It begins with the deeds of mayan gods in the darkness of a primeval sea and ends with the radiant splendor of the mayan lords who founded the quiche kingdom in the guatemalan highlands. It is considered one of the most important pieces of mythology from the culture. For audible to have this book in spanish is an excellent idea. In the language of the kiche, montejo writes in the introduction, pop means straw mat, a mayan metaphor for power, and vuh or wuj, means paper, so popol vuh essentially means the book of power. The most accurate transcription and translation ever. Most previous translations have relied on spanish versions rather than the original kichemaya text. In guatemala in 1558, a young mayan kiche man transcribed what he called a sacred book that we can no longer see. The beginning of the maya long count starts with the current, fourth creation which is described in this sacred text.
Popol vuh cdrom sacred book of the ancient maya electronic. Popol vuh suggests that they came to be dominated by a militaristic group of relative newcomers, led by the cavecquiche lineage, who claimed to have come from somewhere in the east where the sun rises popol vuh, pp. The popol vuh is the sacred book of the kiche, mayan people who thrived in precolumbian guatemala. The popol vuh is an important text for understanding late postclassic and early colonial maya religion, myth, and history, but also because it also offers interesting glimpses into classic period. Popol vuh, the sacred book of the mayas this is a beautiful book, which is about the story of creation according to the quiche maya. These were a branch of the maya that dominated the western highlands of modern day. Apr 11, 2015 the popol vuh variously translated as the council book, the book of the people or literally as the book of the mat is the corpus of mythological and historical narratives, including the creation story according to the quichemaya people. The fruit of ten years research, this free translation with extensive footnotes by a leading scholar of maya literature and art brings out the richness and elegance of this sublime work of literature.
It was her love for the maya people and passion for their language that reminded me why we take on overwhelming tasks such as this, and why its worth the price in life and heart that we put into them. Nov 09, 2012 the popol vuh is the most important example of maya literature to have survived the spanish conquest. Sep 20, 2015 this feature is not available right now. This sacred text was created thousands of years ago, both orally and in maya hieroglyphic script.
Popol vuh also popol wuj or popul vuh or pop vuj is a text recounting the mythology and history of the k. The popol vuh is the most important example of maya literature to have survived the spanish conquest. It is also one of the worlds great creation accounts. The popol vuh relates the history in which the gods lifted the sky above a watery void and formed the world which included the creation of man. Professor of humanities, brigham young university and translator, popol vuh. This was the popul vuh, the mayans written account of the creation of the universe, the gods and demigods who occupied that universe, and the story of how man was created by them. Jul 26, 2010 popol vuh describes the mayans creation myth, its epic tales of the hero twins hunahpu and xbalanque and other spectacular stories. The popol vuh is a sacred maya text which narrates the maya creation myths and describes the early maya dynasties. The book, of great historical and spiritual value, has been called sacred book or the bible of. Written by editor vopus the popol vuh kiche for council book or book of the community. Archaeological findings have shown large populations centers and a complex class structure.
The popol vuh is the single most important book written by the ancient maya to have survived the spanish conquest. The popol vuh, the sacred book of the quiche indians is considered the literary gem of the indigenous people of guatemala, and though most of the mayan codices were burned during the spanish conquest, many stories of the popol vuh were passed along orally and therefore survived. The second book of the popol vuh is the most interesting of the four from a mythological point of view. The sacred book of the maya by christenson, allen j. In the third book of the popol vuh it is stated that the gods gave maize to man.
