Typology and Characteristics of the Initials in the Chilam Balam Manuscripts

Abstract

This article proposes the first study of the Initials in the colonial Mayan books of Chilam Balam. It also analyzes the possible inspirations, the functions they fulfill,and their main characteristics. In addition, a preliminary typology is proposed to classify them, and some approaches to analyze them are outlined, highlighting the relationship between text and image and visual rhetoric.