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Voynich Diagram 86v: An Interpretation

Jules Janick, Thomas Ryba, and Arthur Tucker

The Diagram

Page 86v of the Voynich Codex (sometimes referred to as The Rosette) could be a key to decipherment and understanding of the manuscript because there are so many figures accompanied by texts. The large diagram is a composite composed of six pages pasted together (Fig. 1A). It includes 8 spheres surrounding and connected to a large sphere in the center plus three small spheres including one that is completely disconnected from the others. In addition there are two sun images, one in the northwest corner and one in the southeast corner. If the diagram is oriented so that the suns are in an East West position and the small sphere disconnected to the others is in the North position, the reoriented diagram (Fig. 1B) has a strikingresemblance to the kabbalah sephirothic tree also known as the Tree of Life (Fig. 1C). The direction of the written text associated with each sphere suggests a cyclical arrangement as shown in Fig. 1D. To simplify the discussion the spheres are labeled with numbers or letters as suggested by Thomas Ryba.

Does 86v Represent the Kabbalistic Sephirothic Tree, Known as the Tree of Life?

The kabbalistic tree of life was associated with Jewish medieval mysticism (Encyclopedia Judaica, 1971). If the diagram is related to the sephirothic tree, the highest sphere in the diagram (Sphere C) could represents Ain Soph (God) which has no direct connection to the other spheres. Included in this sphere is a symbol with the following form: . Since the Hebrew alphabet may be written with ball-and-stick elements this symbol may be interpreted to represents the letter resh (ר) which can mean “principal, original, beginning.” At the bottom of the N-S axis the smallsphere (Sphere 1) that includes the encircled tao or T-O symbol ( ) which can be a stylized version of the imperial globe represents the Earth. Thus, at the top of the diagram is the symbol of God (Ein Soph) and at the bottom the symbol for Earth (Malkutho). We think it certain that thesephirothic tree of the kabbalah influenced the artist’s diagram but there is no evidence that this is its main purpose.

The kabbalistic Tree of Life was associated with medieval Jewish mysticism but in the 15th, 16th and 17th century kabbalah was incorporated and harmonized in Christian theology probably by Jewish converts (Encyclopedia Judaica 1971) as well as with philosophic ideas (Fig. 2). The Iberian Peninsula was the home of most major kabbalists but in the 16th century kabbalah was banned by the Inquisition along with other occult sciences. With many conversos in New Spain and with its possible introduction by Franciscan friars, kabbalah was known there until it was banned when King Philip II signed royal degrees on January 25, 1569 and August 16, 1564 creating the Tribunal of the Inquisition in the New World.

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Fig. 1. The Voynich rosette: (A) page 86v as found in the manuscript; (B) reoriented with the sunin East-West position, and disconnected sphere North; (C) kabbalah sephirothic Tree of Life published in the 17th century by the Jesuit priest Athanasius Kircher; (D) schematic diagram with labeling of spheres and direction of text of 86v.

Fig. 2. Christian and philosophic kabbalah: (A) diagram of Tree of Life ion Portae Lucis, (Portal of Light) a Latin work of 1516 by the Jewish convert Paolo Ricci; (B) Christian appropriation of kabbalah; (C) portrait of Alexander Henderson by Martin Droeshout, 1632 showing philosophic influence of kabbalah philosophic influence.

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There is a relatively good fit between the Sephirothic tree and Voynich diagram according to the following table.

Sephirot # Sephirot name Voynich spheres1 Kether C2 Chokhmah 63 Binah 74 Chesed 55 Geburah 86 Tiphareth A7 Netzach 48 Hod 39 Yesod 210 Malkuth 111 Daleth B

The Spheres as Cities

There is another explanation of 86v that is not mutually exclusive with a kabbalah interpretation. The diagram may also represents clusters of cities connected by a network of roads. Indeed, Sphere 2 (see Fig. 9) which is the most detailed of the spheres has a number of elements which suggests that it represents the city of Heujotzingo, a small city in Puebla in central Mexico that still exists (Fig. 3A) with alternate spellings on maps and documents of the 16th century as Huexucinco, Huexutcinco, and Huexotzinco; it is also found in a map from 1691 with the spelling of Guazocingo (Fig. 3B). Prominent in Sphere 2 is a fortified structure with swallow-tail, crenelated battlements that resemble the fortified monastery of San Miguel Arcangel at Heujotzingo that was constructed as early as 1530 (Steck, 1951) but not completed until 1570 (Fig. 4). This monastery has a unique architecture that is a mix of medieval and Renaissance styles, with Plateresque and Moorish elements standing out. Its attached aqueduct was fed by runoff from slopes of Popocatepetl via the Xopanac River.

