapa, and for our efforts.
After the Fire, we went for a large table comida at a local restaurant, and from there we we went to the local Planetarium for a special presentation. The Planetarium had kindly arranged a presentation of the August 12th night sky and we watched from reclining seats, the Night Sky of Creation unfold.
The Three HearthStones of Creation “laid down”; the Milky Way “canoe” as it is paddled toward the horizon and the Underworld; the Milky Way Crocodile. We also saw a John Jenkins prepared Night Sky presentation that illustrates the cycles of Precession, and the slow convergence of the Winter Solstice Sun as it moves across the Dark Rift, the Xibalba Be. The whole presentation was very impressive!
Later, as the Full Moon rose we returned to Izapa and lay down on tarps as Mary Lou re-told the Night of Creation stories. There is magic, and myth, and mystery in that Night Jaguar sky!