POPUL VUH
The Text
This is the beginning of the Ancient Word, here is this place called Quiche.
Here we shall inscribe, we shall implant the Ancient Word, the potential and source for everything done in the citadel of Quiche, in the nation of Quiche people.
And here we shall take up the demonstration, revelation, and account of how things were put in shadow and brought to light
by the Maker, Modeler, named Bearer, Begetter,
Hunahpu Possum, Hunahpu Coyote,
Great White Peccary, Tapir,
Sovereign Plumed Serpent,
Heart of the Lake, Heart of the Sea
Maker of the Blue-Green Plate,
Maker of the Blue-Green Bowl,As they are called, also named, also described as
the midwife, matchmaker
named Xpiyacc, Xmucane,
defender, protector,
twice a midwife, twice a matchmaker,as is said in the words of Quiche. They accounted for everything, and did it, too as enlightened beings, in enlightened words. We shall write about this now amide the preaching of God, in Christendom now. We shall bring it out because
there is no longer a place to see it, a Council Book
a place to see "The Light That Came From Across the Sea"
the account of "Our Place in the Shadows,"
a place to see :"The Dawn of Life."There is the original book and ancient writing, but he who reads and ponders it
hides his face. It take a long performance and account to complete the
emergence of all the sky-earth"
the fourfold siding, fourfold cornering,
measuring, fourfold staking,
halving the cord,stretching the cord
inthe sky, on the earth,
the four sides, the four corners,as it is said,
by the Maker, Modeler,
mother-father of life, of humankind
giver of breath, giver of heart,
bearer, upbringer in the light that lasts
of those born in the light, begotten in the light;
worrier, knower of everything, whatever there is:
sky-earth, lake-sea.Here is the Account:
Now it still ripples, now it still murmurs, ripples, it still sighs, still hums and it is
empty under the sky.
Here follow the first words, the first eloquence:
There is no yet one person, one animal, bird, fish, crab, tree, rock, hollow
canyon, meadow, forests. Only the sky alone is up there; the face of the earth is
not clear. Only the sea alone is pooled under all the sky; there is nothing
whatever gathered together. It is at rest, not a single thing stirs. It is held back,
kept at rest under the sky.
Whatever there is that might be is simple not there: only the pooled water, only
the calm sea, only it alone is pooled.
Whatever might be is simply not there: only murmurs, ripples, in the dark, in
the night. Only the Maker, Modeler alone, Sovereign Plumed Serpent, the
Bearers, Begetters are in the water, a glittering light. They are there, they are
enclosed in quetzal feathers, in blue-green.
Thus the name "Plumed Serpent." They are great knowers, greater thinkers in
their very being.
And of course there is the sky, and there is also the Heart of Sky. This is the
name of the god, as it is spoken.
And then came his word, he came here to the Sovereign Plumed Serpent, and
they talked, then they thought, then they worried. They agreed with each other,
they joined their words, their thoughts. Then it was clear, then they reached
accord in the light, and then humanity was clear, when they conceived the
growth, the generation of trees of bushes and the growth of life, of humankind,
in the blackness, in the early dawn, all because of the Heart of Sky, named
Hurricane. Thunderbolt Hurricane comes first, the second is Newborn
Thunderbolt, and the third is Raw Thunderbolt.
So there were three of them, as Heart of Sky, who came to the Sovereign
Plumed Serpent, when the dawn of life was conceived:
"How should it be sown, how should it dawn? Who is to be the provider,
nurturer?"
"Let it be this way, think about it: this water should be removed, emptied out
for the formation of the earth's own plate and platform, then comes the sowing,
the dawning of the sky-earth. But there will be no high days and no bright
praise for our work, our design, until the rise of the human work, the human
design," they said.
And then the earth arose because of them, it was simply their word that brought
it forth. For the forming of the earth they said "Earth." It arose suddenly, just
like a cloud, like a mist, now forming, unfolding. Then the mountains were
separated from the water, all at once the great mountains came forth. By their
genius alone, by their cutting edge alone they carried out the conception of the
mountain-plain, whose face grew install groves of cypress and pine.
And the Plumed Serpent was pleased with this:
"It was good that you came, Heart of Sky, Hurricane, and Newborn
Thunderbolt, Raw Thunderbolt. Our work, our design will turn out well, " they
said.
And the earth was formed first, the mountain-plain. The channels of water were
separated; their branches wound their ways among the mountains. The waters
were divided when the great mountains appeared.
Such was the formation of the earth when it was brought forth by the Heart of
Sky, Heart of Earth, as they are called, since they were the first to think of it.
The sky was set apart, and the earth was set apart in the midst of the waters.
Such was their plane when they thought, when they worried about the
completion of their work.
Now they planned the animals of the mountains, all the guardians of the forests,
creatures of the mountains: the deer, birds, pumas, jaguars, serpents,
rattlesnakes, yellowbites, guardians of the bushes.
A Bearer, Begetter speaks:
"Why this pointless humming? Why should there merely be rustling beneath the
trees and bushes?"
"Indeed- they had better have guardians," the other replied. As soon as they
thought it and said it, deer and birds came forth.
And then they gave out homes to the deer and birds:
"You, the deer: sleep along the rivers, in the canyons. Be here in the meadows,
in the thickets, in the forests, multiply yourselves. You will stand and walk on
all fours," they were told.
So then they established the nests of the birds, small and great:
"You, precious birds: your nests, your houses in the trees, in the bushes.
Multiply three, scatter there, in the branches or trees, or the branches of bushes.
" This the deer and birds were told.
When this deed had been done, all of them had received a place to sleep and a
place to stay, so it is that the nests of the animals are on the earth, given by the
Bearer, Begetter. Now the arrangement of the deer and birds was complete.And then the deer and birds were told by the Maker, Modeler, Bearer, Begetter:
"Talk, speak out. Don't moan, don't cry out. Please talk, each to each, within
each kind, within each groups." This they were told: the deer, birds, puma,
jaguar, serpents.
"Name now our names, praise us. We are your mother, we are your father.
