According to the Mayan worldview, nahuales (nah WALL es) represent one’s vital energy that protects and guides each person throughout their life, represented by a spirit animal, stone, metal, number, color, and other unique information. They are known to establish balance and harmony. Assigned to each person according to the day of their birth and determined by the Mayan calendar, nahuales influence one’s personality, destiny, and mission of the person born on that day. They are highly personal, but also represent the essence of the Mayan people and their culture collectively.

It is for these reasons that Handmade by Friendship Bridge® chose nahuales as the theme of a unique artisan project called Beading Wonders. Generously supported by our donor, Betty Chambers Toguchi, Handmade by Friendship Bridge® commissioned its Indigenous Mayan clients to create hand-beaded artwork that showcases their skills while also bringing to light a part of their ancestral culture that is often overlooked.

This art piece, representing the nahual known as Tz’i, is one example from the Beading Wonders Collection, which is loaded with Mayan significance.

Tz’i represents authority, justice, order, and correctness; it is the day that brings truth to light. A person born under the sign of Tz’i is often best suited for careers that allow them to exert that authority or establish order, such as lawyers, writers, politicians, and administrative assistants. If that person is consistently not in a position where they can create order, it can affect their mental health. In addition, because they are naturally intuitive people and good decision makers, it is often hard to change the mind of a Tz’i.

The Animal: Tz’i means dog in the K’iche’ Maya language; the center of this piece features the face of a dog in shades of brown as the guardian of the nahual. As dogs can naturally sense danger and know when to avoid it, the animal connects to Tz’i’s strengths of authority, justice, and order.

The Staff: The brown and black object laying horizontally at the base of the design, known as a vara, pays tribute to a type of staff carried by authority figures in Indigenous Mayan communities. The vara predates Spanish colonization and was already used by the ancestral authorities prior to the Spaniard’s arrival in Central America. To this day, the vara is exchanged to signify the changing of authority within Mayan communities. These are not paid positions, rather, elected roles granted to people recognized as community leaders who are gifted in maintaining social cohesion, stewarding Indigenous resources, and are generally looked to as wise, authoritative voices.

The Spiral: Rainbow beaded spiral shapes on either side of the design represent water, which is one of the elements of Tz’i. Colors are significant to the Maya in that they represent different aspects of nature and also the cycle of life. For example, red represents the east where the sun rises—a concept that was extremely important to the process of planting and harvesting, and also for maintaining balance and order in a society.

The Number: The number 13 in the Mayan calendar is represented with two stripes and three dots (shown in white below); each stripe represents five and dots represents one. Thirteen was considered to be divine for the Maya for a few reasons. A year can be divided into 13 moons, each one having 28 days. The human body is classified by having 13 joints (consisting of two shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle joints as well as one cervical joint) that at the same time represents solar positions.

The Diamonds: In Maya cosmology, diamonds symbolize the universe; the equal points represent a harmonious balance. The Maya think of the universe in terms of four cardinal points, each of which is associated with a color (east: red; west: black; north: white; and south: yellow). This concept is important in many Mayan ceremonies to this day. In addition, expanses of blue with small dots on the lower section of the design represent stars and another connection to the universe. 

The Feathers: Red designs on either side of this art piece represent feathers. This is another symbol of nature, because the sacred places for Tz’i are in the mountains and other locations in which there is diversity of nature.

The Artist: Handmade by Friendship Bridge® artisan, Maria, from Caserío Santa María El Tablón in the department of Sololá, is the designer and primary bead artist who created this piece. Growing up, María worked alongside her father and brothers in the development of sewing products and handicrafts, and she grew to enjoy the work. She is known for her wide range of detailed coin purses and jewelry sold in our online store, many of which include Mayan symbolism. 

 Want to learn more about your own nahual? Calculate it using your birthdate here.