Of the 20 Ch'orti' Maya tzolk'in day signs, Ch'i' provides the most evidence for the evolution of Mayan thought. The change in the day sign name demonstrates this evolution.
Ch'i' or "Growth". Growth is a rather abstract and advanced thought. It is likely this concept did not develop until after 2000 BCE, whereas the day sign names likely were developed by 7000 BCE from Lago Güija. I believe that the Yucatec name Manik' is the original name. Manik' or Manix is the name of the hunter people who confronted the Maya at the Corinto cave. They were also known as Xibalbha - "those afraid of water". The Popol Vuh talks about the manikins - the "manik sticks", referring to the tall nature of the Manik. The Manik were the first or original people of the Americas and likely date back tens of thousands of years. One can see their likely linguistic trace in Lake Manix at the Calico Early Man Site in southern California.
Further proof that this day sign had been Manik and that Manik corresponds to the hunter tribe at Corinto cave is that the Nahuat name for this day sign in the Aztec calendar is Mazatl, which means deer, a symbol for hunting and the hunter. In addition, this day sign is the sign of the Lord of the Hunt.
Naming a day sign after the Manik was a great honor to give to one's former enemies. Then to reassign Ch'i' or "growth" to the day sign actually further honors the Manik, symbolizing the ability of anyone, even one's enemy of 1,500 years, to grow. It equally symbolizes the ability of the Maya to grow beyond seeing the Manik or any people as enemies, beyond seeing the offspring of the Manik, whether in Northamerica or Central America, as enemies or inferior.
It is possible that there is a relationship between the Mayan Ch'i' and the Chinese concept Chi. However, the meanings are somewhat different. Mayan Ch'i' means growth while the Chinese Chi means breath or life force - which seems to correspond more to the day sign Ikar or Ik. Ch'i' is well integrated in the Ch'orti' language, so if there is a relationship it is likely from the Mayan to the Chinese.
The tile or letter that corresponds to Ch'i' (above) in written Mayan appears to be the symbol for the Chinmaya Mudra, a Hindu-Buddhist meditation hand pose. Even the name Chinmaya provides a strong hint of Ch'i' and the Maya. The Chinmaya Ch'i' symbol shows that one does not need to be bound by one's past, by one's ancestors' enemies. And it shows that all people, including those known as hunters and as the lords of Xibalbha, can evolve and grow.
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