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From the Quiche colonial chronicle, Title of the House of
Ixquin-Nehaib, comes a scene that heralds the contemporary
Jacaltec, Chorti, and Zinacantec legends. Gucumatz, a Quiche
chief, transformed himself into an eagle and plunged into the
ocean, where he remained briefly to prove to his soldiers that he
could conquer even the ocean (Recinos, 1957:80-81).
The contrast between the Zinacantecs riding home victoriously
on horseback while the soldiers carry their packs recalls
the lines from the Popol Vuh, "The towns fell and took up the
Once there was a man who went to the lowlands.
He was returning from the lowlands. He had many
mules. He unloaded them half way up the mountain.
He piled up all his packs there half way up the
mountain where he [was going to] sleep.
The man slept. And he ate contentedly before he
went to bed.
Now that night was coming he got very sea—red.
He shoo—k. He was qua—king now terribly.
"God, My Lord, what's going to happen to me
later on tonight?" he said.
He had a gun.
Well, he ate plenty before going to bed. He slept.
He slept in the midst of his packs. He lay his gun
down at his side when he went to bed.
Because he was tired he fell asleep. He slept. And
when he woke up there was a Spook squatting there
at the fireside eating. He had put aside some leftover
beans for the night, thinking he would eat them the
next day. When he woke up, the Spook was having a
good meal. He was squatting and eating happily.
"Oh, no! But what can I do about that?" said [the
man]. And quickly he picked up his gun. Quickly he
sent bullets whizzing after [the Spook].
The Spook's chest was well peppered with bullets.
Oh, the Spook fie—w off now. He went to the other
side of the mountain. The moon was very bright. It
was light. The man had seen where the Spook
landed.
When dawn came he went to look. He took up his
gun. We went, went to look. [The Spook] was
squatting in a gully. Squatting there in the gully, the
Spook was bandaging his chest.
When the man arrived carrying his gun, "Ooh,
don't kill me!" said the Spook. "Don't do that! I've
already been hit, but look at the size of the bullet
wounds," he said.
"What a bastard! Why shouldn't you be shot, you
bastard! Why did you come scaring me in the dark?
What are you looking for?" said the man.
"Well, if you want [me] to, I'll give you lots of
money, but not if you mean to kill me. Only if you let
ROMIN TERATOL 63
The Man Who Took the Spook's Wings
T125
tumpline .... And all the tribes took up the tumpline."
(Edmonson, 1971:236-237). Until recent times Indians in the
Chiapas highlands were forbidden to ride horseback. Even today
a mounted Indian is a somewhat unusual sight.
It is possible that this and other legends of wars with Guatemala
were kept alive by the Soconusco border dispute between
Mexico and Guatemala in the mid-nineteenth century, though
there is no evidence that Zinacantecs were involved. See also
T160 and notes.
Bweno, 7a ti vo7ne 7oy la jun vinik, 7i7ay ta 7olon
7osil, 7isut tal ta 7olon 7osil, 7ep ska7tak, 7isyales
yikatz ta 7o71ol vitz, 7a ti yikatztake 7islatzan skotol
te ta 7o71ol vitz yo7 bu vaye.
Bweno, 7ivay ti vinik 7une, 7i jun yo7on 7ive7
vayuk, 7islajes xchenek' 7i lek 7ive7 vayuk.
Bweno, ta la xi—7 ta j-mek ta la xni—k xt'elele—t
xa la ta j-mek ti 7och 7ak'ubal 7une.
Bweno, "Dyos kajval, k'usi van ta jpas tana?" xi
la.
Bweno, 7oy la jun stuk' 7un.
Bweno, lek la ve7 vayuk, 7ivay la, 7ivay ta 7o71ol
yikatz 7ismetzan vayuk stuk' ta xxokon.
Bweno, komo lubem 7une, 7ibat xch'ulel, 7ivay
7un 7i k'al 7iyul xch'ulel te xa xok'ol 7a li jun j7ik'al
ta xve7 ta ti7 k'ok', porke yu7un 7oy kom sovra
xchenek' snak'oj vayuk ta sti7 ta yok'omal ti yaloje,
k'al 7iyul xch'ulel 7une, lek xa chve7 li j7ik'ale, jun
xa yo7on xok'ol xve7.
Bweno, "Nombre, pero k'usi ta jnop Ie7 7une?" xi
la. 71 j-likel la 7istam i stuk' 7une, j-likel la sjisbe bala.
Bweno, 7a ti j7ik'al 7une lek la lambat bala te ta
sti7 yo7on 7un, jii, 7a ti j7ik'al 7une, xvili—1 xa la
ech'el 7un, 7ibat la ta j-jech vitz 7un, lek la ta j-mek
jch'ul-me7tik 7un, lek sak balamil 7un, yiloj ti bu k'ot
ti j7ik'al ti vinik 7une.
Bweno, ba la sk'el 7un ti sakub ti 7osil 7une, 7istam
ech'el stuk', 7ibat la 7un, ba la sk'el 7un, te la xok'ol
ta k'al be-o7 7un, te la xxok'et ta k'al be-o7 ta spoxta
sti7 yo7on ti j7ik'ale.
Bweno, k'alal stamoj k'otel stuk' ti vinik 7une,
"7Ay, mu xamilon 7un!" xi la ti j7ik'al 7un. "Mu
xamilon, mu xapas yech, 7ikich' xa li bala 7une pero
k'el avil sjamlej li yav balae," xi la.
"Ke kavron, k'u yu7un muk' xavich' bala, kavron,
k'u yu7un ba sibtason ta 7ak'ubaltik k'u chasa7?" xi la
ti vinik 7une.
"Bweno, mi xak'an che7e, chakak'be 7ep tak'in
pero mu ya7uk 7amilon 7un, 7a li ja7 no 7ox