PDF (Lo-Res) - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

not one person has entered [the church]. The holy
church is locked tight. But the bell is a good one. It
is called a "None" bell.
Their efforts were all in vain. The priest was
condemned, too.
So, "Your crime is too great, Father. You are no
good. Why did you have to bring the woman along?
Women aren't supposed to watch everything." Because
women, then, the poor women mustn't come
close. The men, then, it is said, men can come close.
Women, no sir! Women are more . . . , worse,
colder. Men, then, are me—n! Don't you see, Our
Holy Father, then, he has a beard. Men have beards.
Women never have beards.
So that's why. The trouble there was that Zinacantan
lost a little, digging up the holy bell, then.
See how the holy people have been ever since!
Who knows if Our Ancient Mother wanted that.
Who knows if the holy fathers and holy mothers, at
the ciricuit of the Tutelary Gods, wanted it. Long
ago, then, the three shamans were just stupid. They
should have offered candles at the circuit of St.
Lawrence, the place of recovery, the place of revival,
where stands the sustainer, the protector.
Now what they did was to pray to Our Holy
Ancient Mother, Mary Muxul. They prayed to her.
She gave permission for the bell to be taken out. So
she was kind to Our Father, St. Lawrence. She was
kind to Our Father, St. Lawrence.
The trouble was, then, that the priest was at fault.
If his maid hadn't happened to go, it would have
been fine. The elders ... it was then that the famine
came, sir, when the famine came! Now they are a
tiny bit smarter. When you look, the people are in a
circle, some eat, some ....
When all the elders met, then, when they met at
the Church of the Martyr [St. Sebastian], then, they
were dressed up. They had their ceremonial shirts
and pants. They were well-prepared, Holy Mary!
Loads of gunpowder, rockets, mortars blasting off.
Who knows if Our Holy Ancient Mother wanted it,
the famine came. The elders went, elders like me.
They didn't take authority at all. They lost their
heads. They were dumbstruck.
The bell was hurt, that it didn't come out, [the
bell] that was dreamt about. "Well, you will receive
a little punishment, as I won't be installed. I should
have been seated next to Our Father, St. Lawrence. I
should have been seated there. We would have
watched over our children, our offspring, but now
you can wait!" said [the bell]. See how it still is
now—some have lice, and some are well-off.
Because Our Holy Ancient Mother was a little
heartbroken, the priest, then, died. His maid, then,
XUN VASKIS
Bweno, 76ra 7un, yech 7iyak' svokol 7un, 7ilaj ta
7utel tottik pale 7uk 7un.
7Entonse, "Toj tol 7amul, senyor pagre, mu xatun
k'u 7atun tal li 7antze, mu7nuk skotoluk sk'el 7antz."
Komo li 7antze che7e, mu xu7 xnopoj i povre
7antzetike, 7a li viniketike che7e, xnopoj vinik 7albil,
7antz, no senyor, mas i 7antze, mas peor, mas sik, 7a
li vinike che7e, vini—k, ma7n chavil 7a li
jch'ul-tottike che7e, 7oy yisim, 7oy yisim i vinike, 7a
li 7antze mu me bu yisim.
Bweno pwes, yech'o 7un, k'usi xa 7un Ie7e,
7ich'ay 7o j-set' ti Tzinakanta 7une, 7a ti jok' ti
ch'ul-kampanae che7e.
Bweno, 7aver k'u x7elan li ch'ul-krixchano k'al
tanae, jna7tik mi sk'an jyaya me7tike, jna7tik mi
sk'an i ch'ul-totil ch'ul-me7il ta sjoylebal ch'ul-totil
ch'ul-me7ile, 7a ti vo7ne che7e, komo sonso, 7ox-vo7
no 7ox j7ilol, 7a ti yechuke che7e, 7iyak' skantela ta
sjoyleb San-torenso buy kolebal kuxebal buy
j7ikvanej jjapivanej.
Bweno, 76ra Ie7e, ja7 7isk'opon i jch'ul-yaya
me7tik Maria Muxul, 7isk'opon 7iyak'be permiso
7ilok' i kampanae, ja7 tzk'uxubin 7o jtottik
San-torensoe, ja7 tzk'uxubin jtottik San-torensoe.
K'usi xa 7un, senyor pagre ja7 smul, ma batuk i
skiarae che7e, lek, 7a li moletike ja7 7o tal vi7nal to
7un, senyor, k'alal tal vi7nale, 7a lavile vivo xa 7unen
j-tz'uj k'al xavile te joyol li yajvale, j-lom chve7
j-lom...
Bweno, mi stzob sba skotol li moletike che7e, mi
stzob sba ta Martil che7e, tz'akiem 7oy svex skamixa
listo ta j-mek Maria Santisima, bwenos sibak kwete
kamaro yolel xa, jna7tik mi sk'an yech i jch'ul-yaya
me7tike che7e, 7ital vi7nal, 7ibat ti moletike, moletik
chak vo7on, mu spas mantal j-set', 7ich'aybat sjol,
majbat sjol.
Bweno, 7a li kampana 7une, k'ux ta yo7on ti muk'
xlok' 7une, 7ivaychinat 7o 7un. "Bweno, te
chavich'ik j-set'uk kastiko k'u cha7al mu chichoti,
chichoti ti yechuke, xchi7uk ti jtottik San-torensoe,
chichoti 7a li kalabtike jnich'nabtike, ta jk'eltik 7un,
pero H7e malaik 7ora!" xi 7un. Vi 7onox x7elan
7ikom H7e, j-lom yuch' 7oy, j-lom xu7 yu7un.
Bweno, 7a li jch'ul-yaya me7tike porke k'ux j-set'
ta yo7on, 7a li pale che7e, cham, 7a li skriara che7e,
97