8 main POPOL VUH characters

Of the Mayan culture We have some reliable sources that explain what the ideology and philosophy of this important pre-Columbian people was like. One of the best known and most studied texts is the Popol Vuh which, for many, is considered as the "Bible" of the Maya. In this text we find part of the history and mythology of the Mayan people, although there is a strong influence of Christianity in its rewriting. In this lesson from a TEACHER we want to discover who are the most important Popol Vuh characters and that appear throughout this text. A review of the most influential deities and mythological beings for the Mayan culture.

Index

1. Short summary of the Popol Vuh
2. Tepew-Q’ukumatz, one of the characters of the Popol Vuh
3. Uk’ux Kaj
4. Xmukane
5. Ixkik ', one of the main characters of the Popol Vuh
6. Wuqub ’Kak’ix-Chimalmat
7. 3 other important characters of the Popol Vuh

Before discovering the main characters of the Popol Vuh it is important to do a brief review of the

The main difference that exists with respect to this text and the Christian one is that, in Quiché, we are not dealing with a text of a mystical or spiritual nature, but rather it is a summary of the different theories that the Mayans had about life on our planet: what was the origin of the world, how human beings appeared and why natural phenomena happen.

Experts have determined that the text it was written around 1550 and the writing was carried out in the Quiché language. However, we must not forget that it was the Spanish who made the pre-Columbian peoples literate by providing them with the Greek alphabet. Therefore, it is not a 100% reliable source because the author of the text had already undergone a process of learning from the hands of the Spaniards and, therefore, had already assumed some beliefs defended by the Christianity.

Despite this, the author of the Popol Vuh he wrote a text in which he collected the stories of oral tradition that were explained within the Quiché people. This text was lost during the Spanish invasion and, therefore, the text that currently we have is written directly by a Spanish friar: Fray Francisco Jiménez that in 1703 he translated the content of the Popol Vuh into Spanish.

We are already getting to know the most prominent Popol Vuh characters. One of them is Tepew-Q’ukumatz that appears with a very peculiar iconography: dress with quetzal feathers and with a very sober and haughty demeanor. This character refers to the origin of everything, since he exists before anything exists, he lives in darkness, waiting for the moment to resurface.

Therefore, according to the Quiché text, this character is first of the mayan gods that inhabit the world and, precisely from it, is where the creative force appears. However, he is not alone: ​​alongside him are other deities whom he turns to for advice during creation. These two gods are Uk’ux Kaj and Xmukane.

Uk’ux Kaj also appears as the first of the gods for Mayan mythology and, in the Popol Vuh, appears represented as a triad. In fact, the text indicates that the essence of him was three.

It is not a deity that appears at the beginning of the text, but appears when Tepew-Q’ukumatz requires his advice in order to continue with the creation. This suggests to us that Uk’ux Kaj is later and that, therefore, the supreme god is Tepew-Q’ukumatz.

When the two gods speak and exchange opinions, that is when creation arises.

This god is also known as the "grandmother of the day or of clarity" and is actually one of the Mayan spiritual guides. His presence is essential in the act of creation and, in fact, advises the previous characters on how create stick men, the second failed attempt to create life on the planet.

She presents herself as a deity who is very wise, but at the same time very naive. In fact, in the Popol Vuh it is narrated how he was deceived by his own grandson in order to get the implements of the ball. He is a character who is not extremely powerful, but he does have gifts for divination.

Another of the most important Popol Vuh characters is Ixkik ’, daughter Kuchuma Kik’ (lord of Xib’alb’a). We are facing a woman who is impulsive and has great curiosity and, precisely because of this desire for knowledge, go to the forbidden tree and talk to Jun Junajpu.

He is a character with a lot of courage and what is able to escape his own death her on ascending to earth. She becomes prodigiously pregnant when she goes to talk to the forbidden tree. By eating the fruit, she feels that she is experiencing a pregnancy and his son will be Junajpu e Xb'alanke.

Image: Institute of culture Quetzalcoalt

This mythological character has a name that literally translates to "Seven Macaw." He is depicted with silver eyes and green gems on his feathered body. We are facing a hybrid character between human and macaw, so he has characteristics of both living beings.

He is a deity with great wealth And because of that, she has a bombastic attitude. A character closely linked to material goods and characterized by a proud and arrogant attitude. When this character dies, all his wealth is taken away from him.

We conclude this lesson on the characters of the Popol Vuh to review other deities that also appear throughout the text and that are worth mentioning. They are as follows:

Zipaqna

This character is capable of creating natural elements such as volcanoes or mountains in a single night. He has the gift of divination and, thanks to this, can foresee the murder of hundreds of young people. When he is defeated by Junajpu, he is buried under one of the mountains that he created himself.

Kabraqan

The name of this deity refers to "earthquake" and, therefore, we can already intuit a little the strength and power of this character. He was in charge of knocking down the mountains and, the mere presence of him on Earth, made it tremble. They can lower his strength thanks to a gift that they offer him: a bird painted with white earth and that reduces his strength.

Jun Junajpu and Wuqub ’Junajpu

Although it is not 100% clear in the text, it is believed that these two characters from the Popol Vuh were twin brothers. They make a tree flourish in Xib’alb’a and, therefore, they consider themselves very strong and powerful beings. In Xib’alb’a, or the House of Darkness, is where they are killed and end up buried under the ball court. The entire body is buried except Jun Junajpu's head, which is placed in the forbidden tree.

Image: The Unknown Story

If you want to read more articles similar to 8 main Popol Vuh characters, we recommend that you enter our category of History of Literature.

• Popol Vuh. Linkgua, 2010.
• Taube, K. A., Saturn, W. A., & Stuart, D. (2004). Mythological identification of the characters on the north wall of the pyramid of Las Pinturas sub-1, San Bartolo, Petén. In XVII Symposium on Archaeological Research in Guatemala. Guatemala: National Museum of Archeology and Ethnology, Ministry of Culture and Sports, Tikal Association (pp. 871-880).
• Dorado, M. R., Ramos, P. A., & Díaz, A. M. M. (2004). Little birds and little birds: characters and symbols of Mayan cosmology. Spanish Journal of American Anthropology, 34, 7-28.