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fully enjoyed the mentor role with his daughter. “There is hierarchy, yes, for each is born to a certain status with implied roles. The spirit comes into a body perfectly formed for that status. This shapes our destiny, ordained in all wisdom by the deities. Society also follows its destiny, following patterns given by the gods to maintain harmony and order. As long as people keep these sacred laws, they attain personal satisfaction and we continue in peaceful coexistence with other cities.”
    He explained to her the may cycle , a venerable tradition given by the gods. Mayas, the people of the may , were keepers of calendar knowledge that included the may cycles. These cycles shaped the political landscape of B’aakal polity, as they had formed the sociopolitical substructure of Maya society from long distant times. This way of organizing society was a brilliant gift of the gods, who in their wisdom understood the limitations of humans, their tendencies toward selfishness and acquisition and lust for power. In the may cycles, authority, power and prestige were rotated among different Maya cities in a clearly defined and timed process.
    The may cycle followed the numerology of 13 by 20. This was based on the Maya 360-day “year” called tun. One may cycle lasted 260 tuns (256 solar years), consisting of 13 katuns of 20 tuns each. It was divided into two parts of 130 tuns each (128 solar years). The city selected to be the seat of the may became the spiritual, ritual and political center of its region. Called the May Ku , this city built plazas and temples to hold regional ceremonies and was considered the crossroads, the navel of the world. Using creation symbolism, the city denoted a sacred ceiba tree ( yax che ), a sacred grove ( tzukub te ), and a sacred well ( ch’en ).
    Yohl Ik’nal had studied Maya calendars and knew the most important ones: Tzolk’in of the sacred numbers 1-13 that interwove all the others; Haab the 360-day calendar of 18 months having 20 days and one short 5-day month (uayeb) to follow the annual course of the sun; and calendars tracking the movements of Venus, Mars, the Pleiades and the moon. Many calendars shaped the lives of Maya people, guiding every aspect of daily, seasonal, cyclic and ritual activities. So intricate and complex were these calendars, whose number approached 60, that special calendar priests— Ah K’inob —had emerged to interpret them.
    “What is very important,” Kan Bahlam said, “is that the May Ku city controls political and economic functions. It decides tribute requirements, manages land apportionment, makes appointments to public office, and sets schedules for ritualized ‘flower wars’ and ball games to demonstrate prowess of leaders and warriors.”
    “Have we had a flower war?” asked Yohl Ik’nal.
    “Not in my lifetime, so far,” her father replied. “We have not needed one. Now listen closely to this. The may cycle consists of 13 katuns. Each katun is ritually seated in a different city in the region, determined by the May Ku city. Thus every 20 solar years another city is honored and recognized, holds subsidiary rituals and selects its katun priests and katun spokesman/prophet ( Chilam ). This katun city makes local political and economic decisions independently. Do you see the beauty of this strategy?”
    Yohl Ik’nal thought for a moment.
    “The katun city feels important. It exercises local power and this satisfies the ahauob. Leaders of the city have much to occupy their attention.”
    “Yes, very well said. The most significant strategic result is ensuring cooperation with the May Ku city. There is little motivation to oppose or rebel against the political hub of the region. Each city knows it will get its turn as katun city. How wise are the deities who constructed such a system.”
    When the may cycle approached midpoint, a council of leaders and priests took place to select the next May Ku city. The current seat and the forthcoming