Speak now:
"Huricane,
Newborn Thunderbolt,Raw Thunderbolt,
Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth,
Maker, Modeler,
Bearer, Begetter,"speak, pray to us, keep our days," they were told. But it didn't turn out that they
spoke like people: they squawked, they chattered, they howled. It wasn't
apparent what language they spoke; each one gave a different cry. When the
Maker, Modeler heard this:
"It hasn't turned out well, they haven't spoken," they said among themselves. "It
hasn't turned out that our names have been named. Since were are their mason
and sculptor this will not do," the Bearers and Begetters said among
themselves. So they told them:
"You will simply have to be transformed. Since it hasn't turned out well and you
haven't spoken, we have changed our word:
"What you feed on, what you eat, the places where you sleep and the places
where you stay, whatever is yours will remain in the canyons, the forests.
Although it turned out that our days were not kept, nor did you pray to us, there
may yet be strength in the keeper of days, the giver of praise whom we have
yet to make. Just accept your service, just let your flesh be eaten.
"So be it, this must be your service," they were told when they were
instructed-the animals, small and great on the face of the earth.
And then they wanted to test their timing again, they wanted to experiment
again, and they wanted to prepare for the keeping of days again. They had not
heard their speech among the animals, it did not come to fruition, and it was not
complete.
And so their flesh was brought low, they served, they were eaten, they were
killed-all the animals on the face of the earth.Again there comes an experiment with the human work, the human design, by
the Maker, Modeler, Bearer, Begetter:
"It must simply be tried again. The time for the planting and dawning is nearing.
For this we must make a provider and nurturer. How else can we be involved
and remembered on the face of the earth? We have already make our first try at
our work and design, but it turned out that they didn't keep our days, nor did
they glorify us.
"So now let's try to make a giver of praise, giver of respect, provider, nurturer,"
the said.
So then comes the building and working with earth and mud. They made a
body, but it didn't look good to them. It was separating, crumbling, loosening,
softening, disintegrating, and dissolving. Its head wouldn't turn, either. Its face
was lopsided, its face was twisted. it couldn't look around. It talked at first, but
senselessly. It was quickly dissolved in the water.
"It won't last" the mason and sculptor said then.
"It seems to be dwindling away, so let it just dwindle. It can't walk and it can't
multiply, so let it be merely a thought." they said.
So then they dismantled, again they brought down their work and design. And
they talked:
"What is there for us to make that would turn out well, that would succeed in
keeping our days and praying to us?" they said. Then they planned again:
"We'll tell Xpiyacoc, Xmucane, Hunahpu Possum, Hunahpu Coyote to try a
counting of days, a counting of lots,:" the mason and sculptor said to
themselves. Then they invoked Xpiyacoc, Xmucane.Then comes the naming of those who are the midmost seers: The Grandmother
of Day, Grandmother of Light as the Maker, Modeler called them. These are
name of Xpiyacoc and Xmucane.
When Hurricane had spoken with the Sovereign Plumed Serpent they involved
the daykeepers, divers, the midmost seers.
"There is yet to indicate, yet to discovered how we are to model a person,
construct a person again, a provider, nurturer, so that we are called upon and
we are recognized: our recompense is in words:Midwife, matchmaker,
our grandmother, our grandfather,
Xpiyacoc,Xmucane,
let there be planting, let there be the dawning
of our invocation, our sustenance, our recognition
by the human work, the human design,
the human figure, the human mass.So be it, fulfill your names:
Hunahpu Possum , Hunahpu Coyote,
Bearer twice over, Begetter twice over
Great Peccary, Great Tapir,
lapidary, jeweler,
sawer, carpenter,
Maker of the Blue-Green Plate,
Maker of the Blue-Green Bowl,
incense maker, master craftsman,
Grandmother of Day, Grandmother of Light.You have been called upon because of our work , our design. Run your hands
over the kernels of corn, over the seeds of the coral tree, just get it done, just let
come out whether we should carve and gouge a mouth, a face in wood," they
told the day keepers.
And then comes the borrowing, the counting of days, the hand is moved over
the corn kernels, over the coral seeds, the days, the lots:
Then they spook to them, one of them a grandmother, the other a grandfather.
This is the grandfather, this is the master of the coral seeds, Xpiyacoc is his
name.
And this is the grandmother, the daykeeper, diviner who stands behind others:
Xmucane is her name.
And they say as they set out the days:
"Just let it be found, just let it be discovered,
say it our ear is listening,
may you talk, may you speak,
just find the wood for the carving and sculpting
by the builder, sculptor.
Is this to be the provider, the nurturer
when it comes to the planting, the dawning
You corn kernels, you coral seeds,
you days, you lots:
may you succeed, may you be accurate,"they say to the corn kernels, coral seeds, days, lots. "Have shame, you up there,
Heart of Sky, attempt no deception before the mouth and face of Sovereign
Plumed Serpent" they say. Then they speak straight to the point:
It is well that there be your manikins, woodcarvings, talking speaking, there on
the face of the earth.
"So be it," they reply. The moment they spoke it was done; the manikins,
woodcarvings, human in looks and human in speech.
This was the peopling of the earth:
They came into being, they multiplied, they had daughters, they had sons, these
manikins, woodcarvings. But there was nothing in their hearts and nothing in
their minds, no memory of their mason and builder. They just went and walked
wherever they wanted. Now they did not remember the Heart of Sky.
And so they fell, just an experiment and just a cutout for humankind. They
were talking at first but their faces were dry. They were not yet developed in
the legs and arms. They had no blood, no lymph. They had no sweat, no fat.
Their complexions were dry, their faces were crusty. They flailed their legs and
arms, their bodies were deformed.
And so they accomplished nothing before the Maker, Modeler who gave them
birth, gave them heart. They became the first numerous people her on the earth.Again there comes a humiliation, destruction, and demolition. The manikins,
woodcarvings were killed when the Heart of Sky devised a flood for them. A
great food was made, it came down on the heads of the manikins,
woodcarvings.
A man's body was carved from the wood of the coral tree by the Maker,
Modeler. And as for the woman, the Maker, Modeler needed the pith of reeds
for the woman's body. They were not competent, nor did they speak before the
builder and sculptor who made them and brought them forth, and so were
killed, done in by a flood.
