One of the things I found most notable about the second half of the Popol Vuh was the way that the stories tended to tie into experiences that can be observed even today. Looking back on the first half of the book, these themes were present there as well, but it became especially clear to me after reading this bit. One example of this is the section about constellations and stars. The twins became the sun and the moon, providing light to the Earth and the sky, and the boys who were killed by Zipacna became stars and formed constellations. The end result of this story is an observable consequence today, which helps to tie people’s real experiences to their history and culture, because looking up at the sky or moon elicits a memory or thought about the story behind what can be seen. The process by which this story unfolded is also important; the notion of the sky being above and the characters “rising” towards it contributes to the sense of honor and respect that surrounds them.
The House of Darkness is another example of a story that ties in to observable consequences. Torches, cigars, and fireflies are all physical objects known for their glowing lights, especially in contrast to complete darkness like in the story. The fact that the watchmen thought they had won, but that really it was the opposite, is exemplified and can be remembered by the fact that the torches were not consumed and the cigars were not burnt.
A third example of this is the ears of maize that are planted. Hunahpu and Xbalanque both plant ears of maize for their grandmother, using the maize as a tool for communication. If the maize dries up, it will show their grandmother that they have died, while if it sprouts green, she will know that they are alive still. This example in particular illustrates the cultural importance of maize. It is a means for sustenance, and provides food, but it also serves as a means of communication with absent family members, or higher powers at times. The observable consequence of how the maize crop is doing is something that can still be observed today, and connects people back to this story as a reminder of their roots.
Maize also came up as a significant symbol in a few other ways. One thing that stuck out to me was the notion of your food and what you own being defined as one in the same. When Hunahpu and Xbalanque gave the rat food, they told him that it was what belonged to him. Later, when Xbalanque asks animals to gather food, the animals go to get “what is theirs.” This all comes to culminate in the story behind the creation of humans, where the flesh of humans is created out of maize. This connection between people and animals and their food illustrates the enormous importance of food in defining K’iche’ identity and culture.
You raise an interesting point with regards to how this story ties into the present. As you mention, we know that hero twins become the moon and sun while those who killed Zipacna. This is why I believe that we struggled as a class to agree on what ‘category’ this narrative belongs under. Because while this text definitely has strong elements of being folklore, perhaps this was also a scientific book in that it is describing to humans how the world we know came to be.
As you mention as well, maize is particularly important. Indigenous groups are commonly associated with the land they call home. As we can see in this text, maize was a prominent form of sustenance common among the Mayan people. Therefore we can clearly see how land is not only important as a form of sustenance but also how it contributes to the creation of societies and culture.
What a super fantastic point you bring up about the maize being a symbol for property!! It is so interesting to think about that, especially with how it ties in the power dynamic and balance between animals and humans. It definitely not only defines locale and resources within that locale as important to identity and ownership, as most Indigenous cultures do, but also brings up a conversation about whether animals are owed their prey, and then whether humans are owed animals as food. That connects to the gods declaring the animals as meat and flesh for humans.
I think it’s interesting to see how the Maya connect food and animals back into the present through these stories, and it’s, for me at least, a different take on an Indigenous view of the food chain!
Your idea about how what your food is becomes what you are, with the literal realization of this in the Popol Vuh, makes me think about the saying, “you are what you eat.” Food is a very important part of our lives from how we get it to what we eat. Culturally food ways are very important because there are a lot of cultural meanings, knowledge, and understandings tied in. For the K’iche’ they are intimately connected with maize, which is a staple for them. The maize gave them life and continues to keep them alive. I think that is an amazing full circle happening. It also connects the K’iche to the natural world very tightly.