The Mayan Priest (2 page)

They passed through the remains of an arch which were engraved with examples of long-count (Mayan dates) and large drawings of Kinich Ahau (sun god), Ix Chel (moon god) and Chac (rain god) and into a partially excavated courtyard that was approximately thirty feet across from the widest points. It was a large space that would have boasted a well-tended exotic garden in its prime but was currently no more than large mounds of dirt. This saddened Gillian who always felt a sense of loss when uncovering civilisations that had succumbed to the ravages of time, but perhaps this was part of the appeal, exposing the mysteries of past lives and learning from them.

‘This is my young friend Redmond Paisley who discovered the disk,’ introduced Richard as a slight young man with wide, enthusiastic eyes quickly wiped his dirt covered hand on his shirt before offering a greeting to Gillian. She could barely conceal a grin; the name ‘Paisley’ suited his outrageously bright clothes and spotted bandana to a tee. She liked him immediately.

And these are my other partners in crime, both of whom you know,’ said Richard as he led her to the centre of the courtyard where Mitchell Coates and Richard’s long-time partner Julia Charters were digging. Julia was a few years younger than Richard and was the love of his life. Together they had travelled the world, sharing their passion for life and the adventures it offered. Where Gillian would have declined, Julia took up every challenge from sky and scuba diving, abseiling and long treks. She was also a strong, confident businesswoman who frequently donated her time to those less fortunate. Gillian gave Julia a kiss on the cheek. Mitchell did likewise, much to Fred’s annoyance, evident by the scowl on his face.

‘And last but not least is Samuel Thomas a last-minute inclusion from the Mexican government. He is representing their interests,’ said Richard, the slight lowering of his eye and barbed tone of voice speaking volumes to Gillian. He disliked the six foot five, olive skinned man immensely and she could see why. He looked powerful and lean with black flashing eyes, buffed skin and pearl white teeth. His nails were far too neat and clean to be an archaeologist’s and he sported a missing ear, partially concealed by his long wavy hair. He had a well-groomed façade, but Gillian somehow guessed that it was just that … a façade. She suspected his nature was not as unsoiled as he appeared. Even Fred took a step back and went to join Mitchell in removing the last of the dirt that had caved in over the stairs they had uncovered.

‘So, what do you think, Jilly?’ asked Richard.

‘Well … for one thing, the dates in long count on the entrance archway indicate that this home was built somewhere around 520 AD. That puts it well before any of the more infamous temples such as the Temple of the Great Jaguar erected as a tomb for ‘Hasaw Chan Kawil’ about 700 AD. I would imagine that it belongs to a priest or shaman although I think priest is more likely,’ she responded.

‘Perhaps this hole is a chultune used to store the food and precious objects of their owners,’ suggested Fred as he knelt down and examined the stone blocks they had removed to gain access to the stairs.

‘I don‘t think so,’ replied Gillian. ‘These blocks are covered in engravings of Itzamn and Ix Chel who were the deities of medicine. Priests and healers invoked them in their prayers.’

‘See? That’s why I wanted you along,’ grinned Richard as Mitchell hollered loudly.

‘Everyone! Come and look! It’s incredible!’

Julia went first, followed eagerly by Fred, then Redmond, Richard, Samuel and lastly Gillian who had been so intent on the engravings that she had barely heard the call.

The tunnel was dark, lit only by the small torches they were carrying. It descended almost vertically into the ground for twenty feet before levelling off and running in a southerly direction away from Tikal centre.

Initially the walls were plain and unadorned, but the further they ventured, evidence of the richness of Mayan life came into light. The cold air and lack of humidity had served as a preservation tool for the wonderfully rich Mayan paintings, and they paused to gaze at scenes of gods, Tikal at its peak, a royal ceremony depicting the announcement of a new heir and ancient scenery. Gillian noticed with a passing curiosity that the heir was a girl, something she had never seen before. She made a point to remember to study it on the way out.

‘Familiarity produces complacency, so I’m going to have to try a new tack,’ asserted Mitchell as Julia patted him fondly on the shoulder.