There came a rain of resin from the sky.
There came the one named Gouger of Faces: he gouged out their eyeballs.
There came Sudden Bloodletter: he snapped off their heads.
There came Crunching Jaguar: he ate their flesh.
There came Tearing Jaguar: he tore them open.
The were pounded down to the bones and tendons, smashed and pulverized
even to the bones. Their faces were smashed because they were incompetent
before their mother and their father., the Heart of Sky, named Hurricane. The
earth was blackened because of this: the black rainstorm began, rain all day,
and rain all night. Into their houses came the animals, small and big. Their faces
were crushed by things of wood and stone. Everything spoke: their waters jars,
their tortilla griddles, their plates, their cooking pots, their dogs, their grinding
stone, each and everything crushed their faces. Their dogs and turkeys told
them:
"You caused us pain, you ate us, but now it is you whom we shall eat.:" And
this said the grinding stone" "We were undone because of you
Every day, every day,
in the dark, in the dawn, forever, because of you.This was the service we gave you at first, when you were still people, but today
you will learn of our power. We shall pound and we shall grind your flesh.,"
their grinding stones told them.
And this is what their dogs said, when they spoke in their turn:
"Why is it you can't seem to give us our food? We just watch and you just keep
us down, and you throw us around. You keep and stick ready when you eat,
just so you can hit us. We don't talk, so we've received nothing from you. How
could you not have known.? You did know that we were wasting away there
behind you.
"So this very day you will taste the teeth in your mouths. We shall eat your".
And the dogs crushed their faces.
"And then their tortilla griddles and cooking pots spoke to them in turn:
"Pain! That's all you've done for us. Our mouths are sooty, our faces are sooty.
By setting us on the fire all the time, you burn us. Since we felt no pain, you try
it. We shall burn you," all their cooking pots said, burning their faces.
The stones, their hearthstones were shooting out, coming right out of the fire,
going for their heads causing them pain. Now they ran for it, helter-skelter.
They want to climb up on the house, but they fall as the houses collapse.
They want to climb the trees, but they're thrown off by the trees.
They want to get inside caves, but the caves slam shut into their faces.
Such was the scattering of the human work, the human design. The people were
ground down, overthrown. The mouths and faces of all of them were destroyed
and crushed. And it used to be said that the monkeys in the forests today are a
sign of this.
They were left as a sign because wood alone was used for their flesh by the
builder and sculptor. So this is why monkeys look like people, they are a sign of
a previous human design, mere manikins mere woodcarvings.This was when there was just a trace of early dawn on the face of the earth.
There was no sun. There was one who magnified himself: Seven Macaw is his
name. The sky-earth was already there, but the face of the sun-moon was
clouded over. Even so, it is said that his light provided a sign for the people who
were flooded. He was like a genius to them.
"I am great. My place is now higher than
Here is the beginning of the defeat and destruction of the day of Seven Macaw
by the two boys, the first named Hunahpu and the second named Xbalanque.
Being gods, the two of them saw evil in his attempt at self-magnification before
the Heart of Sky. So the boys talked:
"It is no good without life, without people here on the face of the earth."
"Well then, lets take a shot. We could kill him while he's at his meal. We could
make him ill, then put an end to his riches, his jade, his metal, his jewels, his
gems, the source of his brilliance. Everyone might do as he does, but it should
not come to be that fiery splendor is merely a matter of metal. So be it, " said
the boys, each one with a blowgun on his shoulder, the two of them together.And this Seven Macaw has two sons: the first of these is Zipacna and the
second is the Earthquake. And Chimalmat is the name of their mother, the wife
of Seven Macaw.
And this is Zipacna, this is the one to build up the great mountains: Fire Mouth,
Hanuhpu, Cave by the Water, Xcanul, Macamob, Haliznab, as the names of the
mountains that were there at the dawn are spoken. They wre brought forth by
Zipacna in a single night.
And now this the Earthquake. The mountains are moved by him; the
mountains, small and great, are softened by him. The sons of Seven Macaw did
this just as a means of self-magnification.
"Here am I: I am the sun," said Seven Macaw.
"Here am I: I am the maker of the earth," said Zipacna.
"As for me, I bring down the sky. I make an avalanche of all the earth, " said
Earthquake. The sons of Seven Macaw are alike and like him: they got their
greatness from their farther.
And the two boys saw evil in this, since our first mother and father could not
yet be made. Therefore deaths and disappearances were planned by the two
boys.And here is the shooting of Seven Macaw by the two boys. We shall explain the
defeat of each one of those who engage in self-magnification This is the great
tree of Seven Macaw, a nance, and this is the food of Seven Macaw. In order to
eat the fruit of the nance he goes up the tree every day. Since Hunahpu and
Xbalanque have seen where he feeds, they are now hiding beneath the tree of
Seven Macaw, they are keeping quiet here, the two boys are in the leaves of the
tree.
And when Seven Macaw arrived, perching over his meal, the nance, it was then
that he was shot by Hanahpu. The blowgun shot went right to his jaw, breaking
his mouth. Then he went up over the tree and fell flat on the ground. Suddenly
Hunahpu appeared, running. He set out to grab him, but actually it was the arm
of Hunahpu that was seized by Seven Macaw. He yanked it straight back, he
bent it back at the shoulder. Then Seven Macaw tore it right out of Hunahpu.
Even so, the boys did well as the first round was not their defeat by Seven
Macaw
And when Seven Macaw had taken the arm of Hunahpu he went home.
Holding his jaw very carefully, he arrived home.
"What have you got there?" Chimalmat said, the wife of Seven Macaw.
"What is it but those two tricksters! They've shot me, they dislocated my jaw.
All my teeth are loose, and now they ache. But once what I've got is over the
fire - hanging there, dangling over the fire - then they can just come and get it.
They're nothing but tricksters!" said Seven Macaw, then he hung up the arm of
Hanahpu.
