SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What did you find to be most surprising about the Popol Vuh?  Why?

The Popol Vuh is sometimes described as the Mayan Bible.  What are the most interesting similarities and differences between the Popol Vuh and the Biblical tradition?

How would you compare the Mayan creation story with others with which you are familiar?

How would you begin to compare and contrast the Popul Vuh with other stories we have read this semester?

Assess Hunahpu and Xbalanque as heroes.  How would you compare these Hero Twins to other such famous mythic partnerships, such as those between Gilgamesh and Enkidu or between Achilles and Patroclus?  What do Hunahpu and Xbalanque have in common with One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu?  How are they different?

What is most distinctive about the narrative structure of the Popul Vuh?

Where would you place humans within the Popul Vuh and within the Mayan cosmos?  How would you describe the relationship between humans and the gods?  Why and how are humans created?

What role do animals play in the Popol Vuh?

To what extent does the Popol Vuh teach ethical lessons?  What values and beliefs seem to be promoted?

What is the story of how the Popol Vuh as written text reached us in today's world?  How should this influence our interpretation of the text?

SOME EXTRA SOURCES