Popol Vuh 

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For other uses, see Popol Vuh (disambiguation). 

The oldest written account of Popol Vuh (ms c.1701 by Francisco Ximénez, O.P.) 


Popol Vuh (Popol Wuj [poˈpol wuχ] in modern K'iche') is a corpus of mytho-historical 
narratives of the Post Classic K'iche' kingdom in Guatemala's western highlands. 
The title translates as "Book of the Community," "Book of Counsel," or more 
literally as "Book of the People."[1] Popol Vuh's prominent features are its 
creation myth, its diluvian suggestion, its epic tales of the Hero Twins Hunahpú 
and Xbalanqué,[2] and its genealogies. The myth begins with the exploits of 
anthropomorphic ancestors and concludes with a regnal genealogy, perhaps as an 
assertion of divine right rule. 


This sacred book was perhaps written in hieroglyphic characters long before the 
Spaniards came to this continent. During the Spanish conquest, however, Mayan 
culture was brutally attacked and most of the Mayan codices were burned. The 
stories of the Popol Vuh had to be passed along orally. In 1558, the Popol Vuh 
was written down by a native who learned how to write the Mayan tongue using 
Latin characters. In 1701, Father Francisco Ximénez discovered the Popol Vuh 
manuscript in his parish church of Santo Tomas, in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, 
and translated it into Spanish. But Ximenez's translation was lost for more than 
a century. It was rediscovered in 1854 and taken from Guatemala's San Carlos 
University library to Europe by Abbott Brasseur de Bourbough. This cleric 
translated Popol Vuh into French and then sold the original manuscript to 
another collector named Alfonso Pinart. When Pinart died, his widow sold it to 
Edward E. Ayer, who brought the book back to America and deposited it in Chicago's 
Newberry Library, where it now rests. 


Contents 
[hide] 

1 Structure and narrative 

2 Excerpts 

2.1 "Preamble" 

2.2 "Part One" 

2.3 Creation myth 

3 History of Popol Vuh 

3.1 Father Ximénez's manuscript 

3.2 Father Ximénez's source 

4 Antecedents in Maya iconography 

5 Popol Vuh today 

5.1 Modern editions 

5.2 Contemporary culture 

5.3 Reflections in Western culture 

5.4 Murals at El Mirador 

6 See also 

7 References 

7.1 Notes 

7.2 Bibliography 

7.2.1 Editions 

7.2.2 Sources 

8 External links  

[edit] Structure and narrative 

Popol Vuh encompasses a range of subjects that includes creation, ancestry, 
history, and cosmology. There are no content divisions in the Newberry Library's 
holograph, but popular editions have adopted the organization imposed by 
Brasseur de Bourbourg in 1861 in order to facilitate comparative studies.[3] 
Though some variation has been tested by Tedlock and Christenson, editions 
typically take the following form: 

Preamble 

A brief statement attesting to the antiquity of the mythistory, its perpetuation 
in oral form, and its post-conquest writing. 

Part 1 

Account of the creation of living beings. Animals are created first followed by 
humans. The first humans of earth and mud soak up water and dissolve. The second 
humans are created from wood, "but they did not have souls, nor minds."[4] They 
lose favor with the gods who cause them to be beaten and disfigured before 
receiving a deluge of heavy resin. 

Hero twins. Exploits of hero twins Hunahpú and Xbalanqué also known as Hunter 
and Jaguar deer. 

Their defeat of Vucub-Caquix and his sons Zipacná and Cabracán, presentation of 
ball-game motif. 

Part 2 

Lineage of principal figures. Xpiyacoc and Xmucané beget Hun Hunahpú and Vucub 
Hunahpú; Hun Hunahpú and Xbaquiyalo beget Hunbatz and Hunchouén. 

Demise of Hun Hunahpú and Vucub Hunahpú and origin of hero twins Hunahpú and 
Xbalanqué. They are summoned to the underworld of Xibalbá for playing their ball 
game too noisily. They are killed; Hun Hunahpú's head is placed in a calabash 
tree. This skull later impregnates Xquic, daughter of a Xibalbé lord, by 
spitting into her hand. She flees the lords and lives with Xmucané where she 
gives birth to "Hero Twins" Hunahpú and Xbalanqué. Mistreated by their half-brothers 
Hunbatz and Huchouén, Hunahpú and Xbalanqué trick them into climbing a tree. 
Hunbatz and Huchouén transform into monkeys. 

