Popol Vuh

The Popol Vuh is a cultural narrative of the Quiché people that blends folklore, mythology, and historical accounts. The contents of the Popol Vuh have been relayed through oral tradition for many years, and its written form has suffered many losses following Spanish colonization of Latin America. Spanish colonizers destroyed nearly all Quiché texts and codices, including the Popol Vuh. Thus, the earliest known version of the Popol Vuh that exists is a Spanish translation by Reverend Father Franzisco Ximénez, Parish Priest for the Royal Patronage of the Town of Santo Tomás Chuilá, Mexico. Father Ximénez’s translation is the foundational text for all future translations of the Popol Vuh, including this edition, translated to English by Allen J. Christenson. The original authors of the Popol Vuh are unknown, although Christenson supposes that they are part of the Quiché literary elite.

The Popol Vuh begins in darkness, where only the sky exists, along with the principal creator deities, Heart of Sky, the Framer and the Shaper, Sovereign and Quetzal Serpent, and Xpiyacoc and Xmucane (who also go by He Who Has Begotten Sons and She Who Has Borne Children, respectively).