The Popol Vuh is a Mayan holy book that is filled with mythical and legendary stories. It tells the creation story of the Maya, explaining how people, plants and animals all came into being. 

It recounts the story of a set of hero twins who journey to the underworld, who take part in a ceremonial ball game then are chastised for playing the game too noisily. It also explains how the great cities of the Maya were founded. 

The original document of the Popol Vuh was written down in the early 18th century by a Dominican friar who had it recited to him in the K'iche' language which he translated into Spanish. The stories in the Popol Vuh relate to scenes that can be viewed in ancient Mayan art such as pottery. 

The Popol Vuh is the only book we have for any of the ancient Mesoamerican cultures. Because we can read these stories, we have a window into the beliefs of the Mayan world. 

Step 1

You will listen to the Maya creation story below, which you can also read in transcript form. Once you have done so, you will be answering the following question:

What do we know about the beliefs of the Maya based on this one creation story from the Popol Vuh?

Step 2

On a piece of paper or in a word-processing document, create two columns. Title the left side "quotation" and the right side "belief."

For example, you will see that the story refers to "the nine levels of the Maya Underworld." Here you can tell that the Mayans believed in an underworld that has nine levels. 

You will need to determine at least five beliefs that the Maya held, in addition to the example provided. Each belief must be supported with a quotation. 

Step 3

Write a paragraph in which you answer the question stated above. Your topic sentence will sound something like, "Because of the existence of the Popol Vuh, we know that the ancient Maya believed blank, blank and blank."

Be sure to develop your ideas in a clear and logical manner. 

This will be marked according to the rubric below. 

You can read the transcript of the story below. 

Creation Story of the Maya