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