A Window Into: The Popol Vuh

  A Window Into The Mayan World:     The Popol Vuh   

The Hero Twins.
Photograph by Justin Kerr | Source: MayaVase Database

        The Popol Vuh is a compilation of various legends from some of the ethnic groups that inhabited the Quiché land in Central America, it is also known as the sacred book of the Mayans. The popol vuh was made by anonymous writers, furthermore, it is not known exactly when it was written, but "internal evidence point to the work being completed between the years 1554 and 1558" (Christenson 37).  Around 2007, a version of The Popol Vuh was translated to English by Allen J. Christenson providing a more understandable and digestible text to interpret the concepts of Mayan mythology and history. 

            In this ancient tale several key characters appear. One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu were the two sons of Xpiyacoc and Xmucane, both creator gods. One Hunahpu and Lady Blood (Xquic) are the father and mother of the acclaimed Hero Twins, named Hunahpu and Xbalanque, and together, they both killed Seven Macaw, who was a large bird that brought chaos to people. Also, there were nine rulers of the Underworld, known as the Lords of  Xibalba; one of them, Gathered Blood was the grandfather of the Hero Twins, their mother was Gathered Blood's daughter. Just like them, there are many other characters part of the story. 

The Twins meet with the Lord Izamna, who shows them their faher's head as a skull.
Photograph by Justin Kerr | Source: MayaVase Database

        The hero twins had to pass many tests before they managed to get into the Underworld and fight the lords of Xibalba. When they descended into this place, the Xibalbans tried to trap and trick them by passing the Pus and Blood rivers. "But they were not troubled. They just passed over them, floating on their blowguns" (Christenson 160). Right after, the twins decided, they ordered a mosquito to go bite the carved in wood effigies to find the fake ones and discover the Lords who were hiding in them. When they were bitten, each one of them revealed the names of each other. "All of them had their faces revealed, for all of their names were named. None of their names was missed" (Christenson 163) The hero twins managed to trick them this time. After several tests, at the end of a ball game, Hunahpu and Xabalanque were told to get into an pit oven, to die, but they already knew of their death (Christenson 178). Their bones and ashes were dumped along the river, but surprisingly, the Hero Twins resurrected from the death to accomplish their goal.

The Twin's Father and Uncle play ball which rouses the ire of the Lords of the Underworld.
Photograph by Justin Kerr  |  Source: MayaVase Database

After all their journey, adventures and their victory, those who defeated all xibalba, the Hero Twins "arose straight into the sky, one of them as them arose as the sun and the other as the moon" (Christenson 191). This was the beginning of the creation of humanity to populate the face of the Earth according to the tale of the ancient Mayan people. 

Works Cited

Christenson, Allen. Popol Vuh: The Sacred Book of the Maya: The Great Classic of Central American Spirituality, Translated from the Original Maya Text. Illustrated, University of Oklahoma Press, 2007.