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The Hero Twins and Xibalba

In short: In the K’iche’ Maya narrative, Hunahpu and Xbalanque descend to Xibalba. The ballgame brings them up against the same lords faced by the previous generation.

The Hero Twins and Xibalba · The twins’ trial in Xibalba FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 38 The Hero Twins and Xibalba In the K’iche’ Maya narrative, Hunahpu and Xbalanque descend to Xibalba. Origin Guatemala · K’iche’ Maya tradition Atlas record 1861 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF The twins’ trial in Xibalba Reach¹ 1/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 1 records · 1 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

Guatemala · K’iche’ Maya tradition

The ballgame is one of the threads that links generations in the Popol Vuh. Knowing the danger the earlier players faced changes how we read the twins’ game. The Atlas’s 1861 record opens Brasseur de Bourbourg’s Paris edition of the K’iche’ text with a French translation. The date belongs to that printed edition.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1861 · Guatemala · K’iche’ Maya tradition
    K’iche’ Maya · Popol Vuh · Brasseur de Bourbourg

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. The Hero Twins and Xibalba. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-hero-twins/