POPUL-VUH-The-Book-of-the-People-Translated-by-Delia-Goetz-and-Sylvanus-Griswold-Morley.pdf

The Book of the People:

POPUL VUH

Translated into English by

Delia Goetz and Sylvanus Griswold Morley

from Adrián Recino's translation

from Quiché into Spanish

Plantin Press, Los Angeles

[1954, copyright not registered or renewed]

Scanned at sacred-texts.com, October, 2003. J. B. Hare, redactor. This text is in the public domain. These files may be used for any non-

commercial purpose, provided this notice of attribution accompanies all copies, printed or electronic.

Preamble

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. And [at the same time] the declaration, the combined

narration of the Grandmother and the Grandfather, whose names are Xpiyacoc, and Xmucané,

helpers and protectors, twice grandmother, twice grandfather, so called in the Quiché

chronicles. Then we shall tell all that they did in the light of existence, in the light of history.

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 dearly seen

the coming from the other side of the sea and the narration of our obscurity, and our life was

clearly seen. The original book, written long ago, existed, but its sight is hidden to the

searcher and to the thinker. Great were the descriptions and the account of how all the sky and

earth were formed, how it was formed and divided into four parts; how it was partitioned, and

how the sky was divided; and the measuring-cord was brought, and it was stretched in the sky

and over the earth, on the four angles, on the four corners, as was told by the Creator and the

Maker, the Mother and the Father of Life, of all created things, he who gives breath and

thought, she who gives birth to the children, he who watches over the happiness of the people,

the happiness of the human race, the wise man, he who meditates on the goodness of all that

exists in the sky, on the earth, in the lakes and in the sea.

PART I: Chapter 1

THIS IS THE ACCOUNT OF HOW ALL WAS in suspense, all calm, in silence; all

motionless, still, and the expanse of the sky was empty.

This is the first account, the first narrative. There was neither man, nor animal, birds, fishes,

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. They were

hidden under green and blue feathers, and were therefore called Gucumatz. By nature they

were great sages and great thinkers. In this manner the sky existed and also the Heart of

Heaven, which is the name of God and thus He is called.

Then came the word. Tepeu and Gucumatz came together in the darkness, in the night, and

Tepeu and Gucumatz talked together. They talked then, discussing and deliberating; they

agreed, they united their words and their thoughts.

Then while they meditated, it became clear to them that when dawn would break, man must

appear. Then they planned the creation, and the growth of the trees and the thickets and the

birth of life and the creation of man. Thus it was arranged in the darkness and in the night by

the Heart of Heaven who is called Huracán.

The first is called Caculhá Huracán. The second is Chipi-Caculhá. The third is Raxa-Caculhá.

And these three are the Heart of Heaven.

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. So they spoke.

Then the earth was created by them. So it was, in truth, that they created the earth. Earth! they

said, and instantly it was made.

Like the mist, like a cloud, and like a cloud of dust was the creation, when the mountains

appeared from the water; and instantly the mountains grew.

Only by a miracle, only by magic art were the mountains and valleys formed; and instantly

the groves of cypresses and pines put forth shoots together on the surface of the earth.

And thus Gucumatz was filled with joy, and exclaimed: "Your coming has been fruitful, Heart

of Heaven; and you, Huracán, and you, Chipi-Caculhá, Raxa-Caculhá!"

"Our work, our creation shall be finished," they answered.

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.

So it was that they made perfect the work, when they did it after thinking and meditating upon

it.

I. Chapter 2

Then they made the small wild animals, the guardians of the woods, the spirits of the

mountains, the deer, the birds, pumas, jaguars, serpents, snakes. vipers, guardians of the

thickets.

And the Forefathers asked: 'Shall there be only silence and calm under the trees, under the

vines? It is well that hereafter there be someone to guard them."

So they said when they meditated and talked. Promptly the deer and the birds were created.

immediately they gave homes to the deer and the birds. "You, deer, shall sleep in the fields by

the river bank and in the ravines. Here you shall be amongst the thicket, amongst the pasture;

in the woods you shall multiply, you shall walk on four feet and they will support you. Thus

be it done!" So it was they spoke.

Then they also assigned homes to the birds big and small. "You shall live in the trees and in

the vines. There you shall make your nests; there you shall multiply; there you shall increase

in the branches of the trees and in the vines." Thus the deer and the birds were told; they did

their duty at once, and all sought their homes and their nests.

And the creation of all the four-footed animals and the birds being finished, they were told by

the Creator and the Maker and the Forefathers: "Speak, cry, warble, call, speak each one

according to your variety, each, according to your kind." So was it said to the deer, the birds,

pumas, jaguars, and serpents.

"Speak, then, our names, praise us, your mother, your father. Invoke then, Huracán, Chipi-

Caculhá, Raxa-Caculhá, the Heart of Heaven, the Heart of Earth, the Creator, the Maker, the

Forefathers; speak, invoke us, adore us," they were told.

But they could not make them speak like men; they only hissed and screamed and cackled;

they were unable to make words, and each screamed in a different way.

When the Creator and the Maker saw that it was impossible for them to talk to each other,

they said: "It is impossible for them to say our names, the names of us, their Creators and

Makers. This is not well," said the Forefathers to each other.

Then they said to them: "Because it has not been possible for you to talk, you shall be

changed. We have changed our minds: Your food, your pasture, your homes. and your nests

you shall have; they shall be the ravines and the woods, because it has not been possible for

you to adore us or invoke us. There shall be those who adore us, we shall make other [beings]

who shall be obedient. Accept your destiny: your flesh shall be tom to pieces. So shall it be.

This shall be your lot." So they said, when they made known their will to the large and small

animals which are on the face of the earth.

They wished to give them another trial; they, wished to make another attempt; they wished to

make [all living things] adore them.

But they could not understand each other's speech; they could succeed in nothing, and could

do nothing. For this reason they were sacrificed and the animals which were on earth were

condemned to be killed and eaten.

For this reason another attempt had to be made to create and make men by the Creator, the

Maker, and the Forefathers.

"Let us try again! Already dawn draws near: Let us make him who shall nourish and sustain

us! What shall we do to be invoked, in order to be remembered on earth? We have already

tried with our first creations, our first creatures; but we could not make them praise and

venerate us. So, then, let us try to make obedient, respectful beings who will nourish and

sustain us." Thus they spoke.

Then was the creation and the formation. Of earth, of mud, they made [man's] flesh. But they

saw that it was not good. It melted away, it was soft, did not move, had no strength, it fell

down, it was limp, it could not move its head, its face fell to one side, its sight was blurred, it

could not look behind. At first it spoke, but had no mind. Quickly it soaked in the water and

could not stand.

And the Creator and the Maker said: "Let us try again because our creatures will not be able

to walk nor multiply. Let us consider this," they said.

Then they broke up and destroyed their work and their creation. And they said: "What shall

we do to perfect it, in order that our worshipers, our invokers, will be successful?"

Thus they spoke when they conferred again: "Let us say again to Xpiyacoc, Xmucané,

Hunahpú-Vuch, Hunahpú-Utiú: 'Cast your lot again. Try to create again.'" In this manner the

Creator and the Maker spoke to Xpiyacoc and Xmucané.

Then they spoke to those soothsayers, the Grandmother of the day, the Grandmother of the

Dawn, as they were called by the Creator and the Maker, and whose names were Xpiyacoc

and Xmucané.

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