Popol Vuh: Origins of the Mayan World

In the beginning, the world was nothing but an empty sky above and a young tranquil sea below. In the sea lived the Sovereign Plumed Serpent, Kulkulkcan, adorned in green and blue feathers. The group of gods known as the Heart of the Sky descended to meet Kulkulkan to discuss what the dawn should look like. When Huracan and his sons Ch'ipi and Raxa landed in the shallow waters grass began to grow and the lush green earth rose from the sea.

The deities decided to set in motion their plan of sowing and dawning and then to create humans to praise their work. They emptied the sea and pulled mountains out of the earth. Trees began to grow on the mountains. Pleased with the work of the sky gods, Kulkulkan dispersed rivers throughout their newly created world.

Now it was time to create creatures to inhabit their land. They wanted their creations to be able to walk, work, and speak articulately. But most important was that they paid homage to their creators and called on them by name according to the rhythms of the calendar.

Kulkulkan began by creating animals and dispersed them throughout the newly formed mountains. Then he realized that the animals need guardians, the deer and the birds step forward. He placed the deer in the canyons near the rivers and instructed the birds to make their home in the trees and bushes. He told them to multiply and inhabit the earth.

Kulkulkan, Huracan, Ch'ipi, and Raxa told the animals that they need to speak to each other and praise their creators. The animals squaked, chattered, and howled in many different languages. This confused and angered the gods, they realized that these are not the creatures that they wanted to create. So, they told the animals that because they can not speak that they will become food for their humans and take away their title as guardians of the land.

The gods make another attempt to make humans to praise them, but this time from mud. The mud creatures' bodies could not hold form and they spoke nonsense before dissolving into the water.

After two failed attempts, the gods discussed their creations further. They decided to consult the ones they call grandparents, Xpiyacoc and Xumucane, the Divine Matchmaker and Divine Midwife. The young gods asked the elder gods if they should make the people out of wood. After much deliberation, the Matchmaker and Midwife agreed that wood is the correct material to make humans, but warned the Heart of the Sky gods to not deceive the Sovereign Plumed Serpent.

The wooden creatures look and talk and multiply like humans, but something is not right. They behave in a heathen like manner and do not remember their creators. They walk the earth with no heart, no brain, no purpose.

Huracan became very upset at this and creates a great storm and flood to wipe out the wood people. Boiling resin fell from the sky like rain. More gods descend from the heavens to rip out the eyes of the people, eat them, and tear their bodies apart. The animals entered the wooden people's homes and attacked them. Then even their own homes and possessions began to assault them. The hearths of the their homes began flinging themselves at the wood creatures' heads. They fled their homes and climb onto their roofs, but their houses collapsed underneath them. They tried climbing into the trees, but the trees fling them off. They try to enter caves but the caves closed and wouldn't let them in. With crushed faces, the wood people were left homeless and beaten in the dirt. Those who survived evolved into the monkeys today.

The wood people remained in the dark since the true moon and sun had not been created yet. A god, Vucub Caquix, known as the Seven Macaw saw them and decided to declare himself their superior. He decorated his teeth with turquoise and other jewels, he placed bright metals around eyes, and built a metal nest in front of the wooden people. When he stood in front of his nest, it illuminated the area around the people. His bright white beak shined like the moon. He used this power to illuminate to dictate the wood people's calendar. He believed himself to be a great god and claimed to be the sun and the moon.