Rediscovery of ball game and defeat of the lords of Xibalbá. Upon finding the 
father's equipment suspended from the ceiling, Hunahpú and Xbalanqué are also 
summoned to Xibalbá for playing too boisterously. They outwit the lords and 
ascend to the night sky as constellations. 

Part 3 

Creation of humans, migration, and first dawn. Animals gather white and yellow 
corn from which the gods create Balam-Quitze, Jaguar Night, Naught, and Wind 
Jaguar. Their four wives are later created while they sleep. Their descendants 
travel to Tulán Zuiva to await the first dawn. The god Tohil gives fire, but it 
is extinguished by hail. Tohil requires concessions to restore their fire, but 
the K'iche' hide themselves in smoke and obtain their fire without conditions. 
The K'iche' rise to prominence over the other tribes. The first dawn appears, 
dries out the land, and turns original animals to stone. Distinct languages 
evolve. 

Part 4 

Migration and division. The K'iche' travel into the mountains, find Q'umarkaj 
where Q'uq'umatz (the feathered serpent lord) raises them to dominance. Gucumatz 
institutes elaborate rituals. Cities are founded, significant architectural 
structures emerge to which fortifications are later added. Inter-tribal strife 
ensues. Anthropological correlation to terminal classic period (roughly 790 - 
1000 CE). 

Genealogy. States the lineages of several tribal rulers leading up to the 
Spanish conquest. 

[edit] Excerpts 

Father Ximénez's manuscript contains the oldest known text of Popol Vuh. It is 
mostly written in parallel K'iche' and Spanish as in the front and rear of the 
first folio pictured here. 

All editions of Popol Vuh come from the records of the Dominican priest 
Francisco Ximénez who lived around the turn of the 18th century. His manuscript, 
presently housed at The Newberry library,[5] is faded or stained in places, has 
no organizational divisions, and does not exhibit consistent punctuation or 
capitalization. For all of these reasons, editing the manuscript has been a 
challenge and even successful editors are forced to exercise a great deal of 
judgment in preparing print editions. Recently some editors (Tedlock, Colop, and 
Christenson) have endeavored to versify Ximénez's text. The preamble below is 
presented, with minor modifications, in Father Ximénez's prose and is followed 
by a sample of the versified renderings.

[edit] "Preamble" 

K'iche' ARE V XE OHER Tzih varal Quiche vbi. Varal xchicatzibah vi xchicatiquiba 
vi oher tzih, vticaribal, vxenabal puch ronohel xban, pa tinamit quiche, ramac 
quiche vinac; arecut xchicacam vi vcutunizaxic, vcalahobizaxic, vtzihoxic puch 
euaxibal zaquiribal rumal tzacol bitol alom, qaholom quibi hunahpu vuch, hunahpu 
vtiu, zaqui nim ac tzÿz, tepeu, qucumatz, v qux cho, vqux palo, ah raxa lac, ah 
raxat zel chuqhaxic.[6]  
Spanish ESTE ES EL PRINCIPIO DE LAS Antiguas historias aqui en el quiche. Aquí 
escribiremos y empezaremos las Antiguas historias, su principio, y comienzo de 
todo lo que fue hecho en el pueblo de el quiche, su pueblo de los indios quiches; 
y de aqui tomaremos su ser declarado y manifestado, y su ser relatado, la 
escondedura y aclaradura, por el formador, criador madre, y Padre q’ así se 
llaman, hunahpu vuch. hun ahpu vtiu. Zaquinima tzÿz tepeu. gucumatz. vguxcho. 
vguxpalo. [...] el de el verde cagete, el de la verde hícara son llamados.[7]  
[Translation] THIS IS THE BEGINNING of the old traditions of this place called 
Quiché. Here we shall write and we shall begin the old stories, the beginning 
and the origin of all that was done in the town of the Quiché, by the tribes of 
the Quiché nation. And here we shall set forth the revelation, the declaration, 
and the narration of all that was hidden, the revelation by Tzacol, Bitol, Alom, 
Qaholom, who are called Hunahpú-Vuch, Hunahpú-Utiú, Zaqui-Nimá-Tziís, Tepeu, 
Gucumatz, u Qux cho, u Qux Paló, Ali Raxá Lac, Ah Raxá Tzel, as they were called.[8]  


[edit] "Part One" 

K'iche' Are utzijoxik wa‘e
k‘a katz‘ininoq,
k‘a kachamamoq,
katz‘inonik,
k‘a kasilanik,
k‘a kalolinik,
katolona puch upa kaj.[9]  
Spanish Esta es la relación de cómo
todo estaba en suspenso,
todo en calma,
en silencio;
todo inmóvil,
callado,
y vacía la extensión del cielo.[10]  
[Translation] This is the account of how
all was in suspense,
all calm,
in silence;
all motionless,
quiet,
and empty was the expanse of the sky.[9]  


[edit] Creation myth 

Chapters 1-3 contain Popol Vuh's creation myth. There are four deities, three in 
a celestial realm collectively called Tepeu and Heart of Heaven and another on 
the terrestrial plane called Gucumatz. 