‘So, what have you discovered, Mitch?’ she asked as he stepped aside and used the battery powered lantern he’d been carrying to illuminate the entire wall before him.

They all stood mouths agape at a corbelled archway built from solid jade with such precision that there was barely a visible join. On both sides of the arch was a glorious impression of a priest that had been hand carved with an exactness that was beyond comprehension. In the dark, it was almost as if you were looking at the man himself, but in reality Gillian knew he would be formed from jade, obsidian and other precious jewels.

Above the pillars in the unique stepped pattern invented by the Mayans was a distinctive arrangement of glyphs. Supposed to be read in columns of two starting from the top to bottom, Richard began to decipher what had been carved.

‘The first few columns appear to say something like “you are”, then we have a picture of a shield followed by two glyphs representing the sun and moon god. After that appears further characters representing friendship and B’alam which of course means “jaguar”, the most revered animal in the Mayan world.’

‘So … what does it mean?’ asked Redmond in breathless, youthful enthusiasm.

‘I know,’ commented Fred with confidence as everyone shone their lights on him and waited expectantly for his explanation.

‘This is the tomb of a king. I would have thought that was conclusive considering the two uppermost gods, and the jaguar symbol commonly used by the kings are clearly evident.’

‘Well … I disagree,’ added Gillian, knowing that only the darkness shielded her from Fred’s scathing look.

‘Those life-size carvings are clearly of a priest,’ she said, gesturing to the side pillars. ‘It is evident by his clothing and simple headgear. A king would be decked in his full regalia. The hieroglyphics in my view say something like “you are protected by the gods of the sun and moon. You are my friend and that of the Jaguar”. I think this magnificent archway was carved as a dedication to a friend and priest,’ concluded Gillian as Richard and Mitchell murmured in agreement.

‘Is there a tomb here or not?’ boomed Samuel irritably, his deep, resonating voice taking everyone by surprise. This was the first time he had spoken since Gillian and Fred were first introduced to him.

‘Of course,’ replied Gillian confidently. ‘I just don’t know how to gain access yet.’

‘Blow the bloody door. It’s not as if we’re dealing with the Egyptians and all of their fancy traps. These people were primitive,’ snarled Samuel, his expression of disregard for history sickening Gillian. She wondered how he ever got the job here.

‘You’re a real piece of work, Samuel. Can you imagine what damage you could do if you used explosives in here? Not disregarding the treasure that may lie on the other side of that panel,’ said Mitchell as Samuel snarled in a reluctant concurrence.

‘I might be wrong, but I think this is what we’re looking for,’ said Julia unexpectedly as she took the lantern from Richard. She lifted it up to a fully working Calendar Round, the Mayan calendar that could calculate up to fifty-two years with two rotating cycles, one inside the other. It was fashioned from jade, was five inches across and had a pattern of inverted hieroglyphics. Right in the centre was a hexagonal shaped ruby about the size of a walnut. ‘I’ve seen many of these before but never with a stone in the middle. As the stone is clearly significant and the inscription above it means “entrance”, it’s my guess that this is the key,’ and with that Julia lifted her hand to press the glittering centrepiece.

Gillian momentarily scanned the hallway, taking everything in. She looked at the paintings, carvings and colour, realising that the creator of this room was not ostentatious. He had simply depicted Mayan life as best as he could, dedicating his work to his friend. It was unclear if this passageway had been created before or after the death of the priest, but either way the only jewels used had been to embellish the priest’s image. It was totally out of keeping having a jewel of such large proportions imbedded in the Calendar Round. She suddenly experienced a sinking sensation that something was wrong, out of place, planted. Gillian opened her mouth ready to voice a warning, but it was too late. Julia had pressed the stone and a deep, earthly groan rumbled beneath them.

The entire back wall had begun to shift sideways. Created from a solid block of stone that must have weighed many tons, Gillian expected that it would be stiff and noisy, but it moved as fluidly as water flowing down a stream. She was utterly amazed by the expert artisanship not seen before in the Mayan world.

