Resurrections

“Do not be afraid or timid. Dance! First you will do that dance in which you
sacrifice yourselves. Then burn down my home. Do everything that you know. We would
watch this, for it was the desire of our hearts that you be summoned. Because you are
poor orphans, we will pay whatever you ask as your price,” they were told.

Thus they began their songs and their dances, and all the Xibalbans came until the
place was overflowing with spectators. They danced everything. They danced the
Weasel. They danced the Whippoorwill. They danced the Armadillo.

Then the lord spoke to them:

“Sacrifice my dog, then revive him again,” they were told.

“All right,” they replied.

So they sacrificed his dog and then revived him once more. The dog was truly
happy when they revived him. He vigorously wagged his tail when they brought him
back to life.

Then the lord spoke again to them:

“Now you must surely burn my home,” they were told.

So then they burned the home of the lord. The house was overflowing with all the
lords, yet none were burned. Immediately it was restored again. Thus the home of One
Death was not lost after all.

All the lords marveled, therefore, and greatly rejoiced at their dances. The lord
thus spoke again to them:

“Now kill a person. Sacrifice him, but not so that he really dies,” they were told.

“Very well,” they said.

So they grabbed a person and sacrificed him. They extracted the heart of one of
them and placed it before the lords. Now One Death and Seven Death marveled at this,
for immediately that person was revived again by them. When he had been revived, his
heart greatly rejoiced. And again the lords marveled at it:

“Now sacrifice yourselves. We would see this. Truly it is the desire of our hearts
that you dance,” said again the lords.

“Very well then, O lord,” they replied.

So then they sacrificed themselves. Hunahpu was sacrificed by Xbalanque. Each
of his legs and arms was severed. His head was cut off and placed far away. His heart
was dug out and placed on a leaf. Now all these lords of Xibalba were drunk at the
sight, as Xbalanque went on dancing.

“Arise!” he said, and immediately he was brought back to life again. Now the
lords rejoiced greatly. One Death and Seven Death rejoiced as if they were the ones doing
it. They were so involved that it was as if they themselves were dancing.


- Popol Vuh