"This is the first account, the first narrative. There was neither man, nor 
animal, birds, fish, crabs, trees, stones, caves, ravines, grasses, nor forests; 
there was only the sky. The surface of the earth had not appeared. There was 
only the calm sea and the great expanse of the sky. There was nothing brought 
together, nothing which could make a noise, nor anything which might move, or 
tremble, or could make noise in the sky. There was nothing standing; only the 
calm water, the placid sea, alone and tranquil. Nothing existed. There was only 
immobility and silence in the darkness, in the night. Only the creator, the 
Maker, Tepeu, Gucumatz, the Forefathers, were in the water surrounded with light. 
[...] Then Tepeu and Gucumatz came together; then they conferred about life and 
light, what they would do so that there would be light and dawn, who it would be 
who would provide food and sustenance. Thus let it be done! Let the emptiness be 
filled! Let the water recede and make a void, let the earth appear and become 
solid; let it be done. Thus they spoke. Let there be light, let there be dawn in 
the sky and on the earth! There shall be neither glory nor grandeur in our 
creation and formation until the human being is made, man is formed. [...] First 
the earth was formed, the mountains and the valleys; the currents of water were 
divided, the rivulets were running freely between the hills, and the water was 
separated when the high mountains appeared. Thus was the earth created, when it 
was formed by the Heart of Heaven, the Heart of Earth, as they are called who 
first made it fruitful, when the sky was in suspense, and the earth was 
submerged in the water."[11] 

Together, gods attempted to create living beings so that the they may be praised 
and venerated by their creation. Their first attempts (animals, mud man, and 
wooden man) proved unsuccessful because they lacked speech, souls, and intellect. 

"This the Forefathers did, Tepeu and Gucumatz, as they were called. After that 
they began to talk about the creation and the making of our first mother and 
father; of yellow corn and of white corn they made their flesh; of cornmeal 
dough they made the arms and the legs of man. Only dough of corn meal went into 
the flesh of our first fathers, the four men, who were created. [...] And as 
they had the appearance of men, they were men; they talked, conversed, saw and 
heard, walked, grasped things; they were good and handsome men, and their figure 
was the figure of a man."[12] 

Women were created later while the first four men slept.[13] 

[edit] History of Popol Vuh 

[edit] Father Ximénez's manuscript 

In 1701, Father Ximénez came to Santo Tomás Chichicastenango (also known as 
Santo Tomás Chuilá). This town was in the Quiché territory and therefore is 
probably where Fr. Ximénez first redacted the mythistory.[14][15] Ximénez 
transcribed and translated the manuscript in parallel K'iche' and Spanish 
columns (the K'iche' having been represented phonetically with Latin and Parra 
characters). In or around 1714, Ximénez incorporated the Spanish content in book 
one, chapters 2-21 of his Historia de la provincia de San Vicente de Chiapa y 
Guatemala de la orden de predicadores. Ximénez's manuscripts remained 
posthumously in the possession of the Dominican Order until General Francisco 
Morazán expelled the clerics from Guatemala in 1829–30 whereupon the Order's 
documents passed largely to the Universidad de San Carlos. 

From 1852 to 1855, Moritz Wagner and Carl Scherzer traveled to Central America, 
arriving in Guatemala City in early May 1854.[16] Scherzer found Ximénez's 
writings in the university library, noting that there was one particular item "del 
mayor interes" ('of greater interest'). With assistance from the Guatemalan 
historian and archivist Juan Gavarrete, Scherzer copied (or had a copy made) of 
the Spanish content from the last half of the manuscript, which he published 
upon his return to Europe.[17] In 1855, French Abbot Charles Étienne Brasseur de 
Bourbourg also found Ximénez writings in the university library. However, 
whereas Scherzer copied the manuscript, Brasseur apparently "absconded" with the 
university's volume and took it back to France.[18] After Brasseur's death in 
1874, the Mexico-Guatémalienne collection containing Popol Vuh passed to 
Alphonse Pinart through whom it was sold to Edward E. Ayer. In 1897, Ayer 
decided to donate his 17,000 pieces to The Newberry Library, a project that 
tarried until 1911. Father Ximénez's transcription-translation of "Popol Vuh" 
was among Ayer's donated items. 

