In Search of a ‘Fifth Codex’ of the Ancient Maya

by Mary Carmen Valencia* and Andres Garcia**

reproduced by permission @archaeologyconspiracies.com

*Department of Archaeology, Universidad IberoAmericana, Sante Fe, Mexico City, Mexico
**Department of Archaeology & Aquinas College, Oxford, UK

Ever since the discovery of the Grolier Codex in a cave in the 1970s, the world has been wondering. Could there be yet another lost Mayan codex?

Burning the Books

The story of the Mayan codices is a sad one. The only first culture to develop writing in the Americas, the Ancient Maya had written many bark-paper books, inscribed by hand in colour by the scribe class.

When the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in the 16th century, Bishop Diego de Landa ordered that all the Mayan writings be collected. He’d learned enough of their content to be convinced that the writings were blasphemous.

So he ordered that the inscriptions be burned. The leaders of the Maya people stood by and watched all their culture go up in flames. De Landa acted without permission. He was punished by his Abbot back in Spain.

But for Mayan writing it was too late. By the time the Spanish arrived, writing was already becoming a forgotten art.

Fourth Codices Saved

Much later, codices of the Maya began to turn up in old houses of European aristocrats. Not all the Spanish soldiers had obeyed De Landa’s order, it seemed. Some of them had kept the Mayan books and taken them back to Spain. Suddenly, these ancient writings were appearing in auction houses, where they were sold to libraries in Dresden, Madrid and Paris.

Then in the 1970s, a fragment of a codex - just 11 pages - came into the hands of one Joseph Saenz - under mysterious circumstances. Saenz would only say than that he’d been taken to a secret meeting place where he’d received the codex - allegedly found in a cave.

Right from the beginning the fourth codex divided Mayan scholars. Was it real? Or was it the cleverest hoax yet?

Sir J. Eric Thompson, the distinguished British Mayan archaeologist, was convinced that it was a fake. But after his death in 1975, opinion began to turn.

Now, the Grolier Codex is accepted as the fourth surviving codex of the ancient Maya. It is thought to date from the 13th century.

However, there MAY BE A FIFTH.

Rumours of a Fifth Codex

Recent discoveries in Calakmul, Mexico, have started a new rumour of another Mayan Codex. The authors spoke to one epigrapher who prefers to remain anomymous. She received a message offering to sell her some inscriptions taken from stelae stolen from Mayan ruins. The stelae were in now in the hands of ‘private collectors’ who had obtained them illegally. The epigrapher in question - one of the world’s experts on Mayan writing - was keen to see the inscriptions at least. She accepted the offer.

Our epigrapher friend was not allowed to take photographs or even a rubbing of the inscription. Here, however is her recollection:

“The stone came from a hieroglyphic staircase I suspect. It was similar to what I’ve seen from Dos Pilas. I was able to read the first part of the inscription very easily. It said something like this:

The Book of Ix was brought to Yuknoom Che’en. Many died, much pain. It was hidden, the forbidden text of Ix.

There was more, but I didn’t have time to see it. I think there may be another Mayan codex out there.”

The authors are well aware that rumour cannot be counted as evidence

And yet all ancient discovery begins somewhere - an unfounded rumour, whisperings of truth. Just as with John Lloyd Stephens hearing of the legendary Mayan ‘living city’ of white towers, which eventually led to the discovery of Tikal.

Perhaps this is the first hint of a fifth codex - the legendary Book of Ix.