In Part One of this Sacred Book of the Maya, among other legends, we find the account of the creation
This text is an adaptation of the original text to facilitate understanding of the legend.
It tells the struggle between good and evil. There are magical and original condiments that turn this sacred book of the Maya into a true literary work.
Chapter I
Ixpiyacoc married Ixmucane and had two sons: Hun-Hunahpu and Vucub-Hunapu. Vucub- Hunapu remained single and had no children.
Instead, his brother Hun Hunapu married Ixbaquiyalo and in turn had two sons, Hunbatz and Hunchouen.
The brothers Hun Hunapu and Vucub Hunapu got along very well. They liked to play craps and with Hun Hunapu's children they played ball game teams. The ball was made of rubber and the players used many ornaments and protections.
They lived happily and happily in the same house, grandparents, children and grandchildren, until one day Ixbaquiyalo dies and the children Hunbatz and Hunchouen remain under the care of their paternal grandmother, Ixpiyacoc.
One day they were playing on the path of Xibalba.
It was called Xibalba to the underground world or to hell. The lords who lived in that world were all evil. Demons friends of blood, misfortune and death.
That day, the lords of Xibalba felt annoyed to hear the noises that the brothers made while playing ball. Furious, they gathered in council to decide how to punish them. These gentlemen, besides wanting to punish them, as they were very envious, wanted to keep the beautiful ornaments that the brothers used for the game: masks, shields, gloves, crowns and leather braces they used to protect themselves from the blow of the ball and the famous rubber ball.
Chapter II
The advice of the lords of Xibalba decided to send their four emissary owls with this message: The lords say that they go to Xibalba to play ball with them to distract themselves. And bring all their game elements and ornaments.
The brothers were surprised at the request and saw that they could do nothing but accompany the messengers owls to Xibalba.
They said goodbye to their mother and before leaving they hid the rubber ball in a hole in the roof of the house.
Hun Hunapu called his two sons and said to them, “The lords of Xibalba have sent us to call. You guys play the flute and sing. Painting and sculpting. They should also keep the house and the heart of their grandmother warm.
After saying goodbye, they followed the owls to the path of Xibalbá where several dangers awaited them. They first descended into the depths of the earth by steep stairs until they reached the bank of a river running through ravines, but they crossed it without difficulty.
Then they had to cross another river running among prickly jícaros, but they also crossed it without harm.
Later a river of blood awaited them, but they passed through it without drinking from its waters.
Until they reached a crossing of four paths of four colors: one red, one black, one white and one yellow. The brothers did not know which way they should take, but the black way spoke to them, “I am the way of the Lord of Xibalba. Then the brothers decided to follow that path until they reached Xibalba where the Council of Lords was meeting. The gentlemen had placed stick dolls in their place, for this reason, when the brothers greeted them with respect when they arrived, none responded.
The real lords, they were hiding and laughing at the brothers.
Then Mr. Hub-Camé and Mr. Vicub-Camé approached them to say, “They arrived at last. By tomorrow prepare all your game ornaments and then invited you to sit on a bench of burning stone and the brothers burned as they sit down. The lords had fun watching the brothers suffer. Later they said to them, “Go and rest in the dark house.” You couldn't see anything in there. When they entered, they gave them a cigar and a slice of ocate lit so that they could light them, warning them that they should return them unconsumed at dawn. So they had to return them whole.
But the ocate was consumed and the cigar was consumed.
In the morning Hub-Camé and Vicub-Camé asked them: Where is the cigar and where is the ocate crack?
The brothers answered, “They were consumed at night.
They killed the brothers and before burying them together, they cut off Hun-Hunahpu's head and ordered their servants to place it among the foliage of a tree planted in Puchal-Cha.
When the servants placed Hun-Hunapu's head on the tree, it immediately fruited causing the admiration of all the lords of Xibalba.
The head did not differ from the other fruits of the tree but looked like one more fruit.
The surprised gentlemen ordered: Let no one take a fruit from this tree, neither eat it nor sit beneath it. The tree was called jícaro.
Chapter III
It is the story of a maiden named Ixquic, daughter of one of the lords of Xibalba named Cucamaquic.
Ixquic, she was admired to hear from her father the story of the fruits of the famous tree.
