The Popol Vuh is a book originating from the indigenous Quiche tribe, which was part of the Mayan civilization. It recounts the genesis of the world and of this iconic civilization that populated important areas of Central America. The word “Popol” means community and the word “Vuh” means book. The “Popol Vuh” dates from the 16th century, and It would not be until the beginning of the 18th century that it would be translated into Spanish by the friar, Francisco Jiménez. The original text was written on deerskin.
The «Popol Vuh» is recognized for recounting the origin of planet earth from the worldview of the Mayans, as well as the traditions they followed, their myths, their legends, and the chronology of who their kings were. divided into three parts, the «Popol Vuh» begins by telling that man and the world were made with corn, the basic food of the Mayan culture. Then, it continues recounting the adventure of the demigods Hunanpú and Ixbalanqué, who were orphaned after their parents were sacrificed by the evil geniuses in the dark kingdom of Xibalbay.
In the third part of the «Popol Vuh» it is in which reference is made to the origin of the peoples that inhabited Guatemala, the way in which they were distributed throughout Central America, and the domination of the Quiche kings over other aboriginal races until the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.
In addition to Spanish, the «Popol Vuh» has been translated into German, and French, after the scholar, Charles Brasseur de Bourbourg took it with him to Paris as part of his private collection. Today, the «Popol Vuh» is housed in the Newberry Library, located in Chicago.Nevertheless, in the «Popol Vuh» ideas similar to Christianity are also described. Theories around this have varied. Some archaeologists say that whoever wrote the «Popol vuh» could have been influenced by Catholic missionaries who traveled to Central America during pre-Hispanic times, others point out that the author simply wanted to harmonize Mayan thought with Christian thought.
Although there is a lot of curiosity and wonder that the Mayans arouse, over time the myths that exist about their culture and level of development have been revealed. In the city of El Mirador, in Guatemala, a frieze dating from 300 years before Christ was discovered. In it you can see the demigods Hunanhpu and Ixbalanqué swimming over a river that would lead them to the city of Xibalbá.
Such a finding filled the American archaeologist, Richard Hansen, with emotion, because for him it manages to reveal a little more about the culture, the speculated connection of the Mayan tradition with Christianity and its development achieved «It is an incredible jewel – Hansen exclaimed – It is a diamond in the rough. There is nothing in Latin America compared to this. It is a world gem“.
On the other hand, the discovery of the frieze keeps the archaeological community in suspense. Hansen assures that the structure would be part of a huge aqueduct built by some 4,000 thousand pyramids, which would indicate that The Mayans, together with the Chinese, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian civilizations, were the great architects of the world, as we know it today.