Page:The Annals of the Cakchiquels.djvu/206

200 21. Nima ꜭoxom, nima chah, Brasseur translates, "great ravines, enormous oaks;" chăh is oak, chāh, ashes; ꜭox, to strike fire, to clash stones together. ꜭhopiytzel, "the bad place where the flesh is torn from the body," referring probably to sharp stones and thorns. Popo abah, the Council Stone.

Molomic chee, "wood gathered together or piled up." It is noteworthy that this, which seems to be the name of a place, means in Cakchiquel the same as Quauhtemallan, Guatemala, in Nahuatl. Perhaps the Aztec allies of Alvarado merely translated the Cakchiquel name of the country. (See Introduction, p. 22, note.)

Xahun chi lol; a difficult phrase, translated by Brasseur, "le dernier rejeton;" lol is applied to a condition of desertion and silence, as that of an abandoned mill or village. On halebal, see Introduction, p. 46.

On Zakiꜭoxol, and the conflict with him, see the Introduction, p. 42.

22. Ru chahim; Brasseur translates this phrase, "between the fire and the ashes," taking chahim from chāh, ashes. But I take it to be from the verb chahih, to guard, as later in the paragraph the question is asked: "Nak rumal tachahih bey?" "Why guardest thou the road?"

xcha ꜭa ok xul; "aprés qu'il eut parlé, il joua sur la flute." Brasseur. The Abbé here mistook the preterit of ul to arrive, for the noun xul, a flute.

ru ꜭux huyu. The ambiguity of the word huyu, here, as often, offers difficulty in ascertaining the precise sense of the original. It means mountain or hill, woods or forest, or simply place or locality. While ꜭux, means literally "heart," it also has the sense, "soul, spirit." (Coto, Vocabulario, Corazon.) Hence, the phrase may be translated "the Spirit of the Forest," or "of the Mountain." Brasseur prefers the latter, while I lean to the former.

roqueçam, from the root oc, to enter; applied to garments "that which is entered," or put on. Compare our slang expression, "to get into one's clothes."

xahpota, see Introduction, p. 18.

23. Yukuba, to string out; hence, to name seriatim. The last four names given are clearly Nahuatl, as is also Zuchitan. This indicates that the Cakchiquels, in their wanderings, had now entered the territory of the Pipils, of the Pacific slope.