Scholarship
Since many texts recur in various books of Chilam Balam, establishing a concordance and studying substitution patterns is fundamental. The archaic Yucatec idiom and the allusive, metaphorical nature of many texts present a formidable challenge to translators. The outcome of the process is sometimes heavily influenced by external assumptions about the texts' purpose. As a result of these factors, the quality of existing translations varies greatly.
The Spanish-language synoptic translation of Barrera Vásquez and Rendón (1948) is still useful. To date (2012), complete English translations are available for the following Books of Chilam Balam:
- Chumayel (authoritative edition: Roys 1933 ; compare with Edmonson 1986);
- Mani (embedded in the Pérez Codex: Craine and Reindorp 1979, an adaptation of the 1949 Mexican translation of Solís Alcalá);
- Tizimin (Edmonson 1982);
- Na (Gubler and Bolles 2000);
- Kaua (Bricker and Miram 2002).
An excellent overview and discussion of the syncretism involved is to be found in the introduction to the Bricker and Miram edition of the Book of Chilam Balam of Kaua. A sophisticated analysis and interpretation of the mythological and ritualistic texts has recently been given by Knowlton (2010).
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