Customer Reviews

Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of The Mayan Book of The Dawn of Life and The Glories of Gods and Kings

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The "Popol Vuh," written in a Mayan language but a European script, is the most substantial surviving account of the Maya view of their own history, including that of their gods and divine ancestors, and has presented a host of problems for translators. The Tedlock translation of 1985 added new information to the work of many distinguished predecessors, and made substantial parts of the narrative clear (or at least much clearer).

The fact that a fairly extensively revised edition of this book was not only possible, but necessary, in 1996, a decade after its first publication, might have discouraged the publisher from continuing to call the new version "Definitive" on the cover. The title page more precisely calls it a Revised Edition of "Popol Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life ... with commentary based on the ancient knowledge of the modern Quiche Maya." However, "Definitive" seems to be the marketing buzzword. But how would a third edition be described? (Dennis Tedlock has recently -- 2003 -- returned to the writings of the post-Conquest Maya aristocrats who actually produced the existing "Popol Vuh," in "Rabinal Achi: A Mayan Drama of War and Sacrifice," so it is clear that his work in the area continues.)

In fact, the work of Dennis and Barbara Tedlock with living Quiche Maya ritualists (priests / diviners / shamans), which, in the first edition, added so much to understanding this early post-Conquest text, was part of a larger expansion of Maya studies, including a more complete decipherment of ancient inscriptions, and greatly improved studies of Maya art. It is now possible to recognize events, and even characters, of the "Popol Vuh" in art centuries older, and their prototypes a millennium earlier. Meso-American cultures have been re-analyzed, and lost details recovered, as part of a major, and very rapid, shift in understanding.

As an example: a large part of the story of "Popol Vuh" involves games played in ball-courts, in this world and the world of the dead; a major collection of papers on this theme, in Mayan and other cultures, "The Mesoamerican Ballgame," was based on a conference held the same year the first edition of Tedlock's translation appeared (Scarborough and Wilcox, 1991).

Another change was the adoption of a new official system for writing Mayan languages in the Roman alphabet, one devised, for the first time, by native speakers of the various languages. This adds considerably to etymological and grammatical precision, but enormously complicates recognizing words and names in older systems. (Anyone familiar with the juggling of Wade-Giles and Pinyin transliterations of Chinese will be only too familiar with the kind of adjustment process for ordinary readers.)

Tedlock has attempted, with considerable success, to incorporate this new information, and the new transcription system, into the old structure of the book. In the process, besides adding fascinating illustrations and fine-tuning the translation, he has restructured the introduction and notes. Some interesting personal observations are gone, or greatly reduced. References to older literature, often with Tedlock's reconsiderations, have generally been replaced by citations of more recent studies. Once debatable points have been given firm answers, and new questions have been raised. Some material which, at a first glance, I assumed to be missing, turned out, on close examination (with copies of both editions open in front of me, and the help of a lot of post-it flags), to have been broken up or consolidated in different contexts. In a few places, however, the strain shows, as a once-clear line of argument is disrupted. The sheer complication of the material explicated, in which social, cosmic / astronomical, and agricultural references are constantly intertwined, probably made this inevitable.

Archeological and epigraphic material has somewhat eclipsed in prominence the modern Maya contribution to this edition, although for fuller information it was always necessary to turn to Barbara Tedlock's "Time and the Highland Maya."

Among more recent publications of considerable value for understanding the mythological and astronomical material, Susan Milbrath's "Star Gods of the Maya: Astronomy in Art, Folklore, and Calendars" (1999) is exhausting, but I found it particularly illuminating. A series of books of which the late Linda Schele was co-author or co-editor (The Blood of Kings," 1986; "The Forest of Kings," 1990; "Maya Cosmos: Three Thousand Years on the Shaman's Path," 1993; and "The Code of Kings," 1999) are more popular in style, and very rewarding; unfortunately, like everything else in Mayan studies, they have dated very quickly, and the reader should always keep the date of publication in mind. Technical studies -- linguistic, epigraphic, archeological, art-historical -- are now abundant, but also harder for me to judge.

There's something here for the serious student of Mesoamerican culture, the historian, and those who just like mythology. Rather than relying solely on academic translations, Tedlock has employed the services of native speakers of the Quiche Mayan language to give not only the words, but the *feel* of the stories. The first section is a synopsis of the people and events in the Popol Vuh itself from the time of the "creation" all the way to the coming of the Conquistadores, but rather than detracting from the story itself (as such synopses all-too-often do), it adds depth and understanding. I would have appreciated seeing more of the original glyphs, as well as the original forms of many of the names (which have been translated whenever possible), but this is a very minor quibble. Overall, highly recommended!

If you are fascinated by the stories various peoples have told (and still tell) to explain who and why they are, this is essential reading. This Mayan genesis presents a new world, a new reality, peopled by heros, monkeys, and macaws, triumph and treachery. The translation will hold your attention, and the translator's notes on how the story happened to survive contribute to our understanding of this exotic and intriguing material.

The Maya did not divide their everyday lives and religion. In fact, they didn't have a religion in our sense at all. Their everyday lives were bound up in visions, stories of the heavens, earth, past, and future that were not separate from the reality of their everyday experience. This book, the "Popol Vuh" means Council Book. That is, it is a book for the Lords to consult. One of its other titles is "The Light That Came From Beside the Sea". It is a document of the Quiche Maya who lived (and still live) in a portion of what is present day Guatemala.

The "Popol Vuh" tells the essential myth of the ball game and the hero twins. Its story is far too involved and strange to try and explain it in this review. The story explains things about the Sun, Moon, and Venus in their play across the heavens. It prepares the living for what awaits them in Xibalba (the awful place below the earth). And there is constant gratitude for the knowledge of the creation of men from maize and the light of understanding this book brings them. The various sacred places of mountains, caves, and of ritual sacrifice are all here and powerfully expressed.

