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The Popol Vuh, the sacred text of the K’iche’ Maya people, records their ancient creation account. The following is the authentic narrative of the creation story, drawn from scholarly translations, covering the primordial state, the formation of the world, animals, and the gods’ attempts to create humans.
In the beginning, all was silent, calm, and motionless.
In the beginning, all was silent, calm, and motionless. The sky was empty, and the earth had not yet appeared. Only the calm sea and the expanse of the sky existed, with nothing standing, moving, or making noise. Immobility, silence, and darkness prevailed in the night.
The creator deities, known as Framer, Shaper, Sovereign, Quetzal Serpent, They Who Have Borne Children, They Who Have Begotten Sons, Tepeu, Gucumatz, Heart of Sky, and Heart of Earth, were present. They appeared luminous, hidden under green and blue feathers, as great sages and thinkers. Heart of Sky was also called Huracan, comprising Thunderbolt Huracan, Youngest Thunderbolt, and Sudden Thunderbolt.
The deities conferred in the darkness, agreeing to create humans at the dawn. They planned the growth of trees, thickets, and life. By their word, they said “Earth” and instantly mountains, plains, cypress groves, and forests appeared like mist or cloud.
Mountains and valleys formed, waterways divided, lakes and rivers were designed, and the four corners and sides were measured precisely. The creation was deemed good, with the sky and earth set apart within the waters, completed by Heart of Sky and Heart of Earth.
Next, animals were conceived as guardians of the mountains: deer, birds, puma, jaguar, serpent, rattlesnake, and pit viper. They were commanded to speak, call upon, and worship the gods, but they only hissed, cackled, roared, and made animal sounds, lacking human speech.
The deities, Framer, Shaper, Sovereign, Quetzal Serpent, judged this a failure, as the animals could not invoke or worship them. They resolved to try again, seeking beings who could obey, speak, and sustain them.
Humans used earth and mud
The first attempt to create humans used earth and mud.
This form melted, remained soft, and was not viable; it soaked in water, fell apart, and had no strength or solidity. The mud humans had lopsided faces, blurry eyes, could not look ahead, spoke without understanding, and walked without direction. Deemed a failure, they dissolved.
Men and women from wood
The second attempt formed men and women from wood.
These figures spoke, moved, multiplied, and had daughters and sons. However, they lacked souls, minds, and memory of their creators; they walked on all fours and were overly active.
They were ruined: their faces crushed, destroyed by their own creations, dogs, turkeys, grinding stones, and pots, which turned against them, saying, “You tormented us, now feel our strength,” and “You did not feed us, now we shall eat you.”
The wood humans were killed, ruined, and transformed into monkeys, with their descendants becoming monkeys.
As dawn approached, the deities, She Who Has Borne Children, He Who Has Begotten Sons, Framer, Shaper, Sovereign, Quetzal Serpent, noted that true humanity, as providers, sustainers, and children of light, had yet to appear to populate the earth.
Maize as the material for human flesh
They searched, sifted, and pondered, discovering maize as the material for human flesh just before the sun, moon, and stars emerged.
Yellow and white ears of maize were found in Paxil and Cayala, revealed by animals such as the fox, coyote, parakeet, and raven.
Water became their blood, and maize entered their flesh through the deities’ work. They rejoiced over the mountain filled with maize, pataxte, chocolate, and zapote.
This concludes the core creation narrative in the Popol Vuh.