Meanwhile Hanahpu and Xbalanque were thinking. And then they involked a
grandfather, a truly white-haired grandfather and a grandmother, a truly humble
grandmother - bent over elderly people. Great White Peccary is the name of the
grandfather and Great White Tapir is the name of the grandmother. The boys
said to the grandmother and grandfather:
"Please travel with us when we go to get our arm from Seven Macaw, we'll just
follow right behind you. You"ll tell him:
"Forgive our children who travel with us. Their mother and father are dead, and
so they follow along behind us. Perhaps we should give them away since all we
do pull worms out of teeth." So we'll seem like children to Seven Macaw, even
though we're giveing you the instructions," the two boys told them.
"Very well," they replied.
After that they approached the place where Seven Macaw was in front of his
home. When the grandmother and grandfather passed by, the two boys were
romping along behind them. When they passed below the lord's house, Seven
Macaw was yelling loudly because of his teeth. And when Seven Macaw say
the grandfather and grandmother travelling with them:
"Where are headed, our grandfather?" said the lord.
"We're just making our living, your lordship," they replied.
"Why are you working for a living? Aren't those your children traveling with
you?"
"No they are our grandchildren, your lordship," they replied. They are our
grandchildren, our descendants, but it is nevertheless we who take pity on
them. The bit of food they get is the portion we give them, your lordship,"
replied the grandmother and grandfather. Since the lord is overwhelmed by the
pain in his teeth it is with great effort that he says:
"I implore you, please take pity on me! What sweets can you make, what
poisons can you cure?" said the lord.
"We just pull worms out of teeth, and we just cure eyes. We also set bones,
your lordship," said they.
"Very well, please cure my teeth. They really ache, every day. It's horrible! I
get no sleep because of them. They just shot me, those two tricksters! Ever
since it started I haven't eaten because of it. Therefore take pity on me! My
teeth are loose now."
"Very well, your lordship. It's a worm, gnawing at the bone. It's merely a matter
of putting in a replacement and taking out the teeth sir."
"But perhaps it is not good for my teeth to come out - since I am, after all, a
lord. My finery is my teeth, and my eyes."
"But then we'll put in a replacement. Ground bone will be put back in". And
they held up a bag holding not bone but white corn.
"Very well. Yank them out! Give me some relief!" the lordship said.
And when the teeth of Seven Macaw came out, it was only white corn that
went in as a replacement for them. His face fell at once, he no longer looked
like a lord. The last of his teeth came out, the jewels that had stood out from his
mouth were gone.
And then the eyes of Seven Macaw were cured. When his eyes were trimmed
back the last of his metal came out. Still he felt no pain; he just looked on while
the last of his greatness left him. It was just as Hunahpu and Xbalanque had
intended.
And when Seven Macaw died., Hanuhpu got back his arm. Chamlmat, the wife
of Seven Macaw, also died of despair.
Such was the loss of the riches of Seven Macaw, only the doctors got the
jewels, and gems that had made him arrogant on the face of the earth. The
gemnius of the grandmother, the genius of the grandfather did its work when
they took back the ar. It was implanted and the join healed. Just as they wished
the death of Seven Macaw, so they brought it about. They saw evil in his
self-magnification.
After this the two boys went on again. What they did was simply obeying the
word of the Heart of Sky.And here are the deeds of Zipacna, the first son of Seven Macaw.
"I am the maker of mountains," says Zipacna.
And this is Zipacna, bathing on the shore. Then the Four Hundred Boys passed
by dragging a log, a post for their hut. The Four Hundred BOys were walking
long, having cut a great tree for the lintel of their hut.
And then Zipacna went theere, he came to where the Four Hundred Boys were:
"What are you doing, boys?" "It;s just this log. We can't lift it up to carry it
home."
"I'll carry it. Where does it go? What do you want it for?"
"It is just a lintel for our hut."
"Very well," he replied.
And then he pulled it, or rather carried it right on up to the entrance of the hut
of the Four Hundred Boys.
"You could just stay with us. Do you have a mother and a father?"
"Not any more," he replied.
"We'd like some help tomorrow in cutting another one of our logs, a post for
our hut."
"Good," he replied.
After that the Four Hundred Boys shared their thoughts.
"About his fellow, what should we do with him?"
"We should kill him, because what he does is dangerous to us. He lifted that log
all by himself. Let's dig a big hole for him, and then we'll throw him down the
hole. We'll say to him:
"Why are you spilling dirt into the holle? And when he is wedged down in the
hole we'll wham a big log down behind him. Then he should die in the hole,"
said this boy.
And when they had dog a hole, one that went deep, they called for Zipacna:
"We're asking you to please go on digging out the dirt. We can't go on," he was
told.
"Very well," he replied.
Then he began digging the hole. But the only hole he dug was for his own
salvation. He realized that he was to be killed, so he dug a separate hole to one
side, he dug a second hole for safety.
"How far is it?" the Four Hundred Boys called down to him.
"I'm digging fast. When I call up to you, the diging will be finished." said
Zipacana, from down in the hole. But he's not digging at the bottom of the hole,
his own grave, rather , he is digging the hole for his own salvation.
After that, when Zipacna called out, he had gone to safety in his own hole.
Then he called out: "Come here, take the dirt, the fill from the hole. It's been
dug. I've really gone down deep! Can't you hear my call? As for you call, it just
echoes echoes down here. It sounds to me as if you were on another lvel, or
two levels away," said Zipacna from his hole.
Meanwhile, a big log is being dragged along by the boys.
And then they threw the log down in the hole.
"Isn't he there?" He doesn't speak."
"Let's keep on listening. He should cry out when he dies," they said among
themselves. They're just whispering, to the places where they have hidden
themselves, each on of them, after throwing down the log.
And then he did speak. He gave a signle cry. He called out when the log fell to
the bottom.
"Right on! He been killed."Very good. We've done him in, he's dead."
"What if he had gone on with his deeds, his works? He would have made
himself first among us and taken our place." they said. Now they enjoyed
themselves.
