Popol Vuh: A Sacred Book of the Maya

The "Popol Vuh", the sacred book of the Quiché 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. This sacred book of the Maya was eventually written in 1558 down by a native who learned to write the Mayan tongue using Latin characters. This manuscript was later discovered in 1701 by Father Francisco Ximénez in his parish church of Santo Tomás, in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, and he translated it into Spanish. The "Popol Vuh" describes the creation of the Maya universe, tells the tale of the heroic supernatural twins who battle the underworld lords, describes the creation of man from corn and the fate of his descendants who populated the world, and finally lists the line of Quiché kings up to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.