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Chac?
I am a student currently enrolled in AP Spanish Literature, and we recently read "Chac Mool" by Carlos Fuentes. My teacher instructed us that "chac" does refer to the Mayan god of rain and thunder. Does anyone have the source which details why it's not the same "chac"?—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.193.193.130 (talk • contribs) 2 March 2006.
The answer's a bit late in coming, but it boils down to just like in English, Mayan languages have their homonyms and heteronyms too. chac (more phonemically chak) in Classic Maya can mean a number of things, such as "red", "great", "rain", Chaak (the rain deity), or the verb "to tie up". There are some differences in the length of the vowel sound which distinguish some of these so a few are not really homonyms, but quite often this is overlooked when they are written. It's further complicated when you consider that there is a /ch'/ sound which contrasts with /ch/ as well, and so ch'ak ("cut, decapitate") is different again (but sometimes written the same as) chak (or chac). Le Plongeon's coinage was based on the "red/great" meaning, not the others. --cjllw | TALK09:26, 14 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]