How gods created mankind, according to the popol vuh, the. The sacred book of the maya the sacred book of the maya by available from rakuten kobo. Popol vuh is a text recounting the mythology and history of the k. The sacred book of the ancient quiche maya by adrian recinos 1st ed. The popol vuh is an important text for understanding late postclassic and early colonial maya religion, myth, and history, but also because it also offers interesting glimpses into classic period beliefs. First written down in the 16th century, the text relates the creation stories of the maya. Most previous translations have relied on spanish versions rather than the original kiche maya text. Sacred book of the ancient maya electronic database. But i think the narrator used for this book is the wrong one. A sacred book of the maya by montejo, victor, garay, luis isbn. A sacred book of the maya montejo, victor, garay, luis, unger, david on.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The book also delves into the creation myth, how beings created mankind and mention the great flood. The title popol vuh translates book of the community, book of counsel and has been mentioned as the bible of the mayans. At its heart, however, the popul vuh is really about the origin of the creation myth of the quiche maya peoples. The popol vuh council book or book of the community is a book written in the classical quiche language containing mythological narratives and a genealogy of the rulers of the post classic quiche maya kingdom of highland guatemala. Popol vuh the sacred book of the mayas written by editor vopus the popol vuh kiche for council book or book of the community. The great classic of central american spirituality, translated from the original maya text allen j. Christenson is a mayan translator, ethnographer, and art historian of precolombian cultures who has spent the past thirtyfive years in this field. A sacred book of the maya marks the first attempt to provide a simplified yet authoritative version of the maya creation story for children and adults who are unfamiliar with the. Most previous translations have relied on spanish versions rather than the. One of the few maya documents to survive the spanish conquest, the popol vuh describes the creation of the maya universe and of humans. Download the popol vuh in full text here, english pdf ebook. It is also one of the worlds great creation accounts, comparable to the beauty and power of genesis. Popol vuh, maya document, an invaluable source of knowledge of ancient mayan mythology and culture.
David damrosch professor of comparative literature, harvard university. Popol vuh, the quiche mayan book of creation, is not only the most important text in the native languages of the americas, it is also an extraordinary document of the human imagination. The popol vuh council book or council papers is the most important sacred book of the quiche. Most of the maya books were destroyed by zealous priests during the colonial era. It is one of the worlds great works of literature, containing an account of the creation of the world, the acts of gods and heroes at the beginning of time before the first dawn, and the history of the highland maya people themselves. Most previous translations of the popol vuh have relied on spanish versions rather than the original kiche maya text. This is why we can say that the popol vuh is without a doubt the most important ancient text ever written by the maya, and which remains in existence. Popol vuh the sacred book of the mayas continued written by editor vopus the significance of the book is enormous since it is one of a small number of early mesoamerican mythological texts. Popol vuh sacred book of the quiche maya people youtube. The popol vuh variously translated as the council book, the book of the people or literally as the book of the mat is the corpus of mythological and historical narratives, including the creation story according to the quichemaya people. The popol vuh is the sacred book of the maya which describes the dawn of life.
It was, indeed, brought to earth from heaven by the sacred animals. The popol vuh is a sacred text of the quiche maya, from the area now known as guatemala. The popol vuh which is translated as the book of the community or book of advice is an ancient work of literature, a collection of mythical, legendary and historical narratives of the kiche people, the guatemalan maya people. The book, of great historical and spiritual value, has been called sacred book or the bible of the mayas by many authors. Popol vuh marissa 17paige kiche quiche maya and the popol vuh kiche quiche maya and the popol vuh the kiche quiche maya had an advanced civilization in precolumbian times with a high level of political and social organization. A sacred book of the maya 9780888999214 and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. It tells the tale of the hero twins, who defeated the gods of the underworld in a ball game, and details the legendary history of the quiche maya rulers until their imprisonment and torture by the spanish. You will learn how the maya civilization developed, the major turning. Popol vuh also popol wuj or popul vuh is a text recounting the mythology and history of the k.
Written in kiche a mayan language by a mayan author or authors between 1554 and 1558, it uses the latin alphabet with spanish orthography. The sacred book of the maya the sacred book of the maya por disponible en rakuten kobo. The popol vuh is the story of creation according to the quiche maya of the region. The popol vuh kiche for council book or book of the community. It chronicles the creation of humankind, the actions of.