The Authentic Subdivisions of Daytime and Night Among the Tzotzil Rejection of a Popular Model of the Universe

Abstract

This paper examines Tzotzil concepts on day and night and how they are subdivided. In order to understand the indigenous cognitive system it is important to clarify where the sequence begins and to determine the periods and/or points within it, their lengths and how they are delimited from each other. If the phases are conceived of metaphorically, it is an additional goal of the investigation to show how the various metaphoric images are distributed throughout the sequence. The principle question regards the possible existence of a pre-Columbian subdivision of day and night which is comparable to the Western division of the day into hours.