She was so admired that she thought that her fruits should be very tasty and then went to the Puchal-Cha seed.
When he saw the fruits, he wanted to eat them, but a head between the fruits said, “What do you want?” The objects hanging from the tree are not fruits, they are heads, do you still want to eat them?
Ixquic said yes.
Then Hum-Hunapu asked him to extend his right hand toward him, and when he did, his head spilled saliva on his hand.
Then Hun-Hunapu said unto him, In my saliva I have given thee my seed. Now you can climb to the surface of the earth and I promise you you will not die.
Ixquic immediately conceived two sons who will be called Hunahpu and Ixbalanque.
When she was in her sixth month, her father warned that she was pregnant and pressured her to say the name of the one who had dishonored her, but Ixquic replied that she knew no man.
Faced with his refusal, the father called the owls messengers and gave them a knife to sacrifice and a jícara to place Ixquic's heart and bring it to him.
Ixquic convinced the owls that they should not sacrifice her, but they should carry their heart in the jícara.
Ixquic had them collect the product of a tree that fell into the jícara and soon became a glowing red ball that took the shape of a heart made from the sap of that tree resembling blood.
The owls headed with the jícara to Xibalba where the lords were waiting for them. They took the heart and threw it into the fire, where they delighted with the scent of blood.
Then the owls went to the surface of the earth to serve the maiden.
With his deception, Ixquic defeated the lords of Xibalba.
Chapter IV
Ixquic went to the house of Hun-Hunapu's mother, his mother-in-law.
Upon arrival, she presented herself as her daughter-in-law, but her mother-in-law threw her out accusing her of intruding because she knew her children were dead.
Ixquic gave her all the explanations and reluctantly ended up accepting it and sent her to the field with a bag to harvest corn.
Arriving at the field they called milpa Ixquic saw that there was only one plant. She was distressed to see that she could not fill the bag and in her desperation called upon the god of food to help her.
From the plant took only the beards and red hairs from the cobs, but without cutting the corn cobs.
She returned to the house and the animals from the field helped her carry the bag full of corn.
The old mother-in-law asked her where she had obtained that amount of corn, as she knew there was only one plant.
“Of the milpa,” Ixquic replied.
The old lady ran out into the country and found that the only plant was still in place.
When he returned to the house, he called her and said, “Ixquic, this bag of corn is proof that you are truly my daughter-in-law and your children will be wise.
Chapter V
Ixquic gave birth to his sons Hunapú and Ixbalanqué in the middle of the field. When he took the children to his mother-in-law's house, since they did not fall asleep, Grandma asked to take them outside. They placed them on an anthill and then on thorns, but the little ones were still alive.
His half-brothers Humbatz and Hunchouén felt hatred and envy of their brothers and desired his death. They were engaged in playing the flute and drum all day.
So it was that Hunapú and Ixbalanqué grew up in the field, taking care of throwing the birds with the blowgun to get food. But when they took the birds to their grandmother to cook them, she fed them the remains that remained after feeding Humbatz and Hunchouén. It was obvious that their grandmother didn't love them either.
One day they came to the house without birds and grandma challenged them. They excused themselves saying that the birds had been hooked on the branches and because the tree was very tall they could not climb it and asked their brothers to help them down.
The next day the four departed for the forest where the tree was full of birds.
Humbatz and Hunchouén climbed the trunk to the branches, but magically the tree began to grow suddenly and could not descend. When they asked Hunapú and Ixbalanqué for help, they told him to tie his pants at the waist, leaving the tips long. They did this, but immediately transformed themselves into monkeys and entered the forest jumping from branch to branch.
When they returned to the house and told her grandmother what happened, she thought they had been hurt and feared never to see her grandchildren again.
Hunapú and Ixbalanqué promised him that he would see them again and immediately began to play the flute and drum.
The sound of the music attracted Humbatz and Hunchouén to the courtyard of the house where they began to dance and grimace with the appearance of a monkey, and the grandmother began to laugh with laughter.
Humbatz and Hunchouén, turned into animals, entered the forest and never returned again.
That was the punishment for mistreatment of his younger brothers.
Chapter VI
Hunapú and Ixbalanqué went to work in the field to remove weeds and weeds, and demolish trees to prepare the ground for cultivation.
They came to the place of planting, but magically, the axe and the hoe did the work on their own.
