The armadillo is the only mammal with a true outer shell. When threatened by a potential predator, the armadillo simply pulls in its legs and tail, curls up into a ball, and its articulated, flexible shell bends to encase it in a hard, impenetrable ball. For additional protection, the armadillo can dig a hole incredibly fast, bury itself, and then roll into a ball. It can hold its breath under the soil for up to 30 minutes.
The nine articulated shell plates of the nine-banded armadillo, found in the southern United States and throughout South America, correspond to the nine levels of the Myan Underworld. Filled with beings bearing malice towards humans, the Underworld, called Xibalba, is made up of nine levels of darkness and shaped like an inverted pyramid. Each level has a step: four descending from the West, four ascending to the East and a fifth step sitting over the center of the Underworld. All humans must make a dangerous passage through the Underworld on their way up to the Sky.
The armadillo is the only animal that can traverse all nine underworld strata and emerge unharmed. This phenomenon occurs accidentally when armadillos look for insects over freshly dug graves, whose loose soil is easy to explore for food.
The hungry armadillo stations himself near an interment ceremony and waits. After the mourners have departed, and the coffin is buried, the armadillo begins to dig over the grave, using his sharp claws. The loosely packed earth yields easily.
The Myans believe that before it has a chance to settle and pack down, grave soil serves as a temporary portal to the world below. About six times out of ten, an armadillo foraging for food over a fresh grave will slip into the underworld by accident. When it reemerges, it often appears confused and wanders in circles around the graveyard before coming to its senses. The armadillo is the most common totem animal among psychics who specialize in contact with the dead.
The nine articulated shell plates of the nine-banded armadillo, found in the southern United States and throughout South America, correspond to the nine levels of the Myan Underworld. Filled with beings bearing malice towards humans, the Underworld, called Xibalba, is made up of nine levels of darkness and shaped like an inverted pyramid. Each level has a step: four descending from the West, four ascending to the East and a fifth step sitting over the center of the Underworld. All humans must make a dangerous passage through the Underworld on their way up to the Sky.
The armadillo is the only animal that can traverse all nine underworld strata and emerge unharmed. This phenomenon occurs accidentally when armadillos look for insects over freshly dug graves, whose loose soil is easy to explore for food.
The hungry armadillo stations himself near an interment ceremony and waits. After the mourners have departed, and the coffin is buried, the armadillo begins to dig over the grave, using his sharp claws. The loosely packed earth yields easily.
The Myans believe that before it has a chance to settle and pack down, grave soil serves as a temporary portal to the world below. About six times out of ten, an armadillo foraging for food over a fresh grave will slip into the underworld by accident. When it reemerges, it often appears confused and wanders in circles around the graveyard before coming to its senses. The armadillo is the most common totem animal among psychics who specialize in contact with the dead.
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