Father Ximénez's manuscript sank into obscurity until Adrián Recinos (re)discovered 
it at The Newberry in 1941. Generally speaking, Recinos receives credit for 
finding the manuscript and publishing the first direct edition since Scherzer. 
But Munro Edmonson and Carlos López attribute the first (re)discovery to Walter 
Lehmann in 1928.[19] Allen Christenson, Néstor Quiroa, Rosa Helena Chinchilla 
Mazariegos, John Woodruff, and Carlos López all consider the Newberry's volume 
to be Ximénez's one and only "original." 

[edit] Father Ximénez's source 

It is generally believed that Ximénez borrowed a phonetic manuscript from a 
parishioner for his source, although Néstor Quiroa points out that "such a 
manuscript has never been found, and thus Ximenez's work represents the only 
source for scholarly studies."[20] This document would have been a phonetic 
rendering of an oral recitation performed in or around Santa Cruz del Quiché 
shortly following Pedro de Alvarado's 1524 conquest. By comparing the genealogy 
at the end of Popol Vuh with dated colonial records, Adrián Recinos and Dennis 
Tedlock suggest a date between 1554 and 1558.[21] One theory (first proposed by 
Rudolf Schuller) ascribes the phonetic authorship to Diego Reynoso, one of the 
signatories of the Titulo de Totonicapán.[22] Another possible author could have 
been Don Cristóbal Velasco, who, also in Titulo de Totonicapán, is listed as "Nim 
Chokoh Cavec" ('Great Steward of the Kaweq').[23][24] In either case, the 
colonial presence is clear in Popol Vuh's preamble: "This we shall write now 
under the Law of God and Christianity; we shall bring it to light because now 
the Popol Vuh, as it is called, cannot be seen any more, in which was clearly 
seen the coming from the other side of the sea and the narration of our 
obscurity, and our life was clearly seen."[25] Accordingly, the need to "preserve" 
the content presupposes an imminent disappearance of the content, and therefore, 
Edmonson theorized a pre-conquest glyphic codex. No evidence of such a codex has 
yet been found. 

A minority, however, disputes the existence of pre-Ximénez texts on the same 
basis that is used to argue their existence. Both positions are based on two 
statements by Ximénez. The first of these comes from Historia de la provincia 
where Ximénez writes that he found various texts during his curacy of Santo 
Tomás Chichicastenango that were guarded with such secrecy "that not even a 
trace of it was revealed among the elder ministers" although "almost all of them 
have it memorized."[26] The second passage used to argue pre-Ximénez texts comes 
from Ximénez's addendum to "Popol Vuh." There he states that many of the natives' 
practices can be "seen in a book that they have, something like a prophecy, from 
the beginning of their [pre-Christian days], where they have all the months and 
signs corresponding to each day, one of which I have in my possession."[27] 
Scherzer explains in a footnote that what Ximénez is referencing "is only a 
secret calendar" and that he himself had "found this rustic calendar previously 
in various indigenous towns in the Guatemalan highlands" during his travels with 
Wagner.[28] This presents a contradiction because the item which Ximénez has in 
his possession is not Popol Vuh, and a carefully guarded item is not likely to 
have been easily available to Ximénez. 

[edit] Antecedents in Maya iconography 

Contemporary archaeologists (first of all Michael D. Coe) have found depictions 
of characters and episodes from Popol Vuh on Maya ceramics and other art objects 
(e.g., the Hero Twins, Howler Monkey Gods, the shooting of Vucub-Caquix and, as 
many believe, the restoration of the Twins' dead father, Hun Hunahpu).[29] The 
accompanying sections of hieroglyphical text could thus, theoretically, relate 
to passages from the Popol Vuh. More recently, Richard D. Hansen has found at 
the site of El Mirador a stucco frieze showing two floating figures that might 
represent the Hero Twins.[30] 