The association of the fortified building as the monastery in Heujotzingo is more than a conjecture. Firstly, very few of the monasteries in New Spain had these crenelated battlements which is found in the present structure at Huejotzingo (Richard Perry, 1992), but none other had swallow-tail merlons. In addition, a convincing case can be made that the fortified structure in Sphere 2 is the monastery San Miguel Arcangel in Heujotzingo since its name in voynichese is written above the structure. This translation is based on the decipherment of some of the Nahuatl

plant names in the Voynich document by Tucker and Talbert (2013). The letters pairotalcPhy above can be transliterated as hu/gu –o-sh/x-e-a-tl-ca-p-i. Huexotl is the Classical Nahuatl stem for willow, while capi is a Spanish word meaning a capital city in Latin America. Thus Huoxeatlcapi would literally be “willow capital,” against the Classical Nahuatl derivation of Huejotzingo (Huexucinco/Huexutcinco/Huexotzinco), which literally translates as “where the willows grow.” We suggest that this decipherment may be a smoking gun which does two things.(1) confirms the decipherment of the plant names, and (2) verifies Sphere 2 as the city Heujoztingo. It also confirms that most of the words found in sphere 2 are not Classical Nahuatl but must be based on a similar extinct dialect or language.

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Fig. 3. Heujoztingo: (A) contemporary map of central Mexico, (B) Map of 1691 with spelling of Guazocingo.

Fig. 4. Fortified monastery: (A) Illustration in sphere 2 of fol. 86v of the Voynich; (B) contemporary picture of the front view of San Miguel Arcangel in Huejotzingo showing attachedaqueduct; (C) contemporary views of the San Miguel Arcangel in Huejotzingo showing the prominent swallow-tail merlons; (D) volcano shown in the distance in sphere 2 of fol. 86v of the Voynich.

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Additional evidence that 86v represents a series of cities comes from the history of Nueva Espana in the 16th century. The Franciscan missionary Toribio of Benavente O.F.M. (1482–1568) known as Motolínia, from the Nahuatl meaning “he is poor” (Fig. 5A), was one of the “twelve apostles” who arrived shortly after Cortés and attempted to help convert the Indians. He arrived in the Valley of Mexico (Anahuac) in 1524 and resided in 1530 at the convent of at Heujotzinco near Tlaxcala and Texcoco. The Franciscans attempted to establish a New Jerusalem or City of the Angels (Puebla de los Angeles, or Angelopolis) in 1530. The location of this city is described as follows:

“The site which the city of Los Angeles occupies is very good and the region is the best in all New Spain. Five leagues to the north lies the city of Tlaxcallan and five leagues to the west isHuexotzinco. To the east, five leagues, is Tepellacac (Tepeyacac). To the south lies the hot region. Here, seven leagues away, are Itzocan and Cuauhquechollan; Cholollan (Cholula) and Totomiahuacan are two leagues and Calpa is five leagues distant. All these towns are large. To the east, forty leagues away, is the harbor of Vera Cruz, and the distance to Mexico is twenty leagues. The highway from the harbor of Vera Cruz to Mexico passed through the city of Los Angeles” (Steck, 1951). Academy of American Franciscan History. Washington, DC).

It is intriguing that some of these cities have been configured into a cross in one publication (Sambhu. 2013. El Corazón del Corazón de América. http://misticosofia:wordpress.com) (Fig. 6)as described by Motolínia, a concept not dissimilar to the kabbalah diagram. Puebla de los Angeles can also be found in a 1733 map (Fig. 7).

We can also interpret page 86v as a map of the cities surrounding Puebla des los Angeles (sphere A) to include Huejotzingo (Sphere 2), Tlaxcalla (sphere 4); Tecamachalco (sphere 6), and Zampoala/Vera Cruz (sphere 8). The spheres are described in more detail as follows:

Sphere A (Fig. 8). The central largest sphere is surrounded by 8 others of which spheres 3, 5, 7, 9, cosmological in nature, are directly connected. Sphere A is composed of three rings: the outer ring contains 12 or 13 sets of six raised pipes evenly distributed (an unseen spike may be in the crease); a thin middle ring with cell-like structures, and an inner ring contains a three dimensional image of a mantle covered with five or six pointed stars supported by six domes

(qubba) or ciboria. There are five words written between the domes [otdoda-oegy (atlchacho-

aahi), soSex-s arar (nats?-n oeoe), otedaiin-otedy (atlacholl-atlachi), ytedara-y (itlachoeo-i), opce-daiin (ahum-choll)] that remain indecipherable. This image is obviously

theological in nature. The starry mantle may allude to the mantle of Elijah or Elisha and is suggestive of the starry mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe shown in a painting now located in theBasilica of Mexico City that dates to 1531. We are convinced that this sphere represents the Celestial City of Jerusalem called Puebla de los Angeles (Angelopolis) now known as Puebla. According to Motolínia the city was found in 1530 with the hope of it being “settled by people who instead of all waiting to have Indians assigned to them, would devout themselves to tilling the field and cultivating the land in the Spanish way.

