Brought to Xibalba

AT length the news of their dances came to the ears of the lords One Death and
Seven Death. And when they had heard of it, they said:

“Who are these two poor orphans? Is it truly delightful? Is it true that their
dancing and all that they do is beautiful?”

For the lords were delighted with the account when they heard it. Thus they
entreated their messengers to summon them to come:

“Say this to them: ‘May they come so that we may watch them, for we marvel at
them,’ say the lords.”

Thus the messengers went to the dancers and repeated the words of the lords to
them.

“We don’t want to, for in truth we are timid. We would be ashamed to enter into
such a lordly house! Our faces are truly ugly, and our eyes are just wide in poverty.
Don’t they see that we are merely dancers? What then would we say to our fellow
orphans? We have responsibilities. They also desire our dances, for they revive their
faces with us. It is not right that we should do the same with the lords. Therefore we do
not want to do this, O messengers,” said Hunahpu and Xbalanque.

But they were pestered, threatened with misfortune and pain. And so they went
with apprehension, for they didn’t want to be going any too soon. Many times they had
to be prodded because they just walked along slowly, making little progress, while the
messengers who brought them led the way to the lords.

AT length they arrived before the lords. They pretended to be humble,
prostrating themselves when they came. They humbled themselves, stooping over and
bowing. They hid themselves with rags, giving the appearance that they were truly just
poor orphans when they arrived. Then they were asked where their home mountain
was and who their people were. They were also asked about their mother and their
father:

“Where do you come from?” they were asked.

“We do not know, O lord. Neither do we know the faces of our mother or our
father. We were still small when they died,” they just said. They didn’t tell them
anything.

“Very well then. On with the spectacle. What do you want us to give you as
payment?” they were asked.

“We don’t want anything. Truly we are frightened,” they said again to the lord.

“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.


- Popol Vuh