The subject of ancient reckoning of time and space can only be inferred from the logic of numbers, with very few exceptions of data in the historical record. Many historically significant numbers exist in the historical record of different ancient cultures. But, the method for computing those numerical results remains a theme of speculation. Many of the ancient Babylonian clay tablets that exist reflect specific mathematical and geometrical problems, much like a school textbook of today. However, notebooks of the scientists who computed the astronomical meandering of the bodies in our solar system have yet to be found.

In the book The Geometry of Pakal: the Glyphs, we explore the design elements and glyphs of the Pakal sculpture found at Palenque, Mexico, and compare them to some of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. We have analyzed elsewhere the possible linguistic correspondence between ancient Egyptian and some of the Mesoamerican languages. Now, we shall examine similarities regarding their symbolic or graphic nature. Many of the design elements in the Pakal sculpture, such as the glyphs in the sky band, would appear to reflect designs pertaining to the ancient kemi system.

It is difficult, if not impossible, at this time, to note which culture may have come first or second; or, which culture may have borrowed which elements from the other culture. That may come in due time. But, for now, we must limit our analyses to pointing out the similarities of design among these different cultures. If the comparisons are correct in that such an exchange of ideas and symbolism did exist in the past, and these similarities are not simply happenstance, then such comparisons may assist us in discerning the intended meaning of the artwork. If, for example, the name Pakal really reflects the ancient Egyptian concepts of pa [to fly] and ka (l) [the soul, roughly], then a possible interpretation of these words would be the "flying soul". Such a reading would be in accordance to the nature of the Pakal sculpture which was placed upon the tomb of Pakal.

Besides the analysis of the glyphs, we also review the general concept of geometry in the Pakal sculpture. Historically significant numbers may be interpreted upon the design elements of the Pakal sculpture (such as the maya companion numbers: 1366560 and 1385540). A general analysis of the geometry of Pakal is thus offered in this work.

The theme of the Pakal sculpture has intrigued scholars ever since its discovery over forty years ago. The present day interpretation that conceives of the figure of Pakal as falling into the jaws of a fleshless monster somehow does not satisfy this author's visual perception. The position of Pakal would appear to be communicating ascension; not a fall. He appears to be leaning forward over a control panel as many authors have also perceived before.

Today, the same religion reaches many different cultures and countries. We should deny such a possibility for the past history of humankind. In a sense, some peoples are afraid to find shared cultures in their past because of the contemporary concept of originality. Were the ancient cultures of kemi and Mesoamerica to have shared a common belief system, we should think that that is in keeping with human nature. It does not disqualify or qualify one particular culture. We must simply come to learn from past experiences: that different peoples can enjoy the same/similar belief system. That is a characteristic of our societies of today.

If the maya and the kemi shared a common background or were co-contemporaneous, we may never know which one preceded the other or whence they came. However, it is significant to discern whether they did share a common belief system. And, such a knowledge would have a greater meaning for our perspective on life than for anything else. Today, many peoples speak and believe the idea about our soul flying, soaring away into the heights of Heaven (depending upon each individual's personal perception of this idea). It should not surprise us to find sculptured artwork representing this particular idea in the past. We in the present evidently obtained this idea from the past. Pakal (maya and pa ka (kemi) may very well be representing the flying soul, the soul that soars to the center of the Universe, eternalized in stone for ever.

Copyrighted © 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999 by Charles William Johnson. All rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited. Printed in the United States of America. Published simultaneously in Mexico. This publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form of photographic, electrostatic, mechanical, or any other method, for any use or purpose, including information storage or retrieval, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

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