Popol Vuh
This unit relies on the Dennis Tedlock translation published by Touchstone Books in 1996. This edition covers background of the Maya and the work, a great glossary of every person and place in the work, wonderful and lengthy footnotes, a summary in the, Introduction (pages 30-60) and authentic ink drawings. Therefore, I will only supply supplemental teaching notes.
Another name for Popol Vuh could be "Council Book" or "Book of the Community." When the leaders of a polity needed to make a decision, they often would read over the book and then make their decision (Tedlock 21).
There is no known author of the book. It is considered to be a book of scriptures from the Quiche, which was one of the most powerful polities in the Maya region during the pre-Columbian times.
The characters in Popol Vuh have much more dimension than any in the Inca myths. However, only the twin heroes, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, are dynamic characters. They show a development and change that none of the others do. They are also more arrogant and smarter than everyone else in the myth. I would also nominate them as tricksters.
The ordinary world in the story would be earth and the underworld, or Xibalba, is the special world. The shadows would be the gods of Xibalba particularly One and Seven Deaths.
There are many threshold guardians but two in particular are One Monkey and One Artisan.
The grandmother can be seen as a shapeshifter, a herald, and a mentor. While the grandmother has so many roles, the mother or Blood Moon, an active character at the beginning, does little afterwards. However, she can be considered a shapeshifter, too, as she adapts to her pregnancy, outmaneuvers her father and his henchmen, and convinces grandmother that she really is impregnated with her sons' children.
Look for the humor in this work. When grandmother sends the louse to tell her twin grandsons they have been summoned to Xibalba, a mini-story is embedded. In the interests of speed, the louse allows itself to be eaten by a toad. Then a snake tells the toad it can go faster, so the toad acquiesces to being swallowed by the snake. For the same reason, the snake is gobbled by a falcon. The falcon finds the twin heroes and coughs up the snake, which discharges the toad, but the poor toad is unable to cough up the louse. The twins hit the toad causing his rear to be forever flat. This section is reminiscent of "The Little Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." Another example is in the beginning, when the gods attempt to create beings to worship them. The gods cannot get it right. First the gods make mud beings who are brainless and do not come out of the rain. Then the gods make the wooden beings, whose own utensils rally against them.
The minor gods in Popol Vuh make mistakes, are ill-humored, malicious, stupid, and jealous. Often it seems as if they are meant to portray a specific character trait to the extreme. They are very child-like and not people I would like to honor or associate with.
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