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Fig. 5. (A) Franciscan friar, Toribio of Benavente (1482-1568) known as Motolínia. (B) Friar’s method of teaching Indians using Spanish, Italian and Flemish pictures (Source F.B. Steck. 1951.Motolínia’s History of the Indians of New Spain).

Fig. 6. Angelopolis, or Puebla de los Angeles, configured into a cross based on Motolínia.

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Fig. 7. 1733 map of central Mexico with the city Puebla de los Angeles.

Fig. 8. Sphere A.

Fig. 9. Sphere 2 and 1 Fig. 10. Sphere 4

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Fig. 11. Sphere 6, B and C. Fig. 12. Sphere 8

Fig. 13. Remains of 5 chimneys from the ruins of the Temple of the Chimneys, Cempoala (Zempoala).

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Sphere 2 (Fig. 9) We identify this sphere as representing Huejotzingo based on the presence of the fortified monastery with the swallow-tailed, crenelated battlements discussed above. An active volcano, which must be Popocatepel, is portrayed on the edge of the sphere. Connected to

the fortress are a long wall with towers, one of which contains the name opoor daly (ahuaae

chocai). Another structure on either side of the monastery appears to be the aqueduct connected to the Xopanac River. In the center of the inner circle are four towers with Moorish domes and five strange finger-like clouds that might represent wind. In addition there are 118 six pointed stars evenly distributed and in their midst in a spiral of words. There are alternation blue and yellow stripes that suggest water. In the passage way to sphere 9 a number of structures are

indicated, and in the passage way to sphere 3 there are three towers with the name otcEdy otoldy (atlaachi atlacachi) above. Atlacachi refers to spear throwers or fishermen in Nahuatl

and this may refer to an Aztec fishing village. The entire sphere is ringed by words. Sphere 2 is

connected to the small sphere 1 with the encircled T-O symbol and three words: osal (anoca),

otor (atlae), and cfhea (paa). Anoca means “place near water” in Nahuatl.

Sphere 4 (Fig. 10). We suggest this sphere represents Tlaxcalla the city entered by Cortex on his way to Tenochtitlan whose name derive from the place of maize tortillas. The population was 300,000 in the 16th century. There was a large fountain and square in the center of the colonial city which might be represented by the blue cross with a circle at its center. Next to the blue cross is a large rectangular area with rows that seems to represent either the rows of the prominent marketplace (tiendes) which was behind the fountain and square or perhaps a growingcrop (maize?). There are six poles. There are two patches filled with stars. The volcano on the edge pointing to sphere A would be La Malinche.

Sphere 6 (Fig. 11). We propose this sphere represents Tecamachalco, Puebla, the site of the Franciscan church containing the paintings in North Renaissance style by the indigenous artist christened Juan Gerson. The church has four ribs with a Franciscan rosette in the center as suggested by the central ring. Gerson’s paintings, on native amatl paper, appear to be based on Italian and Flemish paintings which were used as models to train Indians in the colleges set up by the Friars (Fig. 5B). The paintings include many scenes from the Hebrew Bible and include a panel called Jerusalem and the City of God as well of a view of the Celestial City of Jerusalem. There are a number of strange shapes in blue and white stripes that circle which are unexplainable. The sphere B is connected to Sphere 6 in the south, without any words. We have already commented on the small disconnected sphere above Sphere 6 with the ball-and stick figures. 60 miles east of Puebla sphere B may be Pico de orizaba (citlaltepetl) dormant since 1687.

Sphere 8 (Fig. 12). This sphere composed of two rings can be associated with the Vera Cruz areaon the East Coast of Mexico based on four elements: (1) the six large pipes emanating from the outside of the circle could represent the six chimneys in the ruins of the Temple of the Chimneys at the city of Zempoala/Cempoala (Fig. 13) an ancient Mesoamerican archeological site north of Vera Cruz; (2) the structure in the passageway to sphere 9 is interpreted to be an ancient lighthouse/monastery in Vera Cruz; (3) the large oval shape in the inner circle might represent the large fresh water lake Laguna Catemaco in Vera Cruz; (4) a voynichese name in orange tinted

area (otcedasas) in the inner circle can be deciphered as altmchon = water seller based on

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Nahuatl cognates: atl+m+aca = water + someone and chonon = seller. The residents of various towns had nicknames (Louanna Furbee et al., 2010) and the names associated with Vera Cruz include Chono Trago or Aguadiente Sellers / Bootleggers which would be redolent of Water Sellers.

