Mesoamerica Map
Western Guatemala’s POPOL VUH – Sacred book of the Quiche Maya originally written in Spanish ca. 1550 (Recinos 1950:5, 77-80) “Preamble. . .This is the beginning of the old traditions of this place called Quiche, by the tribes of the Quiche nation. . . we shall bring it to light because now the Popol Vuh, as it is called, cannot be seen any more in which was clearly seen the coming from the other side of the sea and the narration of our obscurity, and our life was clearly seen. Great were the descriptions and the account of how all the sky and earth were formed, how it was formed and divided into four parts, how it was partitioned, and how the sky was divided, and the measuring-cord was brought, and it was stretched in the sky and over the earth, on the four angles, on the four corners, as was told by the Creator of and the Maker, the Mother and the Father of LIfe, he who gives breath and thought, she who gives birth to the children, he who watches over the happiness of the people, the happiness of the human race, the wise man, he who meditates on the goodness of all that exists in the sky, on the earth, in the lakes and in the sea.”
Studies of measurements at Middle American archaeological sites and museum sculptures have revealed a 49.5 cm. cubit and a 52.5 cm. cubit was used by ancient artisans in the high civilizations of Mesoamerica.
Presentation on Middle East Geometry and Measurement in Middle America by V. Garth Norman delivered at the Atlantic Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, August 17, 2008. Bio clip: http://www.atlanticconference.org/2009/bioGarthNorman.html)
