Enziwe ephepheni le-amate noma ezikhunjeni eziphathwayo zezilwane ezinjengezinyamazane, amaMaya akha ama-codex ahlukene lapho aqopha khona imiqondo yawo yomlando, onkulunkulu nendawo yonke.
UChilam Balam, iJaguar-Fortune Teller, owazalelwa edolobheni lase UChumayel, owayefunde kahle kakhulu ukubhala kwabanqobi baseSpain, wanquma ngelinye ilanga ukudlulisela kuleyo fomu entsha ebhaliwe lokho akubheka njengokufanele ukukugcina kulelo lifa elikhulu lokhokho bakhe elaliqukethwe kuma-codex.
Ngakho-ke sifunda encwadini yakhe ebizwa I-Chilam Balam kusuka kuChumayel: “Lesi yisikhumbuzo sezinto ezenzekile nabakwenzile. Konke sekuphelile. Bakhuluma ngamazwi abo ngakho-ke mhlawumbe akuyona yonke into eqondwayo encazelweni yayo; kodwa, ngokufanele, njengoba kwenzeka konke, kulotshiwe kanjalo. Konke kuzophinde kuchazwe kahle kakhulu. Futhi mhlawumbe ngeke kube kubi. Konke okubhaliwe akukubi. Akukho okuningi okubhaliwe ngenxa yokukhaphela kwabo kanye nemibimbi yabo. Ngakho-ke abantu be-Itzáes yaphezulu, ngaleyo ndlela ye-Itzamal enkulu, leyo ye-Aké enkulu, leyo ye-Uxmal enkulu, ngaleyo ndlela ye-Ichcaansihó enkulu. Ngakho nababizwa ngama-Couohs… Ngempela babebaningi 'Abesilisa Bangempela'. Hhayi ukuthengisa ukukhaphela babethanda ukuhlangana; kepha akuyona yonke into engaphakathi kwalokhu okubukwayo, nokuthi kungakanani okumele kuchazwe. Labo abaziyo bavela ohlangeni olukhulu lwethu, amadoda aseMayan. Labo bazokwazi incazelo yalokho okukhona lapho beyifunda. Futhi-ke bazoyibona bese beyichaza bese kuthi izimpawu ezicacile zeKatún zicace. Ngoba bangabapristi. Abapristi baphelile, kepha igama labo alikapheli, badala njengabo ”.
Futhi amanye amadoda amaningi aholayo, emadolobheni ahlukahlukene kuyo yonke indawo yamaMaya, enza okufanayo noChilam Balam, asinikeza ifa lomlando ocebile esivumela ukuthi sazi labo khokho bethu abakhulu.
Ungawakhumbula kanjani amaqiniso angcwele wemvelaphi? Ungayenza kanjani inkumbulo yamadlozi amangalisayo isinde ukuze izenzo zawo ziqhubeke nokuba yisibonelo nendlela eya phambili yenzalo yohlu lozalo? Ubushiya kanjani ubufakazi bokuhlangenwe nakho kwezitshalo nezilwane, kokubukwa kwezinkanyezi, kwezenzakalo ezingavamile zesibhakabhaka, njengokufiphala kwenyanga kanye nezinkanyezi ezinomsila?
Le mizamo, esekelwa ubuhlakani babo obuvelele, yaholela amaMaya, emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka ngaphambi kokufika kweSpanish, ukuba athuthukise uhlelo lokubhala olusezingeni eliphakeme kakhulu ezwenikazi laseMelika, okwakungazwakaliswa ngisho nemibono engaqondakali. Kwakuwumbhalo wefonotiki nowe-ideographic ngasikhathi sinye, okusho ukuthi uphawu noma i-glyph ngayinye ingamela into noma umbono, noma ikhombise ngocingo, ngomsindo wayo, uhlu lwamagama ngaphakathi kwegama. I- ama-glyphs ngenani lohlu lwamagama kusetshenziswe ezimeni ezahlukene ukuveza imiqondo ehlukahlukene kakhulu. I-glyph eyinhloko, eneziqalo nezijobelelo, yakha igama; lokhu kuhlanganiswe kwisigatshana esikhulu (isihloko-isenzo-into). Namuhla siyazi ukuthi okuqukethwe yimibhalo eseMayan kuyikhalenda, izinkanyezi, ezenkolo nezomlando, kepha ukubhala kuyaqhubeka kunqubo yokuchaza emazweni ahlukahlukene omhlaba, kuthungathwa ukhiye ukuze bakwazi ukukufunda kahle.
Emadolobheni aseMayan, ikakhulukazi kulawo asenkabeni yenkathi yeClassic, sithola iziphikiso zeNcwadi kaChilam Balam de Chumayel: izincwadi zomlando ezingajwayelekile ezibhalwe ku itshe, abalingisa stucco, ipendwe ku- izindonga; izincwadi zomlando ezingazilandisi zonke izehlakalo zomphakathi, kepha izehlakalo zemigqa ebusayo. Ukuzalwa, ukufinyelela emandleni, imishado, izimpi kanye nokufa kwamakhosi kwashiyelwa inzalo, okusenza sazi ngokubaluleka kwezenzo zabantu ezizukulwaneni ezizayo, nakho okuveza ubukhona ukuqonda okujulile komlando phakathi kwamaMaya. Izethulo zabantu, ezihambisana nemibhalo emayelana nokuxhashazwa kwezizukulwane ezibusayo, zikhonjiswe ezindaweni zomphakathi emadolobheni, njengezikwele, ukukhombisa umphakathi isimilo esiyisibonelo samakhosi amakhulu.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, abanqobi baseSpain babika emibhalweni ehlukahlukene ukuba khona kwamaningi ama-codex omlando, izincwadi ezidwetshiwe emapheshaneni amade ephepha le-amate eligoqwe lalimise okwesihenqo, elacekelwa phansi ngabashushumbisi emzameni wabo wokuqothula lokho abakubiza ngokuthi "ukukhonza izithombe", okungukuthi, inkolo yamaqembu amaMaya. Ama-codex amathathu kuphela alondoloziwe, alethwa eYurophu ngezikhathi zamakoloni futhi aqanjwa ngemizi atholakala kuyo namuhla: I-Dresden, EParis kanye ne- IMadrid.
