Popol Vuh: A Sacred Book of the Maya

Product Description The Mayans have long fascinated modern readers with their complex written language, sophisticated mathematics, and advanced astronomy. In Guatemala in 1558, a young Mayan K’iche’ man transcribed what he called a sacred book that “we can no longer see.” This was the Popul Vuh, the Mayans' written account of the creation of the universe, the gods and demi-gods who occupied that universe, and the story of how man was created by them. Furthermore, it traced, generation by generation, the lineage of the Mayan lords down to their imprisonment and torture by the Spanish invaders. Considered the Mayan bible, the Popol Vuh appears here in an authoritative, gorgeously illustrated version by noted Maya anthropologist Victor Montejo, who has captured all the drama and excitement of one of the world’s great creation stories. Review [Popol Vuh] contains a rich array of creation myth, pourquoi stories, and trixster tales...Dramatically lit paintings by Luis Garay will engage curiosity...--Horn Book A beautifully designed book to be savored on its own or as a source for cultural or comparative studies.--School Library Journal About the Author Victor Montejo is a distinguished Zapotec Maya / Guatemalan anthropologist, author and professor in the Department of Native American Studies at the University of California at Davis who, after a very long period in exile, returned for a time to Guatemala to work for indigenous rights. He has also written White Flower: A Maya Princess / Blanca Flor: una princesa Maya for Groundwood. He lives in Davis, California. Luis Garay is a celebrated Nicaraguan illustrator who spent six months in Guatemala doing research for the illustrations in this book. He has also illustrated Jade and Iron, A Handful of Seeds, Cousins / Primas and Alfredito Flies Home / Alfredito regresa volando a su casa. One of the best young Latin American illustrators working today, Luis Garay now lives in Mexico. David Unger, originally from Guatemala, is a well-known translator, poet and novelist who lives in New York City.