Following the Twin Hero narrative, man is made from white and yellow corn, 
demonstrating the crop's transcendent importance in Maya culture. To the Maya of 
the Classic period, Hun Hunahpu may have represented the maize god; his 
decapitated head became a calabash, or, as some believe, a cacao pod, or an ear 
of corn. In this line, decapitation and sacrifice correspond to harvesting corn 
and the sacrifices accompanying planting and harvesting.[31] Planting and 
harvesting also relate to Maya astronomy and calendar, since the cycles of the 
moon and sun determined the crop seasons.[32] 

[edit] Popol Vuh today 

[edit] Modern editions 

Since Brasseur's and Scherzer's first editions, the Popol Vuh has been 
translated into many other languages besides its original K'iche'.[33] The 
Spanish edition by Adrián Recinos is still a major reference, as is Recino's 
English translation by Delia Goetz. Other English translations[34] include those 
of Munro Edmonson (1985) and Dennis Tedlock (1985, 1996). Tedlock's version is 
notable because it builds on commentary and interpretation by a modern K'iche' 
daykeeper, Andrés Xiloj. Augustín Estrada Monroy published a fascimile edition 
in the 1970s and Ohio State University has a digital version and transcription 
online. Modern transcriptions of the K'iche' text have been published by, among 
others, Sam Colop (1999) and Allen J. Christenson (2004). The tale of Hunahpu 
and Xbalanque has also been rendered as an hour-long animated film by Patricia 
Amlin. 

[edit] Contemporary culture 

The Popol Vuh continues to be an important part in the belief system of many K'iche'.[citation 
needed] Although Catholicism is generally seen as the dominant religion, some 
believe that many natives practice a syncretic blend of Christian and indigenous 
beliefs. Some stories from the Popol Vuh continued to be told by modern Maya as 
folk legends; some stories recorded by anthropologists in the 20th century may 
preserve portions of the ancient tales in greater detail than the Ximénez 
manuscript. 

[edit] Reflections in Western culture 

Since its rediscovery by Europeans in the 19th century, the Popol Vuh has 
attracted the attention of many authors. For example, the myths and legends 
included in Louis L'Amour's novel The Haunted Mesa are largely based on the 
Popol Vuh. The planet of Camazotz in Madeleine L'Engel's A Wrinkle in Time is 
named for the bat-god of the hero-twins story. The text was also used by German 
film director Werner Herzog as extensive narration for the first chapter of his 
movie Fata Morgana (released 1972). In 1934, the Franco-American early avant-garde 
composer Edgard Varèse wrote his Ecuatorial - a setting of words from the Popol 
Vuh for bass soloist and various instruments. The Argentinian composer Alberto 
Ginastera began writing his opus 44 symphonic work 'Popol Vuh' in 1975, but left 
the work incomplete at his death in 1983. 

In Munich, Germany in 1969, keyboardist Florian Fricke—at the time ensconced in 
Mayan myth—formed a band named Popol Vuh with synth player Frank Fiedler and 
percussionist Holger Trulzsch. Their 1970 debut album, Affenstunde, reflected 
this spiritual connection. The band is notable especially for its extremely 
early experimentation with forms that became popularized through the modern 
electronic, new age/ambient music that was to follow years later. They also 
worked together with Werner Herzog for 5 of his movies. Another band by the same 
name, this one of Norwegian descent, formed around the same time, its name also 
inspired by the K'iche' writings. 

[edit] Murals at El Mirador 

Recently discovered ancient murals at El Mirador, Guatemala, seem to show that "the 
Maya account of creation was vibrantly established for thousands of years before 
the Spanish got here". [35] 

[edit] See also 

Chilam balam 

Hero Twins 

Hun Hunahpu 

Maya maize god 

Recently discovered ancient murals at El Mirador, Guatemala 

[edit] References 

[edit] Notes 

^ According to Allen Christenson, the mat was a common Maya metaphor for 
kingship (like "throne" in English) and national unity. 

^ Junajpu and Xb’alanke in Modern K'iche' spelling 

^ Recinos explains: "The original manuscript is not divided into parts or 
chapters; the text runs without interruption from the beginning until the end. 
In this translation I have followed the Brasseur de Bourbourg division into four 
parts, and each part into chapters, because the arrangement seems logical and 
conforms to the meaning and subject matter of the work. Since the version of the 
French Abbe is the best known, this will facilitate the work of those readers 
who may wish to make a comparative study of the various translations of the 
Popol Vuh" (Goetz xiv; Recinos 11-12; Brasseur, Popol Vuh, xv) 

^ Goetz 89 

^ Tedlock 1986:30; Quiroa 2001; López 2007:126; Woodruff 2009; Chinchilla 
Mazariegos (Rosa Helena) 1993; Newberry Library [1]. Specifically, Tedlock 
states that Father Ximénez "made the only surviving copy of the Quiche text of 
the Popol Vuh and added a Spanish translation" (qtd. in López 2007:126). 

