The Annals of the CakchiquelsArana Xajilá, Francisco Hernández
History
The Annals of the Cakchiquels
Arana Xajilá, Francisco Hernández
Cakchikel Indians; Cakchikel literature; Guatemala -- History -- To 1821
5. “And now is brought forth the Obsidian Stone by the precious
Xibalbay, the glorious Xibalbay, and man is made by the Maker, the
Creator; the Obsidian Stone was his sustainer, when man was made in
misery, and when man was formed; he was fed with wood, he was fed
with leaves; he wished only the earth; he could not speak, he could
not walk; he had no blood, he had no flesh; so say our fathers, our
ancestors, oh you my sons. Nothing was found to feed him; at length
something was found to feed him. Two brutes knew that there was
food in the place called Paxil, where these brutes were, the Coyote
and the Crow by name. Even in the refuse of maize it was found,
when the brute Coyote was killed as he was separating his maize,
and was searching for bread to knead, (killed) by the brute Tiuh
Tiuh by name; and the blood of the serpent and the tapir was
brought from within the sea by means of Tiuh Tiuh, with which the
maize was to be kneaded; the flesh of man was formed of it by the
Maker, the Creator; and well did they, the Maker and the Creator,
know him who was born, him who was begotten; they made man as he
was made, they formed man as they made him, so they tell. There
were thirteen men, fourteen women; they talked, they walked, they
had blood, they had flesh. They married, and one had two wives.
Therefore the race copulated, this race of old, as they tell, oh
our sons. They brought forth daughters, they brought forth sons,
those first men. Thus men were made, and thus the Obsidian Stone
was made, for the enclosure of Tullan; thus we came to where the
Zotzils were at the gates of Tullan; arriving we were born, coming
we were produced, coming we gave the tribute, in the darkness, in
the night, oh our sons.” Thus spoke Gagavitz and Zactecauh, oh my
sons, and what they said has not been forgotten. They are our great
ancestors; these are the words with which they encouraged us of
old.
6. Tok xoh pixabax [c]a pe ruma ka tee ka tata oxlahu [c]hob [c]a
vukama[t] oxlahu [c]hob [c]a ahlabal ok xohpe pa Tullan chi [t]ekum chi
a[t]a ok xya pe ri kikan, tok xu[c]am rikan vuk ama[t] ahlabal, xoh
chole na chu xocou [c]a Tullan x[c]ohe viri vuk ama[t]: chiriki[t]a [c]a
Tullan x[c]ohe viri xcholevi ahlabal. Nabey na xu[c]am rikan vuk ama[t],
[c]ate [c]a xu[c]am chic rikan ahlabal. Xa[c]a ruyon xit puak
[t]u[t]uraxon [c]ubul chactit ru[c]in [c]a [c,]ibanic [c]otonic, qui
yanic xul, bix, [c]hol [t]ih, may [t]ih, pek cacouh, xa ruyon [t]inomal
xrikah pe pa Tullan a[c]a ri ahlabal xa ruyon [c]ha pocob xa çeteçic
chee xa [t]iom ah rikan ok xpe pa Tulla.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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