Xibalba
The K'iche' Maya underworld of the Popol Vuh, ruled by the lords One Death and Seven Death and defeated by the Hero Twins.
- Appears in
- Popol Vuh (K'iche' Maya, 16th century)
- Meaning
- Roughly 'place of fright'
- Rulers
- One Death and Seven Death (Hun Came, Vucub Came)
- Features
- Ballcourt; houses of trial (Dark, Jaguar, Bat, Razor...)
- Defeated by
- The Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque
What is Xibalba known for?
Xibalba is the underworld in the Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the K'iche' Maya of highland Guatemala. The name is usually translated as 'place of fright'. It is ruled by twelve lords, led by One Death and Seven Death, whose companions bring disease, starvation and other kinds of death.
In the Popol Vuh the lords summon ballplayers down to Xibalba and test them in a series of deadly houses: the Dark House, Razor House, Cold House, Jaguar House, Fire House and Bat House. They kill the father and uncle of the Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque. The twins then descend, survive every trial, play the lords at their ballcourt and finally trick and defeat them.
The surviving text was written down in the 16th century and copied around 1701 by the friar Francisco Ximénez. Some Maya groups pointed to caves, such as those near Cobán in Verapaz, as entrances to Xibalba.
The Hero Twins' defeat of the lords of Xibalba comes between the world's creations in the Popol Vuh.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holePopol Vuh
- PersonFrancisco Ximénez
- PersonHunahpu and Xbalanque (the Hero Twins)
Sources
- Wikipedia, 'Xibalba'Reference
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Popol Vuh'Reference
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