De rerum natura: On the Nature of Existence and the Existence of Nature in the mundo maya and Beyond

Abstract

word for ‘nature.’ Th e lack of such terminology stems from the fact that the division between the human realm and the environment we live in has not been (historically or culturally) as separated as it is in the modern world. However, while there are no traditional words for ‘nature’ in Mayan languages, some of the languages use descriptive terms or neologisms that are oft en translated as ‘nature’ in dictionaries and other linguistic sources. The focus of this article is to understand the concept of nature in the Maya worldview based primarily on linguistic sources.