Meanwhile they dedicated themselves to shooting with the blowgun, their favorite sport. In order to disguise, their faces and hands were soiled so that their family believed that they had done the work.
The next day when they returned to the camp to continue the work, they saw that the camp was as at first. The yuyos had grown back and didn't imagine how this could have happened. They suspected something had happened during the night and hid to investigate what was going on.
So they saw that the animals of the field, they ordered the weeds, the trees and the bushes to grow back.
Hunapú and Ixbalanqué tried to catch the animals but they easily slipped away. Finally they were able to catch a mouse who spoke to them saying, “This is because you should not engage in tilling the field. — You should know that your grandmother hides in her house the instruments of the ball game: the ring, the gloves and the rubber ball. She doesn't want to give them to her because of her children died.
With the mouse they returned to the house and by deceit they managed to distract their mother and grandmother by asking them to go and fetch water from the river. But as before, the very rogues, pierced the pitcher, the women never finished filling it.
Meanwhile the little mouse showed them the place where the instruments to play the ball were hidden.
When they recovered them, they hid them near the road in a secret place and then ran to look for the women who were still on the banks of the river trying to fill the pot.
Chapter VII
Hunapú and Ixbalanqué were very happy to play ball in the same yard that their parents used to play.
The Lords of Xibalbá soon heard the sounds of the players sent their emissaries to give them a message: The lords of Xibalbá say they want to play the ball with you in seven days. Bring the ball and the game ornaments.
When the emissaries arrived at the house there was only the grandmother and the message was conveyed to her: “The lords of Xibalba say that they want to play the ball with you in seven days. Bring the ball and the game ornaments. The old woman promised that in seven days her grandchildren would be there, but she was sad and grieved because she knew how her children had died.
As she thought about how she was going to give the message to her grandchildren as the yard was far from the house and she could barely walk, a louse fell on her back. The old woman took the louse in her hands and said, “Would you like to go and bring a message to my grandchildren?” You must tell him: The lords of Xibalba say that they want to play the ball with you in seven days. Bring the ball and the game ornaments.
The louse walked away and on the way he met a toad who asked him, “Where are you going?” The louse replied, “I must give a message to the boys who play the ball. The toad said to him, “It will take a long time to arrive, let him swallow you, and we will get there faster. The louse let the toad swallow it and kept walking but not too fast.
Soon a snake saw him and asked him, “Where are you going?” “I have a message in my womb for the boys, “replied the toad. I do not see you going too fast, “said the snake and approaching, swallowed the toad and followed the path.
The snake was walking at great speed, but a hawk saw her, who swallowed her in one bite and flew to the wall of the yard where the boys played, and there began to squeal.
Hunapú and Ixbalanqué, when they saw the hawk, took their blowers and wounded him in the eye. When he was wounded, the brothers asked him what he was doing there and the hawk told them that he had a message in his belly for them, but he would give them to him if he was cured. The boys healed the hawk and the hawk vomited the snake, which in turn threw up the toad.
When they asked what the message was to the toad, he couldn't vomit, but they saw that he had slime in his mouth. So, they dug in his mouth and found the louse between his teeth.
He spoke — the brothers told the louse. The louse then said, “I bring a message from his grandmother from Hum Cané and Vicum Cané: The lords of Xibalba say that they want to play the ball with you in seven days. Bring the ball and the game ornaments.
Hunapú and Ixbalanqué went to say goodbye to their grandmother, but before they planted two reeds in the yard of the house. Then they said to him, “Grandma, if these reeds are dried, it will be the sign that we are dead. But if they do, you'll know we're alive.
Chapter VIII
Hunapú and Ixbalanqué marched towards Xibalbá each with their blowgun.
They went down stairs, crossed rivers and ravines. They passed among birds and then through a river of rot and another of blood, but nothing bad happened to them because they did not touch them but helped themselves with their blowers to pass through them.
They reached a crossroads of four paths. Black, white, red and green. They took a mosquito and threw it down the black road with the following order: You must bite the first man you find and then you must bite everyone one by one.
