Deleted Chapter 11. The story of One Hun-Ahpú

Where the Hero Twins outwit the Lords of Death... and humanity receives the gift of cacao

Hun-Ahpú and Ixbalanqué, the Twin Heroes, depicted on a Maya vase. (Source: Wikipedia)

This was the original Chapter 11 of The Jaguar and the Cacao Tree. It continues the story that Don Francisco had begun at the end of Chapter 10.

Pulling up a wooden stool, Don Francisco settled in near the ceremonial circle. The fire in the center had died down to a pile of glowing embers, and the room hushed in expectation. He began the tale of Hun Hunahpú.

“At the beginning of Time, there was a great sea of fresh water and a sky above that had no sun and no stars. In the sky, there lived the four lightning bolt gods: the winged god of the tempest was named Hurakan, and the three deities he commanded were named Cakulha-Hurakan, Ch'ipi-Hurakan, and Raxa-Hurakan; together, they formed the Heart of the Sky divine being.

“In the sea, lived Grandfather god Itzamná and Grandmother goddess Ix Chel, who shaped the Earth and created human beings; they were the Heart of the Sea. They were made of light and were covered in quetzal and cotinga feathers. They had twin sons, Hun Hunahpú and Vucub Hunahpú, who were known as the Hero Twins. Oh, I should explain, ‘hun’ means ‘one’ and ‘vucub’ means ‘seven.’”

Max mouthed the words hun and vucub, trying to remember them.

“With his wife Xbakiyalo, Hun Hunahpú had two sons, Hunbatz and Hunchouen, known also as One Monkey and One Artisan, who were men of creative and artistic genius.

“These two brothers, Hun Hunahpú and Vucub Hunahpú, were great fans of the Ball Game, but their ball court was at the end of the Earth, in a place called the Great Abyss. They played with so much excitement that the noise began to annoy Hun Kame and Vucub Kame, the Lords of Death who ruled Xib'alb'a, the Underworld.”

“ ‘Kame’ means ‘death’,” Itzel whispered to Max.

“In Maya?”

“Well, in K'iche' Maya, not Itzà Maya.”

“The Lords of Death sent four owls to deliver a message to the two brothers: it was a challenge to a game of handball in Xib'alb'a. The brothers accepted, and traveled the path of the saq b'e, the White Road—or Milky Way as you say in America—to the great Crossroads, and then followed the Black Road, the Great Rift, to reach the Underworld.

“In Xib'alb'a, the brothers had to pass magical tests given them by the Lords of Death, before they could play the game of handball. One of the tests was that they had to spend the night in the House of Darkness, and keep their cigars lit all night. They failed this test, and for that the Lords of Death sacrificed them, and hung the head of Hun Hunahpú in a cacao tree.”

“A cacao tree??” Max turned to Itzel. She nodded, putting her index finger to her lips.