POPOL VUH
		The Author The original manuscript of the Popol Vuh has long since been lost and its author shrouded in mystery, forever forgotten. It is believed to have been first put to paper in the middle of the 16th century, as based on oral traditions handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation by the strongest of the Maya tribes in Yucatan at the time of the conquest, the Quiché Maya. A particularly intelligent member of that tribe wrote down these oral histories in Latin script, but in the original Quiché language. The original Popol Vuh was one long continuos manuscript containing no chapters, breaks or internal references. It is later translations that have broken the work into smaller sections for the benefit of the modern reader. This practice seemed to originate with Brasser de Bourbourg's French version of the manuscript. (see below).
	As described by a Spanish Friar Ximinez (see below) who first translated the Quiché document, there was no clue given as to who actually authored the work. Perhaps the name was not contained in the original document? Perhaps it was left out in oversight by father Ximenez? Possibly the Maya considered the tales to be from theGods themselves and that passing them on to future generations did not mean they could take credit for authoring the work iteslf? It is not known. In fact, Father Ximenez leads the reader to believe that in his opinion there was no single author of the Quiché document but that it was a compilation of several authors. The opening phrase above and the excerpt below does seem to refer to "we" and "our" rather than "me" and "mine". Over the years there have been several theories and several families, typically of noble heritage, that have tried to stake some claim of authorship based on similar writing styles found in the Popol Vuh and the written histories authored by their ancestors. A name that continually seems to surface is that of Diego Reynoso, A Quiché Indian that Ximenez tells us was brought to Utatlan from Guatemala City by Bishop Marroquin. (The same bishop to rename the conquered Utatlán in 1539). There is, unfortunately, no evidence whatsoever as to the true author of the work. It is commonly referred to as an anonymous work by one, or perhaps a group, of Quiché Indians who put to paper the history of their people that had been previously passed on through the oral tradition. It is believed that its authors were one of the first students of the Spanish friars who, having learned the art of phonetic writing, were inspired to write down the oral history all Maya were familiar with. Some believe that the original work may have even been written in Maya hieroglyphs and that these students took it upon themselves to transcribe the work into this newly learned language and writing system. Regardless of the actual author (or authors), the Popol Vuh was created by native members of the most powerful Maya tribe in the Yucatan at the time of the Spanish Conquest. It was written by a gifted Quiché Indian who had mastered the language taught by the friars and was used to capture an oral, and possibly a written, history of the Quiché. It is this version of the Popol Vuh that was discovered and translated by Father Ximenez.
	The Book The title "Popol Vuh" has been given many possible translations. Also sometimes referred to as the Popol Buj, Book of the Council, Book of the Community, The Sacred Book, The Book of the People, Whatever name is "correct", it is considered to be the Bible of the Quiché Maya. The "original" Popol Vuh, a collection of stories and histories as written by a member of the Quiché tribe itself, is now an anonymous and lost document. Containing, in much the same way as the Catholic Bible, stories and tales relating to their cosmology, traditions, mythology and history of the Maya from ancient times down to the year 1550.   Some believe the work was never originally in written form and was only done so after the conquest in an effort to preserve their oral heritage once their religion and history were being destroyed by the Spaniards. Others assert that it likely existed in the same form as the Mayan codices and had simply been copied and re-copied, perhaps after the destruction of the original. The set written form we use today did not exist in that era until the imposition of the new phonetic language enforced by the Spanish. So even if the stories existed prior to the finished book, it certainly did not exist in its current form for very long before the conquest. Maya glyphs, though fascinating, do not have the same ability to relate the structure and nuance of a tale in the same way that the Quiché language can.
	Summary of the Popol Vuh The author starts by stating that this book is to replace a previously existing Popol Vuh that had disappeared (see the opening passage at the top of this page). First there was nothing. Then two Gods, Tepeu and Gucamatz (respectively the Creator and the Maker. The Mother and Father of life). They conceived of the creation of man, but first created the earth. The land, the mountains, ravines, all brought forth out of nothing. Then they made the small wild animals. Deer, jaguars, pumas, serpents etc. Then they "mediated" and conversed again and the birds were created. They then told all of these creatures where to live and how to act. They told these creatures to speak their names but, when all the sounds they could make were animal sounds, the gods "changed their minds" and decided that there would be those who would adore them and that the lot of the animals was to be "torn to pieces" and used for food. They tried again to make beings who would adore them and venerate them. They attempted to create man out of earth and mud. But this creature had no strength and could not move or multiply. It became wet and could not even stand so was destroyed by the gods. They sought the help of other gods and made their next attempt with wood. But though this creature was able to multiply and created many sons and daughters, it had no sould and no blood and soon forgot the gods and paid them no mind. The wooden creatures were the first of any gerat number to populate the earth but, having failed to show rememberance of their creators, they were destroyed. A flood was then brought forth from the sky for many days. Man was created then from plants and women from rushes. For an unmentioned reason, this incarnation was not just destroyed, but maimed, decapitated, their bones were ground to dust, they had their eyes gouged out, their limbs mangled and their nerves crumbled as punishment for forgetting and not being able to worship their makers. Teh flood also helped to destroy them by making them soft. Not just that, but all the animals (dogs, birds etc.) took revenge upon this incarnation of man for their cruelty to the animals and helped to tear them to pieces with their teeth. Even their pots and pans were angered and took their revenge by burning their former masters as they had once been put to the fire for cooking though they felt no pain. The few surviving descendants of these wooden people are the monkeys who have the form of man, but no soul and can not speak to worship the gods.