Dennis Tedlock translated the text into clear and very readable English. However, that is not sufficient for the uninitiated to understand. So, Tedlock provides us with an introductory essay to help us understand the context of these stories. At the back he also provides notes on the text arranged by page number, a glossary of terms (which we desperately need to read the book), a wonderful bibliography for further reading, and an index.

Now, a couple of things to keep in mind when you read this book (and you should). This text has one written source, and it is written in the Mayan language with a Western alphabet. Also, this copy is post Conquest so there is no real way to know how the story was changed or influenced by the Christian stories that were also (forcibly) taught to the Maya, if at all. If you end up believing that this story is an intact retelling of the true Myth without Christian influences, there are some pretty strange and wonderful parallels. If you are uncomfortable with some of the parallels, then you will want to explain them away by claiming corruption by the Christian conquerors. Take your pick. No one really knows.

Terrific edition of an important text that you can really enjoy reading and adding to your understanding of the world and the total range of the human experience.

Tedlock's translation is far more than a translation. Because the meaning of the Popol Vuh, he tells us, is situationally dependent (i.e., is likely to change depending on the context in which the reader approaches the text), Tedlock had to receive formal training as Mayan "daykeeper" (shamanistic reader of the Popol Vuh) before he approached the text. The results are amazing -- a depth of commentary and a tapestry of images that will require a dozen readings before I can begin to comprehend it, but intriguing enough that I bought a copy for my wife for Christmas as well. No folklorist should be without this work.

It is difficult to imagine a better version of the "Popol Vuh" than this one. It is literary, it is scholarly, and it is well written - by a man who knows his subject. It provides incredible insight into the world of the ancient Maya and their modern descendents.

If you're interested in Maya studies and you haven't read this book yet, then you haven't even gotten started. As time goes on it becomes more and more apparent that this book is our guide to understanding Maya iconography, and we are incredibly lucky to have a book like this available to us at all. To have such a well-done translation is almost too much to ask. Small wonder that other writers on the Maya simply cite this book as "Tedlock" - it's considered a foregone conclusion that you know which book is meant.

Now if only somebody could come up with a good English version of the "Chilam Balam." Are there any takers out there?

I cannot heap enough praises on this book. Bravo!
This book is an English edition of a transliteration into latin letters of the Popul Vuh: the sacred religious and wisdom text of the Maya. It was studied by Mayan leaders, and recited aloud to the people. Everyone knew the stories. In the original books, there were many glosses, anecdotes and images elaborating upon the text; and in this English edition, the author has provided us with just these same sorts of things, including beautiful mysterious Mayan art on nearly every page. I absolutely love Mayan civilization's artwork, architecture, script and it's greatest story; they appeal to me profoundly on a deep aesthetic level. Mayan civilization seemingly had so much mystery and excitement. They even had stadiums where thay watched sporting contests! This book opens up this whole civilization to us and allows us to get intimate with it. And, for those of us living in the Americas, this is the greatest work of literature of our greatest ancient civilization!!! It's human value is inestimable; and it still contains lots of wisdom for us, if we are willing to learn from it. It was the book of kings, and now it is ours!

This prize-winning translation of the Popol Vuh, the Mayan Bible, is the best one ever published. The translator not only knows the language but he is also a participant in the culture. His other books, "Days from a Dream Almanac" (poetry) and "Breath on the Mirror" (short stories)show his deeply poetic understanding of the culture. Now he has a new translation "Rabinal Achi," a Pre-Columbian Mayan play still performed today. These are mystical books that are also absolutely accurate.

We are offered an excellent translation of the classic Maya text. The imagery is vivid and memorable. The book transports us into the minds of ancients who created one of the most remarkable cultures on the planet.

For most readers, this could be a first introduction to the legends of the Maya. It is an excellent place to start, in my opinion. I also began here. Not being familiar with Maya languages or writing, I have less than zero idea if the translation is accurate, but it is no doubt poetic and beautiful, if more than a mite strange. It seems to me that the legends of other peoples, only dimly comprehended through veils of space and time, are bound to seem strange to us. What comes through is common humanity. Like many books in other parts of the world, the Popol Vuh was used for divinatory purposes as much as for simple reading. If you want to know about Judaism, would you read the Old Testament and figure you'd got it down ? Not likely. And for Islam, would you just read the Qur'an Sharif and feel satisfied ? No, you would need to read a lot of interpretation, a lot of history. The same will be true for the Popol Vuh. For those who are not experts, a lot of background knowledge is required. The Popol Vuh can be seen, to some degree, as a Bible of the Maya, or at least the Quiché Maya. I would say that reading this book will probably be unsatisfactory unless you have, or are going to get, a lot of background knowledge to go along with it.

Tedlock's book kicks off with an introductory section which enables the newcomer to the Maya world to understand the cultural and historical import of what he/she is about to read. The reader then launches into the text itself, and can make use of the final part--almost 100 pages of notes and comments on the text. A glossary at the back explains dozens of terms that appear in the text. There are excellent line drawings, two maps, and even black and white photographs which connect modern times to ancient. The vast number of names of individuals, tribes, gods, and places is hard to digest. Only a few readers who are not students of Maya culture or mythology will be able to read the central text without considerable difficulty. OK, reading the Popol Vuh is not easy, but it tells the Maya version of creation and provides a guide to their visions of what the world is and should be. When we remember that European missionaries burned all but a few of the Maya books, we should cherish all the more this survival, written down in Roman letters in early colonial times and skillfully translated by Tedlock.