"Let's make our sweet drink! Three days will pass and after three days let's
drink to dedicate our hut - we, the Four Hundred Boys!" they said. " And
tomorrow we'll see, and on the day after tomorrow we'll see whether or not ants
come from the ground when he's stinking and rotting. After that our hearts will
be content when we drink our seet drin." they said. But Zipacna was listening
from the hole when the boys specified "they day after tomorrow."
And on the second day, when the ants collected, they wer running, swarming.
Having taken their pickings under the log.They were everywhere, carrying hair
in their mouths and carrying the nails of Zipacna. When the boys saw this:
"He's finished, that trickster! Look here how the ants have stripped him, how
they've swarmed. Everywhere they carry hair in their mouths.His nails you can
see. We've done it!" they said among themselves.
But this Zipacna is still alive. He just hair off his head and chews off his nails to
give them to the ants.
And so the Four Hundred Boys thought he had died.
After that, their sweet drink was ready on the third day, and then all the boys
drank of it, and once they were drunk, all four hundred of those boys were not
feeling a athing.
As they slept, the whole hut was brought down on top of them by Zipacna. All
of the boys were completely flattened. Not even one or two were saved from
among all the Four Hundred Boys. They were killed by Zipacna, the son of
Seven Macaw.
Such was the death of those Four Hundred Boys. And it used to be said that
they becaame a constellation, named Hundred after them, but perhaps not.
And this is where we shall explain the defeat of Zipacna by the two boys,
Hunahpu and Xbalanque.Now this is the defeat and death of Zipacna, when he was beaten by the two
boys, Hunahpu and Xbalanque.
It's mere fish and crabs that Zipacna looks for in the waters but he's eating
every day, going around looking for his food by day and lifting up mountains by
night.
Next comes the counterfeiting of a great crab by Hunahpu and Xbalanque.
And they used bromelia flowers, picked from the bromelias of the forests.
These becomes the forearms of the crab, and where they opened were the
claws. They used a flagstone for the back of the crab, which clattered.
After that they put the shell beneath an overhang, at the foot of a great
mountain. Meauan is the name of the mountain where the defeat took place.
After that, when the boys came along, they found Zipacna by the water.
"Where are you going?" Zipacna was asked.
"I am not going anywhere. I am looking for my food.", Zipacna replied.
"What's your food?"
"Just fish and crabs, but there aren't any that I can find. It's been two days since
I stopped getting meals. By now I can't stand the hunger," Zipacan told
Hunahpu and Zbalanque.
"There is that crab that is down in the canyon. A really big crab! Perhaps you
might manage to eat her. We were just getting bitten. We wanted to catch her,
but we got scared by her. If she hasn't gone away you could catch her." said
Hunahpu and Zbalanque.
"Take pity on me, please come pointer out." said Zibanca.
"We don't want to, but you go ahead. You can't miss her. Just follow the river,
and you go staright on over there below a great mountain. She's clattering there
at the bottom of the canyon. Just head on over there," said Hunahpu and
Xbalanque." Won't you please take pity on me? What if she can't be found? If yhou come
along I'll show you a place where there are plenty of birds. Please come shoot
them. I know where they are." The boys consented. He walked ahead of them
"What if you can't catch the crab? Just as we had to turnback so will you. Not
only didn't we eat her, but all at once she was biting us. We are entering face
down now but we had to enter on our back. So you should enter on your back
as well."
"Very well," Zipacna replied. Now Zipacna had company as he went. The
walked to the bottom of the canyon.
The crab was on her side, her shell gleaming red.
"Very good!" Zipacna is happy now. He wishes she was already in his mouth.
She will cure his hunger. He wants to eat her. He went in face down but the
crab moved to get on top on him he backed out.
"You didn't reach her?"
"No. She was just getting on top. I just barely missed her. I will enter on my
back."
So he entered on his back. He entered all the way, only his kneecaps were
showing now! He gave a last sigh and was still. Down on him the brothers
moved the mountain. Zipacana turned to stone.
So the brothers defeated Zipacna. He was the second to magnify himself, and
nwo we shall speak what is spoken of another brother.And the third to magnify himself is the second son of Seven Macaw, named
Earthquake.
"I am the breaker of mountains," he said. Hurricane spoke to Hunahpu and
Xbalanque:
"The second son of Seven Macaw is another one who should be defeated. This
is my word because they are trying to surpass the sun. They are surpassing the
sun in size and in wieght and it should not be that way. Lure this Earthquake
into settling down over there in the east."
"Very well, your lordship. Three is more to be done. What we see is no good.
Isn't it a question of your position and your status, Heart of Sky?"
Earthquake pressed on. Just by lightly tapping his foot on the ground he
instantly demolishes the mountains, great and small.
He met up with the two boys. "Where are you going?" they asked Earthquake.
"I am not going anywhere. I just scatter the mountains, and I break them in the
course of the days. So where are do you come from? I do not know your faces.
What are your names?:
"We have no names. We just hunt and trap in the mountains. We're just
orphans, we have nothing to call our own. We're just making our way among
the moutains small and great. And there is one great mountain we saw that just
growing right up into the sky. It is just swelling up, rising above all the othrs.
And there were not even one or two birds to be found. Could you destroy such
a mount?"
"It can not be true you saw such a mountain. Where is it? You would see me
knock it down. Where did you see it?"
"Well over there in the east."
"Good. Lead the way."
"Not so. You take the middle. Stay here between us. One of us at your left, the
other at your right. We have blowguns, if there are birds we will shoot them. "
And this is the way they shoot. They do not use shot. They just blow at the
birds. And the birds fell out of the trees and the sky. Earthquake was amazed."
And then the boys made fire with a drill, and roasted the birds over the fire.
One of the birds they covered with gypsum.
"This is the one we'll give him when he is hungry and smells our roasting birds.
In earth we cook them, in earth will be his grave so that the great maker and
modeler shall have a sowing and a dawning."
"As we roast the human heart will desire the meat as Earthquake will desire it.".
Then they roasted the birds and cooked them until they were brown, dripping
with fat that oozed from the backs of the birds, an overwhelming fragrant
aroma.
