The Maya and Their Origins
The Maya and Their Origins In the translation of The Popol Vuh by Allen J. Christenson, we learn of the origins of humanity as told by Mayan mythology. In the beginning of the book, we focus on Earth before humans came to be. We learn of the family of the Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, and their own antics on Earth. In the second half, we focus on how humanity came to be. Xcumane and Xpiyacoc form humanity, using “water [as] their blood” and “ears of maize [as] their flesh” (Christenson 179). The Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, were born to the daughter of Gathered Blood, a Xibalban Lord by One Hunahpu’s spit. The story of their conception is a unique one, because at the time of conception, One Hunahpu was dead. One Hunahpu and his brother, Seven Hunahpu, had been challenged to a ball game by the Lords of Xibalba and had been tricked into losing. As a result, the two were sacrificed, and One Hunahpu’s head was hung from the tree at the crossroads, creating the Calabash Tree...