ACKERMANAt a glance
History, context & interpretation
The text and its story
Creation myths and the adventures of the Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, who defeat the lords of the underworld Xibalba in a ball game. It ends with the K'iche' royal genealogy.
Traditional attribution
The sacred council book of the K'iche' people.
Historical scholarship
Written by anonymous K'iche' nobles; survives in a copy by the friar Francisco Ximénez (c. 1701).
Context and curiosity
Scenes of the Hero Twins appear on Classic Maya pottery from over 1,000 years earlier.
Chronology and transmission
This text belongs to The Americas (K'iche' Maya (Guatemala)). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 1554–1558 CE (myths far older) and original language or script as K'iche' Maya (Latin script). The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.
Sources and further reading
Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.
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