Some background information The Wooden People Some background information

What the heck does the subtitle mean? The Popul Vuh is also known as the Book of Conquests, or Book of Community, and it is a collection of ancient Mayan mythology (it is like the Mayan Bible, basically). The Quiche Mayans were people who long ago lived in the area that is now Guatemala.

Background This particular creation myth relates a story of two creator gods and their often difficult course toward making the world. Like many other creation myths from around the globe, the Popol Vuh reads that in the beginning there was the void – the nothingness. The world consisted of the sky and the sea. The gods resided in either the sky or the sea and realized the great potential for the emptiness. One god from each region, Heart of Sky from the sky and Maker, Modeler from the sea, came together to create the world. The two “great thinkers” filled the emptiness through dialogue. Whatever they said was created. This shows the importance of language to the Mayan culture. The two gods weren’t completely happy with their creations, though, so it took them several tries before they got it right.

1st Attempt The very first attempt at creating the world by the two gods resulted in the origin of the earth. First the mountains and plant life were created; however, the lack of sound on the planet bothered the gods, so they created animals to live in the forests. After the animals were constructed, the gods ordered them to pronounce themselves. Naturally, the animals could only bark or grunt or howl. The gods were not happy with their final result because the animals had no voices with which to speak. Because the animals could not speak, they could not properly worship the gods, which proved unsatisfactory to the deities. The two gods deemed that the animals were to never leave the forests and were to be subservient to the greater humans who would soon be created (“Just accept your service, just let your flesh be eaten”). And so the gods, in their effort to hear loud praise for a job well done, made a second go at the creation of the world.

2nd Attempt Next, the gods began experimenting with humans. The first invention was mud people, but they quickly proved unsatisfactory as they kept falling apart. Their heads wouldn’t turn and their faces were lopsided. They could only jabber and they couldn’t multiply. Because mud was their basis of existence they were quickly dissolved when exposed to water. The gods quickly did away with these mud people and started afresh.

3rd Attempt This brings us to our story! The third attempt is the wooden people. This batch of mankind proved somewhat more successful as they could talk and they could reproduce. Their bodies were sturdy; however, their skin was dry and crusty, which made it difficult for them to move in a coordinated manner. Worst of all, they had no memory and no emotions. Because of this, they were unable to properly respect their creators (they couldn’t remember who had created them and they didn’t care anyway because they felt nothing). Because they still weren’t being properly acknowledged, respected, and worshipped, the gods saw this batch of humans as being useless as well. Time to start fresh again! Furiously, Heart of Sky sends a flood to do away with the failed wooden people. Other nasty things ensue as well, which you will see…

Please pause to read the story of “The Wooden People”

What comes after the wooden people? If you want to know what happened after our story, on the 4th attempt, the gods finally started getting it right. The gods greatly desired to create a successful race of human beings, who could worship them properly. Once this respectable line of beings was created then the sun, moon, and stars would become visible. The gods molded the first human beings out of a paste made from maize (corn). In the Mayan diet, maize served as a staple food, so this emphasizes the importance Mayans placed on maize and agriculture in their society. Four humans were initially created. They were known as “mother-fathers” as they represented both the female and male components of the race. These “mother-fathers” were an instant success as they could express themselves and comprehend the world around them. They explored their world and the skies thoroughly as they possessed great vision that allowed them to see through objects (X-Ray vision, if you will). At first the gods were pleased with their creation and its thirst for knowledge, but soon the humans’ knowledge rivaled that of the gods. If this were to continue then the humans would not worship and respect the gods as they should, so the gods clouded the humans’ vision. The people began to multiply and fill the Earth; however, the sun still had not risen, so the people wandered the Earth ceaselessly in darkness. Tired of waiting, the people began migration to the east to search for the sun, but soon began to suffer from starvation. The “mother-fathers” then climbed a mountain and prayed to the gods. The gods were moved by the people’s prayers and sufferings. The sun began to rise and the people fell to their knees in thanks. In the beginning, the sun’s rays were intolerable as they were so hot; however, over time the people were able to enjoy the sun’s warmth and light. They were allowed to farm the land as they wished, growing maize and other necessary crops.

Themes So what morals/lessons are we supposed to learn from this myth? Respect the gods, or you will regret it! The wooden people forgot who made them and forgot to give thanks and pray, so they suffered. Be kind Inanimate objects abuse humans for revenge. Be thoughtful The wooden people did not feed their dogs even though the dogs needed food to survive, so the dogs ate their faces for revenge. Can you think of any others?

Other questions to consider: What elements of this story have you heard/read/seen before? What does this myth suggest about the Mayan culture? Why are the first people referred to as wooden people? What is the significance of this? Do you see any symbols?

Symbols The Flood “Wooden” people Floods appear in many stories and they often represent a “cleansing.” This flood is similar to that present in The Old Testament; however, the Mayan flood is the result of the gods failure to create a sufficient human race, whereas, in The Old Testament, God floods the Earth because He is unsatisfied with the evil that has developed in the human race. “Wooden” people People are often described as being “wooden” if they are devoid of emotion or physical grace.