Spheres 3,5,7,9. (Fig. 14). These four spheres appear cosmological in nature and are all directly connected to sphere A! Sphere 3 is very strange with an outer circle consisting of small ball-like forms and associated with 16 protuberances. The circle form in the center containing a small inner circle at the center connected to two wing-like forms. The inner area is filled with blue marks. We cannot interpret this sphere.

Spheres 5, 7, and 9 are similar and appear to be wheels with spokes or ribs: seven in sphere 5, eight in sphere 7, and fifteen in sphere 9. The spokes in each are associated with names (Table 2).The number 15 in Aztec is associated with a 15 day calendar similar to a week. However the names of each day are associated with 20 day signs producing 260 (20 × 13) uniquely named days depending on the cycle. It may be the 10 names in sphere 9 represent day signs in some language, and indeed a few in sphere 9 are close to the Nahuatl names of the day signs (Table 3). The names do not appear to be related to Totonac or any other language in the area.

Table 2. Words in sphere 5. 7, 9, 5 in deciphered Voynichese listed in alphabetical order.

Sphere 5 Sphere 7 Sphere 9ahuashnoll ahuolla ahuoeatlacaoe atlaachi ahuolatlachi atlahoca atla atlanml atlmi atlaei atlmchoya atlichi atlachi atlmchi atlei

atlmni mtlaachiatlshchi ohaahi chahumi

ohuoshnoe challi Ch?an ochashni

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Fig 14. Spheres 3, 5, 7, 9

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Table 3. Aztec daysigns in English, Spanish, Nahuatl, Totonac, and Voynichese.

English Spanish Nahuatl

Totonac (online in AULEX) via Spanish

Voynich names in sphere 9 closeto Nahuatl

Crocodile cocdrilo cipactli uxpiWind viento Ehecatl liskoli, skoll, un ahuoceHouse casa calli chiki challiLizard lagarto Cuetzpalin uxpiSerpent Serpenti, vogoram,

culebraCoati luwa

Death muerte miquiztli salalukutDeer enado, ciervo, gamo mazatl jukiRabbit conejo tochtli skauWater agua ati chuchut atlaDog [erro itzcuintli chichaMonkey mono ozomantli muxniGrass grama, cesped, hierba mallinalli None foundReed junco acati None foundJaguar jaguar oceloti lapanitVulture buitre cozcacuautli None foundEagle aguila cuauhtli aguila, pichawa chahumiMovement movimento olinFlint pedemal, silex tecpatlRain lluvia quiahuitl senFlower flor xochitl xanat

atlachiahuolahuoeochashnch?anatoaci

The similarities of the words in spheres 5,7, and 9 suggests that the words are incantations

involving drought since of the 26 words, 15 begin with the term ot or atl, a Nahuatl cognate that

concerns water, and 4 words that begin with op or ahu might refer to something dry since ahuoj

= dry arroyo/dry creek. Note that the word atlachi or atlaachi is found in all three spheres. The repeated droughts in the 16th century (1545–1575), the worst in 500 years (Rodolfo Acuna-Soto, et al. 2002) was one of the causes of increased human sacrifice among the Aztecs and the words could very well have been associated with incantations for rain. This is being explored.

Conclusions

Page 86v of the Voynich Codex is a complex figure that involves two concepts: (1) a kabbalistic sephirothtic Tree of Life, and (2) a map associated with Puebla de los Angeles, the New CelestialCity of Jerusalem established by the Franciscan Friars including Motolinia. It includes four

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encircling cities, Huejotzingo, Tlaxcalla, Tecamachalco, and Zempoala (Cempoala) Vera Cruz, all mentioned by Motolinia. The diagram is evidence that the artist of the Voynich Codex was involved with Catholic mysticism linked to Jewish kabbalah.

Literature Cited

Furbee, Luanna. Ramon Jímenez Jímenez, Teresa López Mendez, Maria Bertha.

Sántiz Pérez, Hermalindo Aguilar Méndez, and Juan Méndez, 2010. Geographic Ideology: Nicknames for Chiapas towns: A Lexographic Bouquet for Bob Laughlin. American Anthropological Association, New Orleans, Nov. 19. Abstract. louanna100@yahoo.com; cdit_comitan@yahoo.com.mx.

Perry, Richard. 1993. Mexico’s fortress monasteries. Espadana Pr.

Steck, Francis Borgia. 1951. Motolinia’s history of the Indians of New Spain. Academy American Franciscan History, New York

Sambhu. 2013. El Corazón del Corazón de América. http://misticosofia:wordpress.com Rodolfo

Acuna-Soto, Acuna. David MW. Stahle, Malcolm K. Cleaveland, Matthew D. Therrell. 2002, Megadrought and megadeath in 16th century Mexico. Emerging Infectious Diseases 8(4).