The Ballgame in Popul Vuh
The detailed narrative of the Maya epic Popul Vuh describes the destruction of
multiple previous worlds and the creation of a new one. The complicated plot
involves two sets of ball-playing twins: after disturbing the gods with their play,
one pair go to the Xibalba Underworld (derived from the Mayan word for “fear,”
“trembling”), where they die at the hands of One and Seven Death, the head lords
of Xibalba. The severed head of one of these twins hangs on a tree from which its
spittle magically impregnates Lady Blood, who gives birth to the second set of
twins, Hunahpu (HOO-nah-pooh) and Xbalanque (sh-bal-on-kay). These Hero
Twins, far more skillful than their father and uncle, at first trick the gods of the
Underworld repeatedly and then defeat them in the ballgame described in the
episode below. Eventually they also die, but because the gods grant them another
life, they rise at the end of the narrative to become the sun and the moon,
creating the upper world or cosmos.
The earliest archaeological evidence of the game comes from the Olmec site of El
Manatí, located 6 miles (10 km) east of San Lorenzo, where a dozen rubber balls
dating to around 500 B.C.E. were found. Almost every Maya city-state had a ball
court, usually in the shape of L, with walls around it, located near a major temple.
The Maya played this soccer-like game with heavy rubber balls measuring 12 or
18 inches (33 or 50 cm) across. The Maya cooked liquid rubber from latex trees
and allowed it to cool and solidify into a heavy mass. Sometimes the ball-makers
used a human skull to make a hollow, less lethal, ball. The game spread
throughout the Maya core region and as far north as Snaketown near Phoenix,
Arizona, the home of an early Anasazi people who had two ball courts and rubber
balls.
Since ball courts and balls do not provide enough information to understand how
the game was played, anthropologists are closely studying the modern hip
ballgames in the few villages near Mazatlán (ma-zát-LAN), Sinaloa (sin-A-loh-a)
State in northwestern Mexico, where the game is still played. Two opposing
teams of three to five players try to get the ball past the other team’s end line.
After serving with their hands, they propel the heavy rubber balls with their hips.
Although players covered their hips with padding, called a “yoke” below, the hips
of modern players develop calluses and often become permanently bruised a deepblack color. We cannot be sure that everyone who played the game knew the
story of the Hero Twins, but many players probably understood the game as a
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contest between two teams, one representing good, life, or the hero twins, and
the other evil, death, or Xibalba, which was always victorious.
The following passage from the Popul Vuh describes the first test the twins must
endure.
Points to Consider:
1. What tricks do the hero twins play on the lords of the Xibalba Underworld? How do the
Xibalba lords retaliate?
2. What happens that is unexpected? Why do the twins lose?
First they entered Dark House.
And after that, the messenger of One Death brought their torch, burning when it
arrived, along with one cigar apiece.
“‘Here is their torch,’ says the lord. ‘They must return the torch in the morning, along
with the cigars. They must return them intact,’ say the lords,” the messenger said when
he arrived.
“Very well,” they said, but they didn’t burn the torch—instead, something that looked
like fire was substituted. This was the tail of the macaw, which looked like a torch to the
sentries. And as for the cigars, they just put fireflies at the tips of those cigars, which
they kept lit all night.
“We’ve defeated them,” said the sentries, but the torch was not consumed—it just
looked that way. And as for the cigars, there wasn’t anything burning there—it just
looked that way. When these things were taken back to the lords:
“What’s happening? Where did they come from? Who begot them and bore them? Our
hearts are really hurting, because what they’re doing to us is no good. They’re different
in looks and different in their very being,” they said among themselves. And when they
had summoned all the lords:
“Let’s play ball, boys,” the boys were told. And then they were asked by One and Seven
Death:
“Where might you have come from? Please name it,” Xibalba said to them.
“Well, wherever did we come from? We don’t know,” was all they said. They didn’t
name it.
“Very well then, we’ll just go play ball, boys,” Xibalba told them.
“Good,” they said.
“Well, this is the one we should put in play, here’s our rubber ball,” said the Xibalbans.
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“No thanks. This is the one to put in, here’s ours,” said the boys.
“No it’s not. This is the one we should put in,” the Xibalbans said again.
“Very well,” said the boys.
“After all, it’s just a decorated one,” said the Xibalbans.
“Oh no it’s not. It’s just a skull, we say in return,” said the boys.
“No it’s not,” said the Xibalbans.
“Very well,” said Hunahpu. When it was sent off by Xibalba, the ball was stopped by
Hunahpu’s yoke [hip-pad].
And then, while Xibalba watched, the White Dagger came out from inside the ball. It
went clattering, twisting all over the floor of the court.
“What’s that!” said Hunahpu and Xbalanque. “Death is the only thing you want for us!
Wasn’t it you who sent a summons to us, and wasn’t it your messenger who went?
Truly, take pity on us, or else we’ll just leave,” the boys told them.
And this is what had been ordained for the boys: that they should have died right away,
right there, defeated by that knife. But it wasn’t like that. Instead, Xibalba was again
defeated by the boys.
“Well, don’t go, boys. We can still play ball, but we’ll put yours into play,” the boys
were told.
“Very well,” they said, and this was time for their rubber ball, so the ball was dropped
in.
And after that, they specified the prize:
“What should our prize be?” asked the Xibalbans.
“It’s yours for the asking,” was all the boys said.
“We’ll just win four bowls of flowers,” said the Xibalbans.
“Very well. What kinds of flowers?” the boys asked Xibalba.
“One bowl of red petals, one bowl of white petals, one bowl of yellow petals, and one
bowl of whole ones,” said the Xibalbans.
“Very well,” said the boys, and then their ball was dropped in. The boys were their
equals in strength and made many plays, since they only had very good thoughts. Then
the boys gave them selves up in defeat, and the Xibalbans were glad when they were
defeated:
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“We’ve done well. We’ve beaten them on the first try,” said the Xibalbans. “Where will
they go to get the flowers?” they said in their hearts.
“Truly, before the night is over, you must hand over our flowers and our prize,” the
boys, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, were told by Xibalba.
“Very well. So we’re also playing ball at night,” they said when they accepted their
charge.
And after that, the boys entered Razor House, the second test of Xibalba.
Source: Reprinted with the permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc., from Popul Vuh: The Definitive Edition
of the Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings by Dennis Tedlock. Copyright
1985, 1996 by Dennis Tedlock. All Rights Reserved.
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