^ Ohio State University [2] modified to reflect Christenson's word divisions [3] 

^ Ohio State University [4] word divisions modernized for readability. 

^ Delia Goetz edition 

^ a b from Colop's 1999 edition 

^ From Recinos's 1947 edition, which is not "poetic" but line breaks have been 
inserted to represent "poetic" editions. 

^ Goetz 81-84 

^ Goetz 167-68 

^ Geotz 170 

^ See Tedlock's definition and usage of this term. 

^ Ximénez's title page reads in part, "cvra doctrinero por el real patronato del 
pveblo de Sto. Tomas Chvila" ('doctrinal priest of the district of Santo Tomás 
Chuilá'). 

^ Woodruff 2009 

^ Scherzer also published a detailed inventory of the contents in 1857 edition 
that coincides with the Ayer ms. Scherzer's copyscript and edition began at the 
third internal title: 1) Arte de las tres lengvas Kakchiqvel, Qvíche y Zvtvhil, 
2) Tratado segvndo de todo lo qve deve saber vn mínístro para la buena 
admínístraçíon de estos natvrales, 3) Empiezan las historias del origen de los 
indíos de esta provinçia de Gvatemala, 4) Escolíos a las hístorías de el orígen 
de los indios [note: spelling is that of Ximénez, but capitalization is modified 
here for stylistic reasons]. 

^ Woodruff 2009 p.46-47. Brasseur mentions Ximénez's Popol Vuh manuscript in 
three different works from 1857-1871, but never explicitly states the library 
document as the source of 1861 French edition. See Histoire des nations 
civilisées du Mexique et de l'Amérique-Centrale (1857), Popol vuh. Le livre 
sacré (1861), and Bibliothèque Mexico-Guatémalienne (1871). It was not until 
fifteen years after his return to Europe that Brasseur suggested a specific 
provenance of his source material and then asserted that it had come from 
Ignacio Coloche in Rabinal. The inconsistency among his statements led Munro 
Edmonson (1971) to postulate that there had been multiple manuscripts in 
Guatemala. 

^ Edmonson 1971 p.viii; Lopez 2007 

^ Quiroa, "Ideology" 282) 

^ Recinos 30-31 (1947); Goetz 22-23(1950); Tedlock 56 (1996) 

^ Recinos 34; Goetz 27; see also Akkeren 2003 and Tedlock 1996. 

^ Christenson 2004 

^ After the list of rulers, the narrative recounts that the three Great Stewards 
of the principal ruling K'iche' lineages were "the mothers of the word, and the 
fathers of the word"; and the "word" has been interpreted by some to mean the 
Popol Vuh itself.[citation needed] Since a prominent place is given to the Kaweq 
lineage at the end of Popol Vuh, the author / scribe / narrator / storyteller 
may have belonged to this lineage as opposed to another K'iche' lineage. 

^ Goetz 79-80 

^ "y así determiné el trasuntar de verbo ad verbum todas sus historias como las 
traduje en nuestra lengua castellana de la lengua quiché, en que las hallé 
escritas desde el tiempo de la conquista, que entonces (como allí dicen), las 
redujeron de su modo de escribir al nuestro; pero fue con todo sigilo que 
conservó entre ellos con tanto secreto, que ni memoria se hacía entre los 
ministros antiguos de tal cosa, e indagando yo aqueste punto, estando en el 
curato de Santo Tomás Chichicastenango, hallé que era la doctrina que primero 
mamaban con la leche y que todos ellos casi lo tienen de memoria y descubrí que 
de aquestos libros tenían muchos entre sí [...]"(Ximenez 1999 p.73; English 
translation by WP contributor) 

^ "Y esto lo ven en un libro que tienen como pronostico desde el tiempo de su 
gentilidad, donde tienen todos los meses y signos correspondientes á cada dia, 
que uno de ellos tengo en mi poder" (Scherzer 1857; English translation by WP 
contributor). This passage is found in Escolios a las historias as appearing on 
p. 160 of Scherzer's edition. 

^ "El libro que el padre Ximenez menciona, no es mas que una formula cabalistica, 
segun la cual los adivinos engañadores pretendían pronosticar y explicar ciertos 
eventos. Yo encontré este calendario gentilico ya en diversos pueblos de indios 
en los altos de Guatemala." 

