Questions about the text (click here to return to Popol Vuh page)

These questions are of an introductory nature, and may be used as the basis for classroom discussion, papers, or both.

1. What is the name of the people that generated this story? Where did (do) they live?

2. Who are some of the key deities discussed in the Popol Vuh? How did they create the earth?

3. What kinds of humans did the gods create and then destroy as failed attempts? What had gone wrong?

4. Who is Seven Macaw and why is he destroyed? By whom?

5. Describe and explain the relationship between the two sets of brothers, the older pair, One Monkey and One Artisan, and their younger brothers, Hunahpu and Xbalanque. What might be the cultural or ethical significance of this episode of the Popol Vuh?

6. How do One Hunahpu and Blood Woman become the parents of the Hero Twins? Can you think of stories from other cultures that have a similar sequence of events? How might we explain or investigate this similarity?

7. What do Xbalanque and Hunahpu learn from the rat? How do they receive this news? How do they reward the rat? What seems to be the significance of the ball game?

8. What trials do Hunahpu and Xbalanque experience in the underworld? Who helps them to survive their various trials?

9. How do the boys finally deceive and defeat the lords of Xibalba?

10. What becomes of the Hero Twins? Are there parallels to this outcome and the results of other stories?

11. If this story is understood to teach not only about creation, the gods, and the events in the lives of the Hero Twins, but also about ideals of behavior, what kinds of ethical lessons or examples could be derived from the story?

12. Has this story remained significant to the Maya people in recent times? How could we find out more about the current importance of this story to the Maya?

 Questions about the text as evidence of past civilizations:

1. What can the Popol Vuh teach us in a general way about Mesoamerican civilizations? What are some of the possible problems with or limitations of using the Popol Vuh as a source of cultural information? List and offer explanations of some elements of Mayan civilization based on your reading of the Popol Vuh.

2. What kinds of questions specifically related to the age and translation of texts might modern scholars and students want to consider when evaluating the validity of the Popol Vuh as evidence about the ideas, values, and society of the ancient Mayan civilization? How might we pursue answers to these questions?

3. How have scholars attempted to explain the similarities between the Popol Vuh and stories from the Judeo-Christian tradition? In what ways does the dating of textual artifacts affect these discussions?

4. When was the Popol Vuh first translated into English? By whom? What is the current level of scholarly interest in Mayan civilization? How could we begin to answer these questions?

5. When and where did the Popol Vuh begin to appear as a primary source text in courses on Ancient History? What can this fact teach us about the history of teaching and learning about the past in modern times?

6. What other question(s) about the text would you like to ask or answer?