Narrator 2

(words quoted, with permission, from Edmonson’s translation)

Narrator 1:

The ancient world had its beginnings here in this place named

Quiché. The sea was calm. The sky was empty. Silence. Darkness.

Narrator 2:

There was not, then, anything in fact

That was standing there.

Only the pooled water,

Only the flat sea. (3)

Narrator 1:

There were no people, no animals, no fish, no birds, no moun-

tains, no forests. The god of the sea, Plumed Serpent, and the god of

the sky, Heart of Sky, were both great knowers and great thinkers.

They talked, they thought, they worried. They joined their hearts and

their thoughts.

Plumed Serpent:

We will create life!

Heart of Sky:

But how? How will we make the earth?

Plumed Serpent:

If we remove much of the water, the earth will rise from the sea.

Heart of Sky

EARTH

Narrator 2:

So then this the earth was created by them.

Only their word was the creation of it. (4)

Heart of Sky

MOUNTAINS

Narrator 2:

Then the mountain was asked to come from the water.

Straightaway there were great mountains.

Just their power,

Just their magic

Caused the making then,

The invention

Of mountains

And valleys. (5)

Heart of Sky

FORESTS

Narrator 1:

And the trees spread across the mountains, and great woods and

forests were formed.

Narrator 2:

Then they thought further

Of the wild animals,

Guardians of the forest,

And all the population of the wild. (6)

Heart of Sky

DEER. BIRD. PUMA. JAGUAR. SERPENT. RATTLESNAKE.

(together):

FISH. SEA TURTLE. MONKEY. DOLPHIN. DOG. TURKEY.

FOX. COYOTE. PARROT. CROW.

Narrator 1:

And the animals filled the earth and the sea. They raced to the moun-

tains, to the forests, to the rivers. The birds flew into the trees.

Plumed Serpent:

Wild beasts of the fields, drink from the lakes and sleep in the

meadows, rest in the canyons.

Narrator 2:

And so the homes

Of the animals were the earth. (7)

Plumed Serpent:

Look at the wonderful animals we have made! Now it is the duty of

these creatures to thank us.

Heart of Sky:

They must tell our great story to the other gods so we will be

honored.

Chorus:

(animal sounds)

Plumed Serpent:

(raising his voice) Talk! Speak! Stop moaning! Stop crying!

Heart of Sky:

(shouting) Name our names! Praise us! Speak now!

Narrator 2:

But they did not succeed in talking like men.

They just pretended to.

They just rattled;

And they just croaked. (8)

Plumed Serpent:

Oh no! What have we done?

Heart of Sky:

Who will tell our story? Who will remember how the earth began?

Plumed Serpent:

(angrily) You will serve each other since you cannot serve us. Your

flesh will be eaten, the strong among you will kill the weak.

Heart of Sky:

We must try again.

Plumed Serpent:

We will try to make a human being who will give us praise and

respect. A provider. A nurturer.

Heart of Sky:

But how? With what?

Plumed Serpent:

Look around us. Surely we can use material we have created.

Narrator 1:

And they talked and they thought and they decided to make men out

of the mud that remained when earth and sea were divided.

Heart of Sky

MUDMEN

Narrator 1:

Together they made a body, but it wasn’t right.

Chorus:

(mudmen sounds)

Plumed Serpent:

(raising his voice) Talk! Speak! Stop moaning! Stop crying!

Heart of Sky:

(shouting) Name our names! Praise us! Speak now!

Plumed Serpent:

Oh no! What have we done? Who will tell our story? Who will

remember how the earth began?

Heart of Sky:

Careful! It’s starting to separate and crumble! What a lopsided and

twisted mess!

Plumed Serpent:

It’s loosening! It’s softening!

Heart of Sky:

Oh no! It’s disintegrating!

Plumed Serpent:

It’s dissolving in the water!

Heart of Sky:

We must try again.

Plumed Serpent:

Let us consult the great god and goddess, Grandfather and

Grandmother of Light. They will be able to guide us.

Heart of Sky:

Yes! They are both very wise. They will count the days in lots of

four and seek an answer for us.

