Mayan Myth~ The Dwarf of Uxmal

Mayan Myth: The Dwarf of Uxmal
Central to the city of Uxmal is the great Pyramid of the Magician. It is an interesting structure that carries with it a more interesting tale. Legend has it that a new king would come to rule the city when a magical "gong" was sounded in the nearby jungle. One day such a sound was heard in the surrounding hills, and a dwarf magician-god named Itzamna appeared in the central city.

(In Mayan religion, Itzamna is considered as a supreme god. He is second only to Hunab Ku, but he is less abstract than Hunab Ku and more representations of him can be found in the archaeological record. Insofar as Mayan religion was moving towards monotheism, Itzamna was considered an aspect of Hunab Ku, not as a separate divine being. As founder of Mayan culture, Itzamna refused to have anything to do with wars, violence, or human sacrifices. He was a god of peace).

The City-King, was not ready to give up the realm to a stranger, ordered the young "God" executed. But unrest among the villagers (nearly 25,000 of them) forced the king to issue the dwarf-boy a challenge. The king agreed the boy could live and become king if he could construct a grand pyramid overnight. Confident he had saved his rulership and kingdom, the Maya lord slept soundly through the night, only to rise the next morning to witness the appearance of a huge pyramid, the Pyramid of the Magician, which the boy apparently had built with magic in a single night. The boy became the king of the city-state, and legend has it that a period of great prosperity followed. An expansive building campaign furthered the size and status of the city, and Uxmal quickly gained a place in Maya history as one of its more magnificent cities.

Another Myth of the Dwarf of Kabah
In the city of Kabah, there lived an ancient witch who knew all the mysteries of the stars and the secrets of the herbs. Every day, the witch gazed sweetly at a very small egg which she had found by chance. One day, the egg opened and a dwarf child appeared that was the joy of the witchs in her old age. The long-lived witch spent most of her time at the fireside, for she jealously guarded a Tunkul (a musical instrument) which she had hidden there. The dwarf, shrewd and malicious, and taking advantage of a careless moment of hers, found the Tunkul among the ashes. He played the Tunkul, and the sound he made from the Tunkul was so strong that it reached the palace of the old king of Uxmal.

This sound was the precise signal of a terrible prophecy which announced the end of the kings reign over Uxmal. For this reason, the king decided to negotiate with the dwarf, to see if there was any way to be freed from this terrible prophecy. The dwarf asked that the King to build a road from Uxmal to Kabah, and when the road was finished he would return on this road with the answer to the Kings request. As soon as the road was finished, the dwarf added a condition: that was to break a cocoyol (a local hard fruit seed) on the head of both himself and the king. The king accepted, as long as the dwarf would be the first to pass the test. The dwarf passed with no problems. However, the king lost his life in the attempt, and so the dwarf was proclaimed king of Uxmal.

That same day, the witch called to him. The witch said You are king now". "Live justly as you leant from me. Listen to the advice of everyone, and follow the best. Do not fear the truth, even if it is bitter. Be kind before just, and remove from your heart any feelings of vengeance. Respect the voice of the gods but do not be deaf to manhood. Do not despise the poor and do not trust the blinds one, in the powerful." The old witch died a short time later, and as long as the new king followed her wise advice, the city of Uxmal enjoyed long periods of peace and happiness. His test from this point on was not to re-create the world controlled by ego.

The time has come . . . To hatch from our eggs, walk the sacred Sacbes Grids of Light, and let our Tunkuls joyfully sound. May the Kings of the old world move aside as the new world is born through us, around us and for all of us.

We are inviting you to join us on a remarkable pilgrimage to live the re-written legend of the birth of a new kingdom. Join us in Uxmal, Kabah and other amazing areas of the Maya world this December, to remember our hatch our divine potential. Time is short, so if you are called to join us, you must act quickly. We hope you join us.
Great Blessings ~ Aluna Joy
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