Popol Vuh

The deities decide to punish the failed effigies in several ways. First, Heart of Sky floods the earth. Next, those called Chiselers of Faces gouge out the effigies’ eyes. The ones called Death Knives cut off their heads. Crouching Jaguar eats their flesh while Striking Jaguar smashes their bodies.

Meanwhile, a black rain falls upon the earth day through night, enveloping the world in darkness. Then, everything around the effigies awake to punish them, too. Their domesticated animals are furious that the effigies have treated them as food, so they decide to turn the tables and eat them in revenge. Next, household items like the grinding stones rebel, too. They are angry at being ground upon and decide to grind up the effigies’ flesh. The pots are furious about being scalded by fire, so they decide to burn the effigies.

When the effigies try to escape, it proves futile. When they climb to the top of their houses, the roofs fall apart. When they try to climb up trees, the trees shake them off. When they run to the caves, the caves’ mouths close before them. Out of punishment for failing to worship the deities, the effigies are destroyed and “the faces of all of them were ruined and crushed” (77).

 The spider monkeys are considered descendants of these effigies. 

After the godsflood the earth to punish the effigies, there is no light in the sky. The deitySeven Macaw sees this as an opportunity to declare himself to be the sun and moon who will lend light to the earth during this occasion. He describes his own features as comprised of silver and gold with eyes of “glittering blue/green jewels” (79). His other features are similarly bright and sparkling. However, he is not the true sun and his light does not extend beyond where he sits in the sky. Due to his arrogance, it is revealed that he will meet a terrible fate.

Seven Macaw’s wife is named Chimalmat. Together, they have two sons, Zipacna and Cabracan. Zipacna is responsible for creating the ancient mountains named Chigag, Hunahpu, Peculya, Xcanul, Macamob, and Huliznab. Cabracan has the ability to shake mountains, causing them to quake.

Heart of Sky decides that Seven Macaw and his sons pose a danger to creation. Heart of Sky enlists the help of the twin brothers, Hunahpu and Xbalanque to kill them. The brothers also disapprove of Seven Macaw’s arrogance. They believe that Seven Macaw’s sons inherit this arrogance from their father through their capacity for creation and destruction of mountains. Thus, they plot to kill Seven Macaw and his sons.

One day, when Seven Macaw descends from his throne in the sky to eat from the nance tree, Hunahpu and Xbalanque are waiting for him. Hunahpu shoots his blowgun at Seven Macaw and hits his jaw. As Seven Macaw falls, Hunahpu rushes to grab him. Instead, Seven Macaw takes hold of Hunahpu’s arm and tears it off its socket.

When Seven Macaw returns home, he tells his wife, Chimalmat,about what happened. He tells her that his teeth are in great pain since the twins shot him in his jaw. He places Hunahpu’s detached arm above the fire, knowing the deity will return for it.

Meanwhile, Hunahpu and Xbalanque seek help fromtheir grandfather, Xpiyacoc, and grandmother, Xmucane (referred to as Great White Peccary and Great White Coati in this story). They want Xpiyacoc and Xmucane to go with them to see Seven Macaw and ask for the god to take pity on the twin boys, as they are orphans. They then want Xpiyacoc and Xmucane to offer to fix Seven Macaw’s teeth, which is when they will execute their plan to kill the arrogant god.

Xpiyacoc and Xmucane meet with Seven Macaw at his throne while Hunahpu and Xbalanque accompany them, posing as orphans in the background. When Seven Macaw complains of teeth pain, Xpiyacoc and Xmucane offer to heal him by replacing his teeth with ground bone. Seven Macaw agrees. Instead of ground bone, however, Xpiyacoc and Xmucane replace his teeth with white maize and remove the bright jewels from his mouth. They also offer to treat his eyes by plucking out the precious stones from his eye sockets. Seven Macaw loses the radiant gems on his face. Without the wealth of his precious gems, Seven Macaw eventually dies; soon, Chimalmat dies as well. After Seven Macaw’s death, Hunahpu retrieves his arm and places it back into its socket.