THE QUINCUNX AMONG THE MAYANS: A STATE OF THE QUESTION

Abstract

In this article I present the preliminary results of the study about the quincunx in the Maya culture. In my opinion scholars of Maya culture use the term quincunx to interpret a particular form of spatiality. Analyzing the discussions on this subject in different academic disciplines (ethnology, linguistics, archeology, epigraphy, archaeoastronomy) it is noted that there are interpretive differences concerning both the elements of the quincunx as well as its spatial orientation or disposition. The main distinction, present, in particular, in the interpretations made about the pre-Hispanic period, is that the orientation of the quincunx to the cardinal points is emphasized, while in ethnological studies the tendency of orienting the quincunx towards the solstitials points is observed.