In the first week of the semester, we discussed how every text we read comes to us in translation, sometimes through translations of several different languages before arriving at English. The Popol Vuh, sometimes rendered Pop Wuj, is an extreme case of this, and the story of how the text survived ancient times, the Spanish conquest and modern translation is full of twists and turns.

The Maya language is a complex language much older than English. The ancient Mayan civilization developed a glyphic system for writing down their oral tradition, for keeping time, and naming days, some of whom you will encounter in the story of the hero twins in Xibalba. It’s tempting to compare the glyphs to an alphabet, but though the Maya do use the alphabet we are familiar with to “spell” out their words, the original language is not an “alphabetic” one. I am still learning and working to understand this, so here, I’m going to share some of my sources and questions and thoughts with you. Use this material as it is helpful to your own exploration of the ancient Mayan culture and cosmology.

Consider: does HOW we speak and name our world shape the world itself? How does our language and way of speaking affect our relationship to the world and one another?

In the examples below, you can see both pictures and Mayan glyphs:

Dennis Tedlock, whose translation we are reading, also has a book on Maya literature* that is helping me get to know the language a little bit. . . It’s important to note, today the Maya language is spoken in Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and parts of Mexico and there are at least 30 different Maya languages! The one we encounter in the Popol Vuh is the Ki’che’ Maya language. I’ve taken some of the images of glyphs, logographs and syllables and put them here for you to see:

*2000 Years of Mayan Literature, published 2010 – you can get it as an ebook from our library!

I also appreciate parts of the intro to Allen Christenson’s 2003 translation. Particularly, his story in the Translator’s Preface of his encounter with elders of the Ki’che’ community on a stormy evening (pgs 4-15).

When the words of the ancestors are read, or spoken aloud, it is as if that person had returned from death to speak again. Reading ancient texts is therefore a very delicate matter, filled with peril if the words are not treated with sufficient respect.

Allen J. Christenson, “Translators Preface” Popol Vuh

I audited a class in Spring 2020 on the contemporary cultural expressions of Abya Yala* (the indigenous name for the Americas) where I read the Maya writer Victor Montejo. His article “Heart of Heaven, Heart of Earth” discusses the ecocentric (rather than anthropocentric) cosmology of the Maya, starting with the description of creation in the Popol Vuh. As you now turn to the story of the Hero Twins, Hunapu and Xbalanque and their quest in the underworld Xibalba, pay attention to the role of corn.

Corn, or maize, which originated in the fertile valleys of Central America 10,000 years ago . . . plays a central role in Maya culture. It is considered a sacred substance (komi’ ixim or our mother corn), and traditionally men and women showed it extraordinary respect.

Victor Montejo, “Heart of Heaven, Heart of Earth”

Just this week, I got an email newsletter with a photo essay by Rowen White (Mohawk), “Three Sisters – Gifts from the daughter of Original Wisdom.” It connects with the Maya reverence for corn, and the Cherokee “Corn Woman Spirit” story we read, and though the Mohawk and Cherokee cultures are different, this is a point of resonance, and a testimony to how the ancient stories live and hold meaning in the world today.

And here is how the complexity and beauty of Maya language is alive and well today, through art. Walter Paz Joj, is “an ajtz’ib (a Maya Kaqchikel scribe), a designer, musician and  community leader in Pan Ajache’l (Sololá, Iximulew/Guatemala).” One of his pieces is below, follow the hyperlink to more of his work: “Walter Paz Joj: Illustrations with Tzi’ib’ and Heart”

For Your Journal

Continue the practice of noting what you notice, what you wonder and the questions that arise as you read. If all of the text seems important enough to highlight, try devising a system or method. An example might be different colors for passages that make sense, passages that don’t make sense, passages that inspire you, passages that alarm you. You might have different method. Experiment and pay attention to the method that you feel gives you the best grasp of both the text and, most importantly, your questions about it.

This passage and story is a particularly challenging one for scholars and students alike. Write down your questions! Questions about characters, words, events, questions about why, how and who.

We are going to work on illustrating some of the passages in class together, so feel free to start some sketching in your journal and bring it to class.

*Thanks and credit to Dr. Juan Sanchez Martinez for his class and recommendations: Tedlock’s 2000 Years, Victor Montejo, and Walter Paz Joj.

Featured header image is from a vessel depicting the destruction of one of the Lords of Xibalba.