The Cosmos

To a Tzotzil, Osil-balamil is the world in which we live. This includes the universe and the sun and the moon belong to Osil-balamil. Osil-balamil is square shaped, with the heavens supported by 4 pillars, and surrounded by water. Underneath this level there is another square layer that is inhabited by the yohob (dwarfs). The yohob are the little people that have never sinned. The yohob live in ’O’lol which is in the center of Osil-balamil, this is the center of the cube and where the Katibac, or realm of the dead is also placed. To the Pedrano (Tzotzil)all of the cosmos is animate making it impossible to separate the parts from the powers that rule over them.

The Stars are rarely mentioned because they have little to do with mans life. The sun the moon and the earth are referred to as gods. To the Pedrano, Jesus is the sun and Mary is the moon.

Powers and Beings

To the Pedrano the earth or Osil-balamil is the source of all power. Both good and evil come from the same source, they are just different manifestations of that power. In the man-supernatural power relationships these “moods” of the earth are seen as dual and antagonistic waging a struggle over mans existence. Because of Catholic influence, the powers that defend man are called Dios. The powers of evil are called danger and death.

Both powers of good and evil are found in the universe and in man. The powers of good include mans preserves that are invariably good including avenging wrongs and transgressions. The powers of evil are invariably malevolent. The Earth and the anhel personify mans habitat and both are ageless and everlasting. The Earth is the most compelling power in the universe. The anhel is the rain god and the corn giver. He is intimately related to the Pedranos substenance, and is the owner of the animals in the wild. Man can only hunt successfully after asking for his permission; however , the anhel is subservient to the Earth.

In the Pedranos religion the sun and moon do not belong to the ageless. They are lesser gods that came into being long after the world was created. (Jesus is the sun Mary is the moon). Another god that they invoke in prayer is Ohoroxtotil. He is the father of the sun, and he makes possible the existence of man on earth by slaying the jaguars.

Manohel-Tohel is God. To the Tzotzil he is the Creator and Maker. It is this god that provided man with the Ch’ulel (mans eternal soul) and a body.

Poslob is the evil power from above and it is personified in the Jaguar. All evil powers come from above, and there are thirteen of them incuding the eagle and the animals whose poisonous bite is like fire.

The poweres of good and evil in man are also called gods. They are the Totilme’il and the Poslob. The Totilme’il is the father-mother of life, the ancestor. Like the sun and moon he lived on earth when it was inhabited by the gods. In his animal epiphany the “hummingbird” he is the protector of man among men. Another god is death. It is called Pukuh, and it is very powerful. The Pukuh is said to be of equal power with God, and he wants to destroy man and defeat God.

Human Nature

Tzotzil believe that man has 2 souls. The ch’ulel and the wayhel. The ch’ulel is the eternal soul of man which is indestructible. The wayhel is an animal soul by wich man is associated with nature,and is indispensable to his life on earth. The ch’ulel can go from one body to the next so it is re-encarnated. It may also leave the body temporarily but this creates a dangerous situation for the individual. It is said that when the ch’ulel leaves the body permanently the person dies because he is exposed to harm and death. During sleep the ch’ulel may visit Katibac where it may commune with the ch’ulels of the living and the dead; it may also receive communication from the supernatural powers.

The Pedranos believe that at death the ch’ulel does not realize that its earthly existence has come to an end, so it must be called forth by its true name; only then the ch’ulel will leave the body and go to the hereafter. However this period is dangerous to the people around the deceased because the ch’ulel does not want to go alone. The ch’ulel may come back to visit its home or the people it loved for three days. If the body is not burried properly the ch’ulel can not leave the body and it will haunt people in their dreams until properly inhumed. It is implied that the ch’ulel is one and multiple at the same time. Everything that the ch’ulel comes in contact with has part of the ch’ulel in it so body hair or any part of the body whether attached or detached has the ch’ulel.

The weyhel is an animal of the forest inhabiting the bush; that is, the wayhel does not reside in the human body but it is detrimental to its existence. Man’s life depends on its counterpart or animal soul, so the wayhel must be protected in order to preserve life. All harm that comes to the wayhel is experienced by the body so when the wayhel is eaten or dies, the body dies. A man can have up to 13 wayhels and they can be good or evil; for example the jaguar is an evil one and the hummingbird is a good wayhel. A man is not responsible for his principal wayhel, it falls upon him in relation to the day of his birth. Man shares the qualities of his wayhel so this determines his personality type and his temperament.

Myths are related to religious belief and to the concept of the universe and man. It is important to note that there is no firm line between traditional narrative and the present reality. Therefore whatever is happening now is proof of what happened in the past, and what happened in the past can reoccur at any moment. Tzotzil are story tellers and they believe that the repetition of a story validates its authenticity. Myths concerning the creation of the world are lacking. Some of the outstanding myths themes are related to the struggle of earth against the emergence of man; the roles of the protector in relation to man; the origin of death and others.