‘Wow!’ exclaimed Richard and Mitchell in unison as the limestone disappeared into the wall and an elaborately painted room of approximately thirteen foot square came into view. It was totally covered by murals with not a blank space visible. Again it depicted the life in Tikal, but this time it was a little more personal, with paintings of the same priest in various scenes before a king and in his personal life at home.

Richard, Mitchell, Julia and Redmond moved enthusiastically to the back of the room, enthralled by the treasure trove of information before them. They stepped aside for Fred who shuffled in beside them, photographing the room for later studies. Gillian knew he would spend the next few weeks decoding the meaning behind the paintings and create meticulous records of their discoveries.

‘Come and look, Gillian!’ called Fred in awe as she turned to go to him, a swift, almost shocking crunch escaping from the roof above her head. Acting on instinct, Gillian dropped to her stomach and rolled away from the noise. She hit her knees and elbows hard against the floor, the pain going unnoticed as an iron gate plummeted to the ground, missing her by less than an inch.

Gillian groaned and sat up quickly, realising that she was on the opposite side of the gate to her friends. They were trapped, and the look of horror on her friends’ faces as the limestone block reappeared terrified her. She yelled and screamed, but there was nothing she could do as the limestone wall slid back across the opening, almost sealing shut before Redmond slammed the pickaxe he’d been carrying with seconds to spare.

Gillian stood up, almost tripping over Samuel’s unconscious body as she hurried to her friends. She was surprised to find that he had also escaped, and a quick check of his vitals revealed that he was going to be fine.

She rushed to the gap created by Redmond and called. ‘Are you all okay?! If you give me a moment, I’ll find a way to get you out!’

‘Jilly … I fear we’re stuck here. The inner walls are made of a thin wood veneer that is likely to collapse with any drastic movement. We would be killed instantly. I still can‘t believe that we were dumb enough to fall into this trap,’ moaned Richard.

‘And you might want this. I can’t be sure what it is, but I have a hunch this is the clue to our escape,’ he added, reaching through the gap and passing her a square jade tile approximately two inches in diameter ‘I found it imbedded in a hole on the inside of the wall, but it’s too dark to translate the inscription … although if I’m not mistaken, its medieval Latin with an arrangement of unusual hieroglyphs on the back.’

‘I don’t understand. Latin was not introduced to America until Christopher Columbus in 1492,’ replied Gillian as the handle of the pickaxe began to splinter, the weight of the wall too much for the small tool.

‘Yes, but this room is genuine. Look, Jilly, we don’t have much time. A few months ago, I unearthed a box at the base of the Temple of the Sun in Teotihuacán. It has these inscriptions on it and engravings that match this plaque. You need to get it and find out what’s inside. You’ll find it on my shelving, under “M” … oh … and not to put any pressure on you, but we have just found a small crack in the floor. It seems we are hanging over a deep pit of some sort. Goodness knows what’s at the bottom, but we don’t really want to find out,’ added Richard, and with that, the axe gave way and fell into the abyss below.

CHAPTER THREE

Gillian was in shock, but she did not waste time. She dropped the tablet into her pocket and started to run towards the vertical stairs only to find that her right foot was snagged. Glancing downwards to sight the cause of her obstruction, Gillian instantly recognised Samuel’s bucket-like hand wrapped around her ankle. He had come too, and the look of greed on his face made shivers run down her spine.

‘Give me that tile,’ he hissed as Gillian leapt onto her remaining foot and swung around, kicking him in his right shoulder. Samuel reacted by releasing her foot and giving her a few precious seconds to scramble free. Gillian sprinted the a hundred feet to the exit only to hear Samuel thunder along just behind her. He reached her just as she climbed the first two steps, grabbing her legs and bringing her crashing onto her already tender knees. She tried to swipe him with her fist, but he held her fast.

‘Come on, bitch. Where’s the tile?’ he growled as he began to rummage around in her pockets, his distraction allowing her to thrust out her left foot, the force of her kick landing directly in his groin. Samuel groaned in pain, dropping to the floor as Gillian scrambled into the light. She knew she had only won a small reprieve, her suspicions confirmed as she heard him roar in anger behind her. On instinct she reached for the abandoned spade Julia had been using earlier and swung a scoop full of dirt into the hole behind her.