The mosquito left on the black road until it reached Xibalba. He stung the first man, but he didn't complain because he was made of wood. Then he stung the next one, who also did not complain because it was also made of wood. When he bitten the third, Hum-Cané, he shouted and the man standing next to him asked him, “What is it?” Why are you yelling, Hum-Camé? Then the mosquito bitten the next one and the gentleman sitting next to revealed his name successively. This is how the mosquito learned of all the names of the lords: Hum-Camé, Vucub-Camé, Xiquiripat, Cuchumaquic, Ahalpuh, Ahalcaná, Chamiabac, Chamiaholom, Quicxic, Puttán, Quicré and Quicrixcac.
Legend has it that it was not really a mosquito, but a hair on Hunahpú's leg that bitten them to hear the name of the lords of Xibalbá.
Hunahpú and Ixbalanque, in possession of this information, continued along the black road to Xibalbá where they met the gentlemen seated.
One of them said to the brothers, “Come on, greet the lords, “pointing to the wooden men.
The brothers answered, “These are not lords, but stick dolls, and then they addressed the lords, greeting them one by one by name.
The gentlemen were surprised, as they never revealed their names. Then they invited the boys to sit on a stone but they replied: This is not a seat, it is a burning stone - they did not sit down.
Later the lords sent them to pass into the dark house, and they entered without any inconvenience.
Chapter IX
The dark house was the next test for the Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué brothers.
Before entering the dark house, they gave each one a pair of lighted pine and a cigar warning that they should remain lit until the next morning. The brothers did not leave the cracks lit. Instead they placed red feathers. They also did not smoke the cigars, but placed fireflies on their tips. In the morning, the lords of Xibalbá saw with surprise that both the rajas and the cigars were intact and wondered how that could happen.
The gentlemen invited the brothers to play ball. After discussing which ball they would play with, they decided they would do it with the gentlemen's ball.
As soon as the game began, the ball began to bounce on its own until it was inserted into the Hunahpú ring. Upon warning of the trap, the brothers threatened to retire or use their own ball. The lords accepted and the brothers soon inserted the ball into the ring of Xibalba. That's where the game ended.
The lords were furious as they wanted to annihilate the brothers.
The next test was going through the razor house. When they entered, the brothers spoke to the knives saying, “If they do not harm us, they will have all the animals.” And the knives kept still.
The lords were surprised that the brothers were still alive and proposed another test: this time they had to fill four huge jícaras (Vases) with flowers for the next morning. At the same time, the lords rearranged the caretakers of the field that if they saw the brothers cutting flowers they had to kill them. The caretakers watched the whole night waiting for the brothers.
Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué did not go to the countryside to look for the flowers. Instead they talked to the ants to do the work for them. The ants did the job without the caregivers warning, and in the morning the four jícaras filled with flowers. The lords became angry and punished the caretakers of the field with death.
Chapter X
The next test that the Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué brothers had to pass was to spend the night in the house of the cold. The house was packed with hail and it was impossible to survive at such a low temperature, but the young men set fire to old logs and came out safely.
The gentlemen could not believe that the boys were alive and ordered another test: to enter the house of the tigers. The brothers entered the house and spoke to the tigers, saying, “Don't bite us, eat these bones.” The tigers headed towards the bones and did not scratch the boys.
The lords were still confused when they saw them alive and ordered another test: to enter the house of fire.
The brothers entered the house, but the flames didn't touch them.
This time the lords had prepared another test: they had to spend the night in the house of camazotz or bats.
The brothers entered their blowers to spend the night without being hurt by bats. These animals have a sharp tip that produces cuts like a scythe.
Early in the morning Hunahpú looked out to see if it was already daylight and a bat cut off his head. Ixbalanqué asked his brother if it had already dawned, but he did not answer because he had been beheaded by the bat.
Ixbalanqué acknowledged that the lords of Xibalbá had defeated him.
The gentlemen were happy with Hunahpú's bad luck and ran to hang their heads over the ring of the ball game.
Chapter XI Ixbalanqué summoned at night all the animals, large and small.
When the turtle arrived, it was placed at the end of Hunapú's dead body and took the shape of its head.
The wise men came from heaven, and they all made their faces to him, and he could even speak. Starting at dawn its existence.
But in order for Hunahpú to revive, they had to place their real head over the body, which was now on the ball game.
Ixbalanqué told a rabbit to hide in an oak tree and when he threw the ball, he would run away. The rabbit did what Ixbalanqué ordered him.
