Re-Creating Primordial Time: Foundation Rituals and Mythology in the Postclassic Maya Codices

3. Mythological Episodes Related in Maya Sources

45 3 Mythological Episodes Related in Maya Sources The different regions of the Maya area do not appear to have shared a single mythological tradition during the prehispanic period, but a number of common themes can be documented, many of which were also shared by other Mesoamerican cultures. Our emphasis will be on outlining stories that are relevant to our understanding of the Maya codices. Some of these are detailed in prehispanic texts and iconography, whereas others are better known to us from indigenous texts recorded during the colonial period such as the Books of Chilam Balam from Yucatán and the Popol Vuh from highland Guatemala. There are a number of similarities between the Maya and Mexican traditions (see previous chapter), as we discuss in more detail below.1 Creation of the Earth and Previous “Races” of People In the Popol Vuh, there are two sets of creator deities: Framer and Shaper, and Heart of Sky. The former have an anthropomorphic aspect, in which form they are referred to as Grandmother and Grandfather and go by the names Xmucane and Xpiyacoc. Xmucane’s name links her to midwifery and also to divining; in this respect, it is of interest that two of her epithets are “midwife” and “She Who Has Borne Children.” Xpiyacoc is also a diviner; his name suggests a connection to the turtle,2 which links Xpiyacoc with the deities Itzamna and Pawahtun in the lowland Maya region (see Appendix 3.1). He is also referred to as “patriarch ” and “He Who Has Begotten Sons.” In addition, the creators have various animal aspects: XmucaneiscalledHunahpuCoyoteandalsoCoati,whereas Xpiyacoc is known as Hunahpu Possum and Great White Peccary (Christenson 2007:50–61). These names suggest links to various figures represented in prehispanic texts and iconographic contexts, as we discuss below. DOI: 10.5876/9781607322214.c03 Mythological Episodes Related in Maya Sources 46 Table 3.1 lists the aspects and epithets of the creators, as determined from the first section of the Popol Vuh (Christenson 2007:60–66). They play a central role in the narrative, being associated with the creation of the earth and of the animals, two failed creations of people (those of mud and wood), and the successful creation of the people of maize. They are also the parents of the brothers One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu, who play such an important role in the story, and the grandparents of the Hero Twins. There are good reasons to suggest that they correspond in many respects to the Postclassic Yucatec creator couple Itzamna (the male deity) and Chak Chel (the female deity). The other principal creator from the Popol Vuh is Heart of Sky, who is also called Huracan. This deity has three aspects, all related to his role as a deity of lightning and storms: Thunderbolt Huracan, Youngest Thunderbolt, and Sudden Thunderbolt (Christenson 2007:70). Among the modern K’iche’, lightning brings fertility to the earth and germinates the crops (Christenson 2007:71n65). Scholars have long associated the prehispanic deity K’awil (God K) with these same powers (Coggins 1988; Martin 2006; Taube 1992:73). Among the contemporary Tzotzil Maya of highland Chiapas, the deities Balankil (Older Brother), who is associated with the healing powers of tobacco, and Chauk (Thunderbolt) are closely related.3 John Carlson (2007:11) has suggested that they correspond to the Classic period deities God L (Tobacco) and K’awil (Thunderbolt), who are paired in a number of vessel scenes, particularly those associated with miniature flasks that were used to contain tobacco (see http://www.hieroglyphic research.org/Documentation/UPClink22.html). It seems likely that they represent modern counterparts of Heart of Sky/Huracan from the Popol Vuh. Table 3.1. World creators named in the Popol Vuh Female creator Male creator Framer (Xmucane) Shaper (Xpiyacoc) Midwife or Twice Midwife Patriarch or Twice Patriarch She Who Has Borne Children He Who Has Begotten Sons Protector Shelterer Hunahpu Coyote Hunahpu Possum Coati Great White Peccary Sovereign* Quetzal Serpent* Creator of Green Earth* Creator of Blue Sky* Heart of Lake Heart of Sea Giver of Breath Giver of Heart * Unclear which applies to Xmucane and which to Xpiyacoc. 22 Mythological Episodes Related in Maya Sources 47 When the Popol Vuh opens, the sea and the sky exist but there is no earth, and everything is covered in darkness. The creator grandparents, Sovereign and Quetzal Serpent, meet with Heart of Sky to plan “the germination...