With this smell, Earthquake is hungry, his mouth fills with saliva, he gulps it
and slurps it as the fragrance of the cooking birds surrounds him. So he asks:
"What are you eating? I smell a truly delicious aroma! Please give me a little
bit, " he said. And when they gave a a bird to Earthquake he was good as
defeated.
After he had finished off the bird, they went on until they arrived in the east,
where the great mountain ws.
Meanwhile Earthquake had lost the strength in his legs and arms. He couldn't
go on because of the earth that coated the bird he had eaten. So now there was
nothing he could do to the mountain. He never recovered. He was destroyed.
The two boys bound him. His hands were bound behind him, his ankles to his
wrists.
After that they buried him in the earth.
Such is the defeat of Earthquake. It's Hunahpu and Xbalanque yet again. Their
deeds on the face of the earth are countless.
And now we shall explain the birth of Hunahpu and Xbalanque.
And now we shall name the name of the father of Hanuhpu and Xbalanque.
Let's drink to him, and let's just drink to the telling and accounting of the
begetting of Hunahpu and Xbalanque. We shall tell just half of it, just a part of
the account of the father. Here follows the account:
These are the names: One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu, as they are called.
And these are their parents: Xpiyacoc, Xmucane. In the blackness, in the night,
One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu were born to Xpiyacoc and Xmucane.
And this One Hunahpu had two children, and the two were sons, the firstborn
named One Monkey and the second named One Artisan.
And this is the name of the their mother: she is called Xbaquiyalo, the wife of
One Hunahpu. As for Seven Hunahpu, he has no wife. He's just a partner and
just secondary; he just remains a boy.They are great thinkers and great is their knowledge. They are the midmost
seers, here on the face of the earth. There is only good in their being and their
birthright. They taught skills to One Monkey and One Artisan, the sons of One
Hunahpu. One Monkey and One Artisan became flautists, singers and writers,
carvers, jewelers, metalworkers as well.
And as for One and Seven Hanuhpu, all they did was throw dice and play ball
every day. They would play each other in pairs, the four of them together.
When they gathered in the ball court for entertainment a falcon would come to
watch them, the messenger of Hurricane, Newborn Thunderbolt, Raw
Thunderbolt. And for this falcon it wasn't far to the earth here, nor was it far to
Xibalba; he could get back to the sky, to Hurricane, in an instant.
The four ball players remained here on the face of the earth after the mother of
One Monkey and One Artisan had died. Since it was on the road to Xibalba that
they played, they were heard by One Death and Seven Death, the lords of
Xibalba.
"What is happening on the face of the earth? They're just stomping and
shouting. They should be summoned to play ball here. We will defeat them,
since we simply no deference from them. They show no respect, no do they
have any shame. They are running right over us!" said all of Xibalba, when they
all shared their thoughts, the ones name One and Seven Death heard. They are
great lawgivers.
And these are the lords over everything, each lord with a commission and
domain assigned by the One and Seven Deaths.
There are lords named House Corner and Blood Gatherer And this is their
commission: to draw blood from people.
Next are the lordships of Pus Master and Jaundice Master. And this is their
domain: to make people swell up, to make pus come out of their legs, to make
their faces yellow, to cause jaundice. Such is the domain of Puss Master and
Jaundice Master.
Next are the lords Bone Scepter and Skull Scepter, the staff bearers of Xibalba,
their staffs are just bones. And this is their staff bearing: to reduce people to
bones, right down to the bones and the skull, until they die from emaciation and
edema. This is the commission of the ones called Bone Scepter and Skull
Scepter.
Next are the lords named Trash Master and Stab Master. This is their
commission: to catch up with people whenever they have filth or grime in the
doorway of the house, the patio of the house. Then they're stuck, they're just
punctured until they crawl on the ground, then die. And this is the domain of
Trash Master and Stab Master, as they are called.
Next are the lords named Wing and Packstrap. This is their domain: that people
should die in the road, just 'sudden death' as it is called. Blood comes to the
mouth, then there is death from vomiting blood. So to each of them his burden,
the load on his shoulders to strike the people on the neck and chest. Then there
is death in the road, and then they just go on causing suffering, whether one is
coming or going. And this is the domain of Wing and Packstrap.
Such is those who shared their thoughts when they were piqued and driven by
One and Seven Hunahpu. What Xibalba desired was the gaming equipment of
One and Seven Hunahpu: their kilts, their yokes their arm guards, their
panaches and headbands, the costumes of One and Seven Hunahpu.
And this is where we shall continue telling of their trip to Xibalba. One Monkey
and One Artisan, the sons of One Hunahpu, stayed behind. Their mother
died-and what is more they were to be defeated by Hunahpu and Xbalanque.
And now for the messengers of One and Seven Death: "You Military Keepers
of the Mat, summon One and Seven Hunahpu. Tell them:
"They must come,:" the lords say. "Would that they come to play ball with us
here, then we could have some excitement with them. We are truly amazed at
them. Therefore they must come," say the lords, " and they should bring their
playthings, their yokes and arm guards along with their rubber ball."
And the messengers are owls: Shooting Owl, One legged Owl, Macaw Owl,
Skull Owl.
There is Shooting Owl like a point piercing.
There is One-legged Owl, he has wings.
There is Macaw Owl, with his red back
There is also Skull Owl, with only a head and wings.
These are the four messengers, Military Keepers of the Mat in rank.
And when they come out of Xibalba they arrived quickly, alighting above the
ball court where One and Seven Hunahpu were playing, at the ball court called
Great Abyss at Carchah. The owls arriving in a flurry over the ball court, now
repeat the request of the lords of Xibalba.
"Very well we shall come with you. But we will tell our mother." they replied.
When they went to their house, they spoke to their mother, their father had
died.
"We are going, dear mother, even though we've just arrived. The messengers of
the lord have come to get us. We will leave our rubber ball behind here, until
we return, then we'll put it in play again." They went and put the ball tied up
under the roof of the house.
They told One Monkey and One Artisan. "As for you, just play and just sing,
write and carve to warm our house to warm the heart of your grandmother."
Their grandmother Xmuane sobbed, she had to weep.
