Religion, mythology, history and astrology place this work at the top of Mayan and universal literature, without any discussion.
Among its different names, it is known as “Book of the Council”, “Book of the Community”, “Sacred Book”, “Book of the Mat” and even “Bible Maya”, the truth is that many enigmas around its origins remain to be discovered today.
To its great aesthetic value, scholars add that it is a large window through which one can glimpse the cosmogony of the K’iché people before the arrival of the Spanish on American lands.
Its content corroborates data found in pottery, stelae, and even in the monolithic monuments that bequeathed to us and some remain deep in the vegetation of the Guatemalan jungle.
As far as influences are concerned, the presence of the Popol Wuj is undeniable in national literature, but also in that of Central American authors.
Guatemalan Nobel Prize winner Miguel Ángel Asturias would not have created his masterpiece, Men of Corn, if the antecedent of the old codex had not existed.
Asturias returned to the origins, but not to the western myth (Ulysses, Prometheus, the Bible), but to the pre-Columbian, to the primal of Latin American being, the man of corn.
In general terms, there are three parts to the story narrated in the original 16th century manuscript: one that describes the creation and origin of the corn men; another about a time before that process, with the mythical adventures of the twin gods Hunahpú and Ixbalanqué in the Mayan underworld; and the last one with the lineage of the k’iché people until the last kings assassinated by the Spanish hosts.
To understand the great importance of the Popol Wuj, the researchers point out that it speaks of a cosmogony and a worldview. The first refers to the way in which a town explains the origin of the universe and everything that surrounds it, while the second responds to the way in which that town sees the world and how it explains it through stories.
It also reflects unique aspects of the territory from which it was written, as well as spiritual, ideological, and artistic expressions. The best thing is that their values are still alive in the Mayan communities because they are contained in the stories that the grandparents still tell.
A HAZARDOUS STORY
Along with the conquerors came several priests who, in their eagerness to convert the indigenous people to the “true religion”, destroyed everything that had any connection to pre-Columbian religions: temples, gods and entire libraries of codices.
Studies indicate that the Popol Wuj, as we know it, was written shortly after the Conquest in the K’iché language with the help of the Castilian alphabet by one or more Christianized indigenous people, possibly members of defeated royalty.
Some identify one of the possible authors with an indigenous man named Diego Reinoso, but most agree in framing it as an unknown origin or collective author by oral tradition.
Where there is a coincidence is in the approximate date of its writing, between 1554 and 1558, until almost two centuries later the version that survived to us saw the light, when the priest Francisco Ximénez had the original in the form of verses and made the translation. into the Spanish language in prose.
From that Dominican manuscript, versions were published in different countries and languages during the following centuries.
A POPOL VUH FOR CHILDREN
The scholars who knew the Ximénez manuscript assure that it is not an easy book to read due to the density of its language and figures, especially for children.
This is precisely what the pen of Francisco Morales Santos thought about, who found in the illustrations of Guillermo Grajeda the ideal way to meet the challenge of transferring the stories, myths and legends of the K’iché people to the new generations.
As its author recalled in an interview with Diario de Centroamérica, the creative process was marked by the responsibility of bringing the essential text of our literature closer to children and, in addition, facilitating their encounter with the national editions of Adrián Recinos, Sam Colop and Adrián Ines Chavez, among others.
Morales set out to preserve the ancestral history to capture it in the most reliable way with a good use of language, he said in the interview. “You always have to keep in mind that childhood is a state, not a limitation to understand,” was his key.
The work of the 1998 National Literature Award was complemented with the illustrations of Grajeda (1918-1995), one of the most important names in Guatemalan plastic arts, who made expressive drawings inspired by characters and adventures from the sacred book, ready to color and unleash. the creativity of the readers.
“The fusion of Guatemalan talent makes the approach to the work one with enthusiasm and curiosity,” said editor Irene Piedrasanta at the presentation of the book under her editorial label in 2019.
OVER TIME
As one of the most relevant documents of the Mayan culture, the Popol Wuj stands the test of time and many enigmas still remain around it. Its significance ranges from the historical, cultural, anthropological to the literary, beyond the values of the original writing.
After the progress of the discoveries, the existence of many real places linked to their existence was verified and the interest transcends within the same virtuality: just googling Popol Vuh in the famous search engine and 66,400 results appeared.
But what makes this book so special?
Many mention its status as sacred; However, the Mayan-Kaqchikel anthropologist Aura Cumes disagrees, because in her opinion, giving it that quality would make it a book related to fundamentalism, which would point to an “absolute truth” or immovable of things.
She suggests seeing it as a historical book that compiles a world view -or as many call the world view- of the Mayan peoples, since it was one of the few that managed to be saved.
For the Maya-K’iché linguist, lawyer, and poet, San Colop, its importance lies in recording the mythology and history of that people until its colonization by the Spanish in the 15th century.
Other edges suggest that it shows a vision contrary to that inherited from the very process of the conquest, around a single race, a single time and god. The book speaks of the dual world, “even” or “poly”, whose creation was assumed by multiple couples headed by heaven and earth together with everything that exists.
The anthropologist Lina Barrios argues her imprint in terms of natural diversity: 92 species typical of Guatemala are mentioned, 41 flora and 51 fauna, and the role of women is also relevant.
The energies are feminine and are found in complementarity, in addition to midwives, governors and warriors being mentioned.
Perhaps the most inclusive vision is that of Mariela Tax, poet and popular educator, who believes that within the Popol Wuj life itself is perceived in the combination of elements, nature and wisdom as part of a whole, but also of the structures that are being formed, built and rebuilt throughout history.
Words bring a sensitivity to the diversity of life in the midst of the poetic. At the same time that they serve as a guide during the narrative, they also allow a deepening, he maintains.
Its relevance for Guatemalans was endorsed on May 30, 1972, when it was declared a National Book. On August 27, 2012, the Ministry of Culture and Sports registered it as Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nation.
In August 2018, nationals and foreigners had the great opportunity to see up close a facsimile of the Popol Wuj written by Ximénez in the museum that bears the name of the K’iché text in homage to his 40th anniversary in favor of exposing the best of pre-Columbian culture.
The piece was the centerpiece of that year’s temporary exhibition along with a dozen archaeological objects and 32 of the drawings made by Guillermo Grajeda.
Its director, Rossanna Valls, reminds Prensa Latina of the fidelity of the duplicate with details such as the edges of the pages or the marks that the ink leaves over time on the back of the sheets.
Although another edition had previously been delivered to the indigenous municipality of Chichicastenango, its access was limited to the general public.
The question arises for everyone: What does the text closest to the original really look like?… and being able to look at it up close and have it permanently in the museum is a dream come true, Valls said.
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