^ Chinchilla Mazariegos 2003 

^ AuthenticMaya.com, [5]. CNN report, October 14, 2009, [6]. CNN report, 
November 1, 2009, [7]. Full series of CNN reports on recent Mirador discoveries, 
[8] 

^ Heather Irene McKillop, The Ancient Maya: New Perspectives (London: W.W. 
Norton & Co., 2006), 214. 

^ McKillop, 214. 

^ Schultze Jena 1944 

^ Low 1992 

^ El Mirador, the Lost City of the Maya, Smithsonian Magazine, May 2011 

[edit] Bibliography 

[edit] Editions 

1857. Scherzer, Carl, ed. Las historias del origen de los indios de esta 
provincia de Guatemala. Vienna: Carlos Gerold e hijo. 

1861. Brasseur de Bourbourg, Charles Étienne, ed. Popol vuh. Le livre sacré et 
les mythes de l'antiquité américaine, avec les livres héroïques et historiques 
des Quichés. Paris: Bertrand. 

1944. Schultze Jena, Leonhard (trans.), ed. Popol Vuh: das heilige Buch der 
Quiché-Indianer von Guatemala, nach einer wiedergefundenen alten Handschrift neu 
übers. und erlautert von Leonhard Schultze. Stuttgart, Germany: W. Kohlhammer. 
OCLC 2549190. ltze 

1947. Recinos, Adrián, ed. Popol Vuh: las antiguas historias del Quiché. Mexico: 
Fondo de Cultura Económica. 

1950. Goetz, Delia, and Morley, Sylvanus Griswold, ed. Popol Vuh: The Sacred 
Book of the Ancient Quiché Maya By Adrián Recinos (1st ed.). Norman: University 
of Oklahoma Press. 

1971. Edmonson, Munro S., ed. The Book of Counsel: The Popol-Vuh of the Quiche 
Maya of Guatemala. Publ. no. 35. New Orleans: Middle American Research Institute, 
Tulane University. OCLC 658606. 

1973. Estrada Monroy, Agustín, ed. Popol Vuh: empiezan las historias del origen 
de los índios de esta provincia de Guatemala (Edición facsimilar ed.). Guatemala 
City: Editorial "José de Piñeda Ibarra". OCLC 1926769. 

1985. Tedlock, Dennis, ed. Popol Vuh: the Definitive Edition of the Mayan Book 
of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings. with commentary based on 
the ancient knowledge of the modern Quiché Maya. New York: Simon & Schuster. 
ISBN 0-671-45241-X. OCLC 11467786. 

1999. Colop, Sam, ed. Popol Wuj: versión poética K‘iche‘.. Quetzaltenango; 
Guatemala City: Proyecto de Educación Maya Bilingüe Intercultural; Editorial 
Cholsamaj. ISBN 99922-53-00-2. OCLC 43379466. (K'iche') 

2004. Christenson, Allen J. (trans.), ed. Popol Vuh: Literal Poetic Version: 
Translation and Transcription.. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-3841-1. 

[edit] Sources 

Akkeren, Ruud van (2003). "Authors of the Popol Vuh". Ancient Mesoamerica 14 (02): 
237–256. doi:10.1017/S0956536103142010. ISSN 0956-5361. 

Chávez, Adrián Inés (ed.) (1981). Popol Wuj: Poema mito-histórico kí-chè (edición 
guatemalteca ed.). Quetzaltenango, Guatemala: Centro Editorial Vile. OCLC 
69226261. 

Chinchilla Mazariegos, Oswaldo (2003). Los dioses del Popol Vuh en el arte maya 
clásico = Gods of the Popol Vuh in Classic Maya Art. Guatemala City: Museo Popol 
Vuh, Universidad Francisco Marroquín. ISBN 99922-775-1-3. OCLC 54755323. (Spanish) 
(English) 

Chinchilla Mazariegos, Rosa Helena ed. (1993). Arte de las tres lenguas: 
Kaqchikel, K'iche' y Tz'utujil. By Francisco Ximénez. Biblioteca Goathemala. 31. 
Acad de Geografía e Historia de Guatemala. (Spanish) 

Himelblau, Jack J. (1989). Quiché Worlds in Creation: The Popol Vuh as a 
Narrative Work of Art. California: Labyrinthos. 

