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THE CRAB AS COSMIC YUX: A SYMBOL OF POWER AND CREATION IN COTZUMALHUAPA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2019

Fernando A. Moreira Open the ORCID record for Fernando A. Moreira [Opens in a new window]
Fernando A. Moreira*
Affiliation:
36 Riverstone Crescent South East, Calgary, AlbertaT2C 4A4, Canada
*
E-mail correspondence to: [email protected]
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Abstract

Crab iconography in Mesoamerica is a novelty, often ignored academically while its meaning remains a mystery. In Cotzumalhuapa, the crab appears as either a base or a headdress in monumental art, but why? Why is the crab singled out in the creation portion of the Popol Vuh, establishing an unexplained precedent? The following work attempts to answer these questions. The decapod itself was not arbitrarily chosen for its role as paxil, or as a feminine symbol of creation, with links to the moon and rain. Rather, its biology and behavior mirrored the existing Mesoamerican worldview. Unfortunately, the linguistic and cultural affinities of Cotzumalhuapa are unknown. Thus, I analyze other objects from other regions/cultures and compares zoological, linguistical, and ethnohistorical data to conclude that the crab was conceptually feminine, a cognate to the moon goddess and the surface of the earth, representing creation. Furthermore, rulers of Cotzumalhuapa wore regalia that include crab imagery, which provided them the power of creation and propagated belief in the legitimacy of their rule.

Type
Research Article
Information
Ancient Mesoamerica , Volume 31 , Issue 2 , Fall 2020 , pp. 308 - 318
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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