We are going, we are not dying. Don't be sad, " said One and Seven Hunahpu,
then they left.
After that One and Seven Hunahpu left, guided down the road by the
messengers.
And then they descended the road to Xibalba, going down a steep cliff, and
they descended until they came out where the rapids cut through, the rotting
canyon narrows named Neck Canyon. They passed through there, then they
passed on to the River of Churning Spikes. They passed through countless
spikes but they were not stabbed.
And then they came to water yet again, to blood. Blood River they crossed but
did not drink. They came to a river, but a river filled with pus. Still they were
not defeated but passed over again.
And then they came to the Crossroads, but here they were unsure
Red Road was one and Black Road another.
White Road was one and yellow Road another.
"I am the one you are taking. I am the lord's road," said the road. This was the
Road of Xibalba.
And then they came to the council place of the lords of Xibalba, and they were
unsure again there. The ones seated first there are just manikins, just
woodcarvings dressed up by Xibalba. And they great first ones:
"Morning, One Death " they said to the manikin, "Morning Seven Death" they
said to the woodcarving.
The lords of Xibalba shouted out with laughter over this. All the lords just
shouted with laughter because of this joke. In their hearts they had beaten One
and Seven Hunahpu. They laughed on until One and Seven Death spoke:
"It is good that you have come. Tomorrow you must put your yokes and arm
guards into action."
"Sit here on our bench." The bench was a red hot rock.
So now they were burned on the bench. They jumped about on the bench but
they got no relief. They got up fast, having burned their butts. At this the
Xibalbans laughed again. They began to shriek with laughter, the laughter rose
up like a serpent in their very cores, all the lords of Xibalba laughed themselves
right down to their blood and bones.
"Just go in the house. Your torch and cigars will be brought to your sleeping
quarters, the boys were told.
After that they came to the Dark House. They Xibalbans shared their thoughts
"Let us just sacrifice them tomorrow. It can only turn out to be quick death,
they will die because of our ball, White Dagger, a round knife, covered with
bone to make it smooth.
And One and Seven Hunahpu went inside Dark House. And then their torch
was brought, only one torch, already lit, sent by One and Seven Death, along
with a cigar for each of them, already lit. When these were brought to One and
Seven Hunahpu they were cowering in the dark. When the bearer of the torch
and cigars each already lit arrived he said to them:
"Be sure to return this torch and these cigars in the morning just as they look
now. They must be returned intact. " The boys could not decide how that can
be done so they finished the cigars and the torch that had been brought to them.
Xibalba is packed with tests, heaps and piles of tests.
This is the first one: The Dark House. This is the second one: Rattling House,
heavy with cold inside, whistling with drafts, clattering with hail. A deep chill
comes inside here.
And the third: Jaguar House, with jaguars alone inside jostling one another,
crowding together, with gnashing their teeth, scratching around, locked up
inside Jaguar House.
Bat House is the name of the fourth test, with bats alone inside the house,
squeaking, shrieking, darting through the house. The bats are shut inside, they
can not get out.
And the fifth is named Razor House, with blades alone inside. The blades are
moving back and forth, ripping and slashing through the house.
These are the first tests of Xibalba, but One and Seven Hunahpu never entered
into any but the first.
And when One and Seven Hanuhpu went back before One and Seven Death,
they were asked:
"Where are my cigars? What of my torch? They were brought to you last
night."
We finished them your lordship."
"Very well. This very day, your day is finished, you will die, you will disappear
and we shall break you apart. Here you will hide you faces as you are to be
sacrificed." said One and Seven Death.
And then they were sacrificed and buried. They were buried at the Place of
Ball Game Sacrifice, as it is called. The head of One Hunahpu was cut off, only
his body was buried with his younger brother.
"Put his head in the fork of the tree, the tree bore fruit. It never bore fruit
before, but now it did with the head of One Hunahpu put into the fork of it.
This is the calabash tree, or the "head of One Hunahpu".
And then One and Seven Death were amazed at the fruit of the tree. The fruit
grows out of everywhere and it isn't clear where the head of One Hunahpu is:
now look it looks just the way the calabashes look. All the Xibalbans see this
when they come to look.
The state of the tree loomed large in their thoughts, because it came about at
the same time the head of One Hunahpu was put into the fork of that tree.
"No one is to pick the fruit, nor is anyone to go beneath the tree," they said.
They restricted themselves, all of Xibalba held back.
It isn't clear which is the head of One Hunahpu now it is exactly the same as the
fruit of the tree. A maiden heard about it and here we shall tell of her arrival.
Here is the account of a maiden, the daughter of a lord named Blood Gatherer.
And this is when a maiden heard of it, the daughter of a lord, her name was
Blood Woman.
And when her father heard of the fruit of the tree and how it came about, he
retold it to his daughter. And she was amazed at the account:
I am not acquainted with that tree. Is it's fruit sweet?"
Next she went all alone and arrived where the tree stood. It stood at the Place
of Ball Game Sacrifice.
"What is the fruit of this tree? The fruit should not be wasted. I shall pick one."
said the maiden.
The bone in the fork of the tree spook.
"Why do you want a mere bone, a round thing in the branches of a tree. Surely
you don't want it."
"I do want it."
Very well, stretch out your right hand here so I can see it."
She stretched out her right hand, up to where it was in front of the bone.
The bone spit out its saliva, which landed squarely on the hand of the maiden.
She looked at her hand right away, but her hand was not wet.
"It is a sign I have given you, my saliva, my spittle. This my head, has nothing
on it, just bone. It is the same with the head of a great lord, it is just the flesh
around the bone that make you think he something other than a skull. When he
dies people are frightened by his bones. After his death his sons are like his
saliva, his spittle, whether it be the son of a lord, or the son of a craftsman, or
an orator. The father does not disappear, but goes on. Neither dimmed nor
destroyed is the face of a lord, a warrior, a craftsman, an orator. Rather he will
leave his daughters and sons. So it is that I have done likewise through you.
Now go up there on the face of the earth, you will not die. Keep the word. So
be it." said the head of One and Seven Hunahpu, for they were of one mind
when they did this deed.
