Popol Vuh

Hunahpu and Xbalanque play the song, “Hunahpu Spider Monkey” to lure One Batz and One Chouen home. When their older brothers arrive, dancing to the song as spider monkeys, Xmucane cannot help but laugh at their ugly faces. As a result, One Batz and One Chouen run away into the forest. Hunahpu and Xbalanque tell Xmucane that they will call their older brothers home four times in total. Xmucane must not laugh or else One Batz and One Chouen will run away again. Xmucane laughs a second and third time, and each time, One Batz and One Chouen dance in a more ridiculous fashion before running away. Hunahpu and Xbalanque attempt to call their older brothers a fourth time with their song, but the brothers will not return. Hunahpu and Xbalanque tell their grandmother that all that is left to do is to remember One Batz and One Chouen fondly. Their downfall has been their envy, but before then, they were great artists. This is a lesson to those who let their pride get in the way. Hunahpu and Xbalanque beseech Xmucane to be kind to them and their mother, Lady Blood, to cleanse the house of pride and envy.

In their older brothers’ place, Hunahpu and Xbalanque begin working the maizefield. To avoid doing real labor, they enchant their hoe to plow the earth and the axe to cut the trees. They instruct the animal, Turtle Dove, to notify them when Xmucane is near. Turtle Dove agrees.

Instead of working the field, Hunahpu and Xbalanque go hunting for birds with their blowguns. When Turtle Dove warns him of Xmucane’s arrival, the twin boys sprinkle dirt and wood chips on their body so that it appears as if they have been toiling all day long. Seeing that the boys have appeared to work hard, Xmucane feeds them.

Overnight, the animals undo Hunahpu and Xbalanque’s labor so that when the brothers arrive at the maizefield the next day, they are surprised to find the trees and stalks completely intact. It is as if they had done nothing the day before. Hunahpu and Xbalanque work again to plow the field and cut the trees. They plot to watch the field overnight to see who has been undoing their efforts.

At night, the animals gather and call out, “Arise trees; arise bushes” (138). They gather under the trees and bushes, becoming visible to Hunahpu and Xbalanque. The brothers try to grab the animals but they are too fast. Every other animal manages to evade the brothers except for a lone rat. The rat pleads for his life by claiming that he knows a secret about their family. The brothers promise the rat food in exchange for its knowledge. The rat tells them that their father has left behind his gaming things in the roof of their house before he went to Xibalba. Xmucane has not shown this to them because the game is the reason why their father is dead. The brothers enlist the help of the rat to find the gaming things in their roof. When Hunahpu and Xbalanque are eating, they will see the reflection of the gaming things in their chili sauce and know where the items are located. 

During dinner, Hunahpu and Xbalanque sneak the rat up to the roof when Xmucane is not looking. To distract their grandmother, they drain the water jug and complain of their thirst so that she will fetch more water. When she leaves, Hunahpu and Xbalanque can see the rat’s reflection in their chili sauce. To prolong Xmucane’s absence, they send for a mosquito to puncture a hole in the jug, making the water leak out. While Xmucane struggles with the leaking water jug at the river, the rat is busy clawing at the ropes that hold the One Hunahpu’s gaming things. Finally, the gaming things fall from the roof. Hunahpu and Xbalanque hurriedly hide the gaming things away from their grandmother.

The brothers find Xmucane and their mother at the riverstruggling with the leaking water jug. They help patch up the jug and return home together. 

Hunahpu and Xbalanque proceed to play dice and ball on the court above Xibalba, as their father has done. Once again, they incite the ire of the lords of the underworld. One Death and Seven Death send a messenger to relay a message to Xmucane that her grandchildren must come to the underworld in seven days to play ball with the lords of Xibalba. Xmucane tells the messenger that Hunahpu and Xbalanque will go as they are asked. When the messenger leaves, she weeps to herself, remembering the fate of her sons, One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu.

Xmucane sends a louse to the ballcourt to inform Hunahpu and Xbalanque of their invitation to the underworld. Along the way, the louse runs into a toad named Tamazul, who offers to give the louse a ride in his mouth to speed up his journey. The louse agrees and together, Tamazul and the louse hop along until they run into a snake. Similarly, the snake offers speedier passage to Tamazul by allowing him to ride in his mouth. When Tamazul agrees, the snake swallows the toad up and Tamazul is no more. Along the way, a falcon swallows the snake, ending his life as well.

Finally, the falcon arrives at the ballcourt where Hunahpu and Xbalanque are playing. Spotting the falcon, the brothers decide to shoot it with their blowgun. 

Hunahpu and Xbalanque shoot the falcon, hitting him in the eye. They demand to know why he has come to disturb them. The falcon says, “I have a message in my belly” (146), and asks for his eye to be cured first before revealing the message. Hunahpu and Xbalanque enchant a piece of their rubber ball and put it on the falcon’s eye, healing him. After he is healed, the falcon vomits up the snake he ate. Hunahpu and Xbalanque command the snake, “Speak!” (147). The snake vomits up the toad. Hunahpu and Xbalanque repeat their order to the toad. The toad attempts to vomit up the louse but nothing comes out. The brothers search inside the toad’s mouth and find the louse stuck in his teeth. The louse relays the message from Xmucane telling them about the messengers from Xibalba. The boys must bring their gaming things to the underworld in seven days. Hearing this news, Hunahpu and Xbalanque return to their grandmother.