Ilan Stavans

The most important creation story in the Americas before the European conquest,Popol Vuh was a millennia-old oral tradition that, in the 16th century, as the Mayan civilization was being threatened with destruction, was written down in verse by members of the K'iche' nobility in what is today Guatemala. That original was translated into Spanish by a priest and then vanished mysteriously. Composed of four parts, Popol Vuh tells the story of how the world was created in a series of rehearsals that included wooden dummies, demi-gods, and eventually humans. Cosmic in scope and yet intimately human,Popol Vuh offers invaluable insight into the Mayan way of life before 1492, their code of ethics, their views on death and the afterlife, and their devotion to passion, courage, and the natural world. One of the most extraordinary sections of the narrative is the description--as inspired as Dante's hell--of the underworld, Xibalba. Equally archetypal is the legend of the ultimate king, who, in the face of tragedy, became a spirit that accompanies his people in their struggle for survival. In his prose retelling of this classic that is as seminal as theIliad andOdyssey, award-winning scholar of Latin American civilization Ilan Stavans offers a much-needed opportunity to appreciate the timeless resonance of the account, while also connecting it with the current plight of the indigenous people of the Americas.

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