Soon the lords of Xibalbá arrived to play ball. They laughed thinking they had triumphed over the brothers.
When the lords of Xibalbá threw the ball, Ixbalanqué came to meet him and bounced it into the oak. When the rabbit ran out, the gentlemen ran after him.
There Ixbalanque took advantage of the distraction of the lords to lower Hunahpú's head, place it in his body and replace the real head with the turtle. When the lords of Xibalba returned to the game, they could not believe what they saw: the two brothers were on the field.
Then Ixbalanqué threw the ball at the turtle's head and it fell to a thousand pieces in front of the lords.
Chapter XII
Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué called the wise men Zulu and Pacam and said to them, “Soon the lords of Xibalba will summon them to ask them how we should die because until now they have not succeeded in killing us. We have a feeling they used the bonfire to kill us. But the truth is, we won't die.
We will tell you what to answer when asked what to do with our bones. You will answer, “You must grind your bones well, as if it were cornmeal, and then you must throw them into the river.”
Soon the lords prepared the bonfire and sent the brothers to call. The boys, without any fear, stretched out their arms and rushed to the stake.
The lords called the wise men Zulu and Pacam to ask them what they should do with their bones. The sages answered: They must crush them like corn flour and then throw them into the river.
The lords did as the wise men indicated, but when the remains touched the bottom of the river, they became two beautiful boys and when they demonstrated again they had the same body and face as Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué.
Chapter XIII
On the fifth day the brothers appeared again. They would dance, sing and do wonders like setting a house on fire and then they would be intact again or kill each other and then resurrect without a scratch.
All this was done for the townspeople.
Soon the news of these boys came to the ears of the lords of Xibalba and they sent their messengers to look for them to see what it was.
Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué dressed poorly in rags, and when the messengers arrived they replied that they did not want to go because they were ashamed of their clothes.
The messengers insisted and finally accepted. When they arrived in Xibalba, the brothers humbled themselves before the lords and bowed them.
The gentlemen asked them, “Where do they come from?” Who are your parents?
The brothers replied that they did not know because their parents had died before they were born.
The lords asked them to dance and sing and later wanted to see the wonders they were doing.
They first asked them to set a house on fire and then restore it without harm and they did so. Then they asked them to tear a dog apart and then resurrect it and so they did.
Later they fired that they killed a man and resurrected him. The brothers chose a man, killed him, tore his heart out, and then resurrected him.
The lords were amazed to see these wonders.
Then they asked them to sacrifice each other and then resurrect. Hunahpú was sacrificed by Ixbalanqué, tore out his heart and separated each of his limbs. And then he resurrected him.
Hum-Cané and Vucub-Camé, the most wicked of all the lords said to them, “Sacrifice us! - wanted to see what he felt in his own flesh.
The brothers began by sacrificing Hum-Camé and then continued with Vucub-Camé, but did not resurrect them.
The rest of the lords and their vassels died in horror escaped to hide near a ravine, but the ants arrived and evicted them.
These lords returned to Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué humiliated and grieved begged for his life.
This is how the lords of Xibalbá were defeated by Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué. Only for a prodigy and his transformation.
CHAPTER XIV
In this final chapter Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué reveal their names and their provenance. The lords of Xibalba ask them for mercy and they announce that they will be eliminated.
The lords continued to beg for compassion until the brothers finally decreed their sentence: From that moment on their lineage would be reduced. They were no longer going to subdue men, but they would be engaged in pottery. Here began the decline of this empire.
Meanwhile, the grandmother at home watched the reeds that her grandchildren had planted in the yard on the day of their departure. They had dried and sucked on several occasions and now looked green and vigorous. Grandma was happy and stopped crying for her grandchildren.
Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué honored their parents by avenging their death.
Then the brothers ascended to heaven. One took the place of the sun and another took the place of the moon. Then the celestial vault lit up.
Then the four hundred young men Zipacna had killed went up and became stars.
End
The third part of the Popol Vuh provides news about the origin of the indigenous peoples of Guatemala. They also describe the kings who ruled the region, the migrations and the destruction of the small peoples who did not agree to submit to Quiché rule.
Bibliography: Popol Vuh- The ancient stories of Quiché.
Translation: Adrián Recinos
Publisher: Fondo de Cultura Económica, Mexico.