This was the word of Hurricane, Newborn Thunderbolt, Raw Thunderbolt had
given them. In this way by the time the maiden returned to her home, she had
been given many more instructions. Right away something came into her belly,
from the saliva alone, and this was the generation of Hunahpu and Xbalanque.
And when the maiden got home and six months had passed, she was found out
by her father, Blood Gatherer.And after the maiden was noticed by her father, when she was now with child,
all the lords then shared their thoughts - One and Seven Death along with Blood
Gatherer.
"This daughter of mine is with child lords. It is just a bastard Blood Gatherer
said when he joined the lords.
"Very well, get her to open her mouth. If she doesn't tell then sacrifice her. Go
far away and sacrifice her."
"Very well your lordships." And then he questioned his daughter.
"Who is responsible for the child in your belly, my daughter?" he asked.
"No man whose face I have known." she replied.
"Very well. It really is a bastard you carry! Take her away for sacrifice, you
Military Keepers of the Mat. Bring back her heart in a bowl, so the lords can
take it in their hands this very day."
The owls, the four of them, left carrying the bowl. When they left they took the
maiden by the hand, bring along the White Dagger, the instrument of sacrifice.
"It would not turn out well if you sacrificed me, messengers, because it is not a
bastard that's in my belly. What is in my belly generated all by itself when I
went to marvel at the head of One Hunahpu which is there at the Place of Ball
Game Sacrifice. So please stop, do not do your sacrifice messengers,." said the
maiden. Then the messengers talked:
"What shall we use in place of her heart?"
"Bring back her heart. The lords will take it in their hands. They will satisfy
themselves it is her heart. They will make themselves familiar with its
composition. Hurry, bring it back in a bowl, put her heart in the bow. This is
what we have been told, so what else shall we deliver in the bowl? What we
want is that you shall not die without your heart" said the messengers.
"My heart must not be theirs nor will your homes be here. Nor will you simply
force people to die but hereafter what will be truly yours will be the true bearer
of bastards. And hereafter, as for One and Seven Death, only blood, only
nodules of sap will be theirs. So be it that these things are presented before
them, and not that hearts are burned before them. So be it this the fruit of a
tree, said the maiden. And it was red tree sap she went out to gather in the
bowl.
After it congealed, the substitute for her heart became round. When the sap of
the croton tree was tapped, tree sap like blood became the substitute for her
blood. When she rolled the blood around inside there, the sap of the croton
tree, it formed a surface like blood, glistening red now, round inside the bowl.
When the tree was cut open by the maiden, the sap is what she called blood.
"So you have been blessed with he face of the earth. It shall be yours," she told
the owls.
"Very well maiden. We will show you the way up there. You just walk on
ahead. We have to deliver this duplicate of your heart before the lords,:" said
the messengers.
And when they came before the lords they were all watching closely.
Has it turned out well? said One Death.
"It turned out well," said the messengers.
"So I will look," said One Death, and when he lifted it up with his fingers, its
surface was soaked with gore, its surface glistened red like blood.
"Good. Stir up the fire, put it over the fire," said One Death.
After that they dried it over the fire, and the Xibalbans savored the aroma.
They all ended up standing here, they leaned over it intently. The found the
smoke of the blood to be truly sweet!
And while they stayed at their cooking, the owls went to show the maiden the
way out. They sent her up through a hole to the earth, and then the guides
returned below.
In this way the lords of Xibalba were defeated by a maiden; all of them were
blinded.
And here, where the mother of One Monkey and One Artisan lived, was where
the woman named Blood Woman arrived.
And when the Blood Woman came to the mother of One Monkey and One
Artisan, her children were still in her belly, but it was not very long before the
birth of Hunahpu and Xbalanque.
And when the woman came to the grandmother, the woman said to the
grandmother:
"I have come , mother, madam. I'm your daughter in law and I'm your child
mother and madam, " she said when she came before the grandmother.
"Where do you come from? As for my lastborn children didn't they die in
Xibalba? And these two remain as their sign and their word: One Monkey and
One Artisan are their names. So if you have come to see my children, get out of
here!" the maiden was told by the grandmother.
"Even so, I really am your daughter in law. I am already his, I belong to One
Hunahpu. What I carry is his. One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu are alive they
are not dead. They have merely made way for the light to show itself, madam
mother in law, as you will see when you look at the faces of what I carry," the
grandmother was told.
And One Monkey and One Artisan have been keeping their grandmother
entertained, they play and sing, all work is at writing and carving, every day,
and this cheers the heart of their grandmother.
And then the grandmother said:
"I don't want you, no thanks, my daughter in law. It is just a bastard in your
bellow, you trickster! These children of mine who are named by you are dead,"
said the grandmother.
"Truly, what I say to you is so!"
"Very well, my daughter in law, I hear you. So get going, get their food so they
can eat. Go pick a big netful of corn, then come back, since you already my
daughter in law, as I understand it." the maiden was told.
"Very well," the maiden replied.
After that, she went to the garden; One Monkey and One Artisan had a garden.
The maiden followed the path they had cleared and arrived there in the garden,
but there was only one clump, there was no other plant, no second or third.
That one clump had borne its ears. So then the maiden's heart stopped:
"It looks like I am a sinner, a debtor! Where will I get the netful of food she
asked for? she said. And then the guardians of food were called upon by her:
"Come thee, rise up, come thee, standup:
Generous Woman, Harvest Woman,
Cacao Woman, Cornmeal Woman,
thous guardian of the food of One Monkey, One Artisan,"said the maiden.
And then she took hold of the silk, the bunch of silk at the top of the ear. She
pulled it straight out, she didn't pick the ear, and the ear reproduced itself to
make food for the net. It filled the big net.
And then the maiden went back to the grandmother. The animals carried her
net. When she got back she went to the pack frame in the corner of the house,
so it would look to the grandmother as if she had arrived with a load.
And then, when the grandmother saw the food, a big netful:
"Where did that food of yours come from? You've leveled the place! I'm gong
to see if you have brought back our whole garden!" cried the grandmother.
And then she went off, she went to look at the garden, but the one clump was