Excerpt from Popol Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life.
Based on the ancient knowledge of the modern Quiché Maya

Translated and with commentary by Dennis Tedlock, 1985.
Reprinted from University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire (Web site)

Created by the Quiché Maya (date unknown); copied by Francisco
Ximénez c. 1702

The Popol Vuh is the sacred book, or bible, of the Quiché Maya (pronounced kee-CHAY MY-uh) and is considered one of the greatest works of literature to have survived from the pre-Columbian (before the arrival of Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492) Americas. The name of the book, Popol Vuh (also spelled Popul Vuh or Popo Vuh), is usually translated as "book of council." It is believed that the Quiché Maya had a copy of the book written in glyphs (figures used as symbols to represent words, ideas, or...