Sunday, July 27, 2014

There Be Dragons: The Madrid Codex

Detail from the Madrid Codex -- a hieroglyphic Mayan book most likely dating to Pre-Columbian times (that is to say, prior to 1492 A.D.).  The snake-like creatures look a lot like dragons, the kind of images you might see in ancient China. Clusters of glyphs could be mistaken for keyboard arrays from the 21st century. 

Where is this preserved now? In the Museo de América, Madrid, Spain. 
Is there a collective unconscious, as Carl Jung and others have posited?  When you see something as mind-blowing as the Madrid Codex, certain archetypes or symbols do appear universal. Before such a work, an eerie feeling tingles through the beholder -- it did me, for sure.

Today's Rune: Partnership. 

5 comments:

Tom Sarmo said...

Cool post. (I am a believer in the collective unconscious--Carl Jung was genius.)

Charles Gramlich said...

I wouldn't have noticed the Keyboard similarity but it's certainly there. A lot of weird mysteries in our past, and probably in our future.

the walking man said...

But the bible says there was only one brand of consciousness until they pissed God off with all the babel and he dispersed them for some peace quiet.

That's as good an explanation as any.

Luma Rosa said...

Hi, Erik!
That date that put the post refers to the date of discovery of the Mayan codex? It does not seem right, if not, since the Mayans belong to the post-classic period mesoamericada chronology.
The other day I was reading about Leonardo codex and found quite a coincidence you post on the Codex Madrid. Previously unaware of the existence of so many codex.
: D
beijus

Erik Donald France said...

Thanx all for the comments ~ cheers ~! Agreed on all counts . . . Luma, codex probably older but could have been a traditional close copy handed down into Spanish colonial times (still some controversy over dating it accurately). Most likely older. Cool on Leonardo codex . . .