Narrator 1:

So they journeyed beyond the heavens tovisit Grandfather and

Grandmother of Light.

Grandfather:

Welcome, Plumed Serpent and Heart of Sky.

Grandmother

You both look very worried. How may we help you?

Plumed Serpent:

Great god and goddess, we have tried to make creatures who will

speak our names, honor us and give us praise. We have failed so

far! The animals growl and hiss, the mudmen babble.

Heart of Sky:

Who will tell our story? Who will remember how the earth began?

Plumed Serpent:

We truly need your great wisdom.

Grandmother

(moving her hands slowly over seeds in groups of four)

of Light:

Wood! Wood! You must carve mouths and faces in wood!

Grandfather:

Let them sing your praises and give you the respect you deserve!

Grandmother

Let them be your providers, your nurturers, these men of wood!

Heart of Sky

WOODMEN

Narrator 2:

Their legs were not filled out,

Nor their arms.

They lacked blood

And serum.

They lacked sweat

And fat. (9)

Chorus:

(woodmen sounds)

Plumed Serpent:

(raising his voice) Talk! Speak! Stop moaning! Stop crying!

Heart of Sky:

(shouting) Name our names! Praise us! Speak now!

Plumed Serpent:

What a horrible noise! There is nothing in their minds!

Heart of Sky:

There is nothing in their hearts!

Plumed Serpent:

They do not remember us!

Heart of Sky:

Who will tell our story? Who will remember how the earth began?

Narrator 1:

And so, Plumed Serpent and Heart of Sky harnessed the waters

and a great flood covered the earth. The creatures of the forest

came into the dwellings of the woodmen.

Dog:

You have chased us from our homes, so we will take yours now!

Turkey:

You have caused us pain, so now we shall eat you!

Grinding Stone:

You have pounded on us. Now, we will do the same to you!

Heart of Sky:

What are we to do? The animals cannot sing our praise, the mudmen

dissolved, and the woodmen had no hearts or minds.

Plumed Serpent:

Look at the mountain in the distance. What do you see coming

towards us?

Chorus:

(animal sounds - fox, coyote, parrot, crow)

Heart of Sky:

Four animals, but I don’t know which ones - they are too far away.

Plumed Serpent:

I can see clearly now! Fox, coyote, parrot, crow!

Fox:

We bring you great news! We have found ears of yellow corn and

white corn.

Coyote:

This is the ingredient you have been looking for to create human

flesh!

Parrot:

The mountain we have just come from is thick with corn.

Crow:

Hundreds of plants grow there, strong and straight and tall.

Narrator 2:

And they rejoiced then

Over the discovery

Of the marvelous mountain,

Filled

With quantities

And quantities

Of yellow corn ears,

And white corn ears. (10)

Plumed Serpent:

Let us grind the corn nine times!

Narrator 2:

And then the yellow corn was ground

And the white corn. (11)

Heart of Sky:

Let us add water!

Heart of Sky

MAN

Narrator 2:

The food came

With water to create strength,

And it became man’s grease

And turned into his fat. (12)

Chorus:

(human sounds)

Heart of Sky:

The story of our beginnings will be told!

Narrator 2:

Only yellow corn

And white corn were their bodies.

Only food were the legs

And arms of man.

Those who were our first fathers

Were the four original men.

Only food at the outset

Were their bodies. (13)

Plumed Serpent:

We will be honored by the gods!

Narrator 2:

These are the names of the first men who were made,

Who were shaped:

The first man was Jaguar Quiché,

And the second in turn was Jaguar Night,

And the third in turn was Nought,

And the fourth was Wind Jaguar. (14)

Heart of Sky:

Our praises will be sung!

Narrator 2:

Red Sea House was the name

Of the wife of Jaguar Quiché;

Beauty House was the name

Of the wife of Jaguar Night;

Hummingbird House was the name

Of the wife of Nought;

Parrot House was the name

Of the wife of Wind Jaguar.

And these were the names of their wives,

Who became queens.

They were the bearers of the little tribes,

The great tribes,

And this was the root of us

Who are Quiché people. (15)

Chorus:

(human sounds get gradually louder)