Valuable Stories of the Maya

The Popol Vuh, which was interpreted by Allen J. Christenson, goes into detail about significant events that shaped the Maya. It is an important recollection of Maya events, which has a variety of interpretations. Some of the key characters include Hunahpu and Xbalanque. A notable passage titled "The Miraculous Maize of Hunahpu and Xbalanque" explains what happened after the Hero Twins dethroned the Xibalba. In the passage, the Hero Twins say, "'...We are they whose names are Hunahpu and Xbalanque. Our fathers are they who you killed, One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu by name. We are the avengers of the misfortune and affliction of our fathers....'...Now at the same time, the Grandmother was weeping, crying out before the ears of unripe maize that had been left planted. They had sprouted, but then they dried up when they were burned in the pit oven. Then the ears of maize had sprouted once again, and the Grandmother had burned copal incense before them as a memorial. The heart of their grandmother rejoiced when the maize sprouted a second time" (Christenson 187-188). By dethroning the Xibalba, Hunahpu and Xbalanque have become more powerful and are able to teach others a valuable lesson about not messing with them. Justice has been served for One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu as their killers are under the control of the Hero Twins. As for the Grandmother, she can live happily knowing that her grandsons are alive.

Popol Vuh Family Tree

The Hero Twins go through many trials in the Popol Vuh. Their names are Hunahpu and Xbalanque. Such obstacles they faced included going through many houses and playing a ball game against the Xibalbas. Before heading to Xibalba, Hunahpu and Xbalanque advise their grandmother in the passage titled "The Descent of Hunahpu And Xbalanque Into Xibalba," "Each of us shall first plant an ear of unripe maize in the center of the house. If they dry up, this is a sign of our death. 'They have died,' you will say when they dry up. If then they sprout again, 'They are alive,' you will say, our grandmother and our mother. This is the sign of our word that is left with you..." (Christenson 160). Because the Grandmother was heartbroken about giving her grandsons Hunahpu and Xbalanque the news of being summoned to Xibalba, they wanted to assure her that everything is going to be okay and that she will know how they are doing according to the maize that is planted in the house. After leaving their grandmother, the twins head to Xibalba where they are asked to go into the House of Darkness before playing the ball game. The boys survive the House of Darkness and begin the ball game in which they lose and have to give the Xibalbas their prize of four bowls of flowers. They devised a plan to send ants to steal the bowls of flowers that the Xibalbas originally had and use the bowls of flowers as their own contribution to their prize. After handing the prize, they go through the House of Cold, House of Jaguars, House of Fire, and House of Bats, which they survive through all of them. After losing the next ball game, the twins are set to die. In regards to the plan of their deaths, they tell Descended and Ascended what to say to the Xibalbas in the passage titled "The Deaths of Hunahpu and Xbalanque," "Heated stones will be the means by which our murder will be accomplished. Thus when all Xibalba has gathered together to determine how to ensure our death, this shall be the idea that you will propose....'Wouldn't it perhaps be good if we scatter their bones in the canyon?'...'It is good that they should die. And it would be good if their bones were ground upon the face of a stone like finely ground maize flour. Each one of them should be ground separately. Then these should be scattered there in the course of the river....' Then they turned to face one another, spread out their arms and together they went into the pit oven. Thus, both of them died there....Thus according to their word, the bones were ground up and strewn along the course of the river. But they did not go far away; they just straightaway sank there beneath the water. And when they appeared again, it was as chosen boys, for thus they had become" (Christenson 177-179). The Hero Twins knew that they were going to die, so they planned out the events that will lead to their deaths. They are remembered for everything they went through and succeeded. They were resurrected days later with different appearances and powers that are remarkable to those that saw them.

Hero Twins (Hunahpu and Xbalanque)

The actions of the Hero Twins explain the origin of the Maya people in how humanity was created. In the passage titled "The Creation of Humanity," the information provided goes into depth about how thoughts are connected to the environment around them. According to the passage, "'The dawn approaches, and our work is not successfully completed. A provider and a sustainer have yet to appear---a child of light, a son of light. Humanity has yet to appear to populate the face of the earth,' they said....Here they thought and they pondered. Their thoughts came forth bright and clear. They discovered and established that which would become the flesh of humanity. This took place just a little before the appearance of the sun, moon, and stars above the heads of the Framer and the Shaper" (Christenson 192). Without thoughts, there would be no humanity. Without humanity, there would be no "sun, moon, and stars." The creation of what appears in the sky comes from the beginning in which everything is like a blank slate. Thoughts have shaped how the Maya think. Recollections of events have been created by thoughts and formed the civilization of the Maya. Included below is a YouTube video that is almost three minutes long and summarizes information about the Maya from the Popul Vuh. It is important because it talks about characters that play a huge role in the Popol Vuh, especially Hunahpu and Xbalanque. Also, the facts that are stated about the beginning are accurate to the beliefs of the Maya in which there was nothing and the water was calm.