Kerr, Justin (1992). "the Myth of the Popol Vuh as an Instrument of Power". In 
Elin C. Danien, Robert J. Sharer, University of Pennsylvania. University Museum 
of Archaeology and Anthropology. New theories on the ancient Maya. Volume 77 of 
University Museum monograph. University Museum Symposium Series. University of 
Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology. ISBN 0924171138. 

López, Carlos M. (2009). "Nuevos aportes para la autenticidad del Popol Wuj". 
Revista Iberoamericana LXXV (226): 125–51. 

López, Carlos M. (2007). "The Popol Wuj in Ayer MS 1515 Is a Holograph by Father 
Ximénez". Latin American Indian Literatures 23 (2): 112–41. 

López, Carlos M. (1999). Los Popol Wuj y sus epistemologías. Las diferencias, el 
conocimiento y los ciclos del infinito. Quito: Editorial Abya-Ayala. 

Low, Denise (Summer/Fall 1992). "A comparison of the English translations of a 
Mayan text, the Popol Vuh" (reproduced online). Studies in American Indian 
Literatures, Series 2 (New York: Association for Study of American Indian 
Literatures (ASAIL)) 4 (2–3): 15–34. ISSN 0730-3238. OCLC 54533161. http://oncampus.richmond.edu/faculty/ASAIL/SAIL2/42.html. 
Retrieved 2008-05-26. 

McKillop, Heather Irene (2006). The Ancient Maya: New Perspectives. London: W.W. 
Norton & Co.. 

Quiroa, Néstor Ivan (2002). "Francisco Ximénez and the Popol Vuh: Text, 
Structure, and Ideology in the Prologue to the Second Treatise". Colonial Latin 
American Historical Review 11 (3): 279–300. 

Quiroa, Néstor Ivan (2001). The “Popol Vuh” and the Dominican Friar Francisco 
Ximénez: The Maya-Quiché Narrative As a Product of Religious Extirpation in 
Colonial Highland Guatemala. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

Stross, Brian (1991). "Review of Patricia Amlin (1989), Popol Vuh: The Creation 
Myth of the Maya. Animated movie (60 min.). University of California at Berkeley, 
Extension Media Center". American Anthropologist, New Series 93 (1): 258–259.. 
JSTOR 681573. 

Tedlock, Dennis (1992). "The Popol Vuh as a Hieroglyphic Book". In Elin C. 
Danien, Robert J. Sharer, University of Pennsylvania. University Museum of 
Archaeology and Anthropology. New theories on the ancient Maya. Volume 77 of 
University Museum monograph. University Museum Symposium Series. UPenn Museum of 
Archaeology. ISBN 0924171138. 

Woodruff, John M. (2009). The “most futile and vain” Work of Father Francisco 
Ximénez: Rethinking the Context of Popol Vuh. The University of Alabama. 

Ximénez, Francisco (1999). Carmelo Sáenz de Santa María. ed. Historia de la 
provincia de San Vicente de Chiapa y Guatemala de la orden de predicadores. Vol. 
1/2. Mexico: Consejo Estatal para la Cultura y las Artes de Chiapas. 

Ximénez, Francisco (ca. 1701) (ms). Arte de las tres lengvas achiqvel, Qvíche 
y ,vtvhil ~ Tratado segvndo de todo lo qve deve saber vn ministro para la bvena 
administraçion de estos natvrales ~ Empiezan las historias del origen de los 
indios de esta provinçia de Gvatemala ~ Escolios a las historias de el origen de 
los indios. Chicago: VAULT Ayer MS 1515. The Newberry Library. 

[edit] External links  
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Popol Vuh 
Wikisource has original text related to this article: Popol Vuh (Spanish)  

Popol Wuj Archives, sponsored by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at The 
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, and the Center for Latin American Studies 
at OSU. 

A facsimile of the earliest preserved manuscript, in Quiché and Spanish, hosted 
at The Ohio State University Libraries. 

The original Quiché text with line-by-line English translation Allen J. 
Christenson edition 

Text in English[9] Goetz-Morley translation after Recinos 
v 

d 

e 

K'iche' mythology  
K'iche mythology Popol Vuh ·  
K'iche deities Awilix · Huracan · Jacawitz · Q'uq'umatz · Tohil · Xmucane and 
Xpiacoc ·  
Characters and creatures in the Popul Vuh Camazotz · Hun Hunahpu · Maya Hero 
Twins · Vucub Caquix · Xquic · Zipacna ·  
Places in K'iche myth Xibalba ·  

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