Cut Tongue, Penis Gave Mayan Vision Serpent: Lewis Lapham

In A.D. 681, when Shield Jaguar ascended the throne in Yaxchilan, now near the Guatemala-Mexico border, his principal wife, Lady Xoc, knelt, perforated her tongue and drew a thorn-studded rope through the wound.

(To listen to the podcast, click here.)

Accompanied by music and dance, such pain-filled Mayan rituals date back at least to A.D. 199. They were watched by the assembled people, who’d fasted and washed in preparation.

At the climactic point, the new ruler would lacerate his penis, agitating the wound to make the blood flow more copiously.

Burning the strips of paper that caught the blood created great clouds of black smoke from which the Vision Serpent appeared.

I spoke with Peter Watson, author of “The Great Divide: Nature and Human Nature in the Old World and the New,” on the following topics:

1. Great Experiment

2. Reaction to Nature

3. No Horse, No Wheel

4. Propitiation vs. Supplication

5. Alcohol Vs. Hallucinogens

To buy this book in North America, click here.

(Lewis Lapham is the founder of Lapham’s Quarterly and the former editor of Harper’s magazine. He hosts “The World in Time” interview series for Bloomberg News.)

Muse highlights include NYC Best and film reviews.

To contact the writer on the story: Lewis Lapham in New York at lhl@laphamsquarterly.org.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

Enlarge image

'The Great Divide'

HarperCollins via Bloomberg

"The Great Divide: Nature and Human Nature in the Old World and the New" is written by Peter Watson.

"The Great Divide: Nature and Human Nature in the Old World and the New" is written by Peter Watson. Source: HarperCollins via Bloomberg

Audio Download: Cut Tongue, Penis Brought Vision Serpent to Maya

Enlarge image

Peter Watson

Burt Hulsemans/HarperCollins via Bloomberg

Peter Watson is the author of "The Great Divide: Nature and Human Nature in the Old World and the New."

Peter Watson is the author of "The Great Divide: Nature and Human Nature in the Old World and the New." Photographer: Burt Hulsemans/HarperCollins via Bloomberg

Enlarge image

Lewis Lapham

Paul Goguen/Bloomberg

Lewis Lapham, of "Lapham's Quarterly," in New York.

Lewis Lapham, of "Lapham's Quarterly," in New York. Photographer: Paul Goguen/Bloomberg