There was once a young woman named Ixkik', daughter of Kuchuma Kik', a Lord of Xibalba. He was in charge of sickening the blood of people to make them die. One day, the young Ixkik' wanted to see the famous jícara tree. It was forbidden to taste its fruits for, among its branches, the head of Jun Junapu was hidden since the Lords of Xibalba had placed it there, after they defeated him and his brother.
Ixkik' approached the tree, looked at the gourds and asked herself: "What flavor will these fruits have? Will I die if I taste one?" "Do you want to try them?" A voice answered. Ixkik' searched among the branches who had spoken to her. It was the head of Jun Junapu! "Yes, I want to try," she said without panicking. "It's okay. Extend your right hand," the head replied and, seeing it, spat right into the girl's hand. When the maiden looked at the palm of her hand, the saliva had already disappeared.
Ixkik' returned home without knowing that two children were already growing in her womb... But after six months, when her father noticed her pregnancy, he asked her: "Whose son is the child you carry in your womb, daughter?""Nobody's, I have not met any man," Ixkik replied. Kuchuma Kik' did not believe her nor did the other Lords of Xibalba believe her. "We'll have to sacrifice her for a liar!" They exclaimed furiously.
Then they called the four owls messengers: "Bring us the heart of Ixkik' in a gourd shell," they demanded. This is how the owls took Ixkik' and the flint stone to sacrifice her. "Do not hurt me, I still must not die," Ixkik pleaded. "I did not do anything, the children I bear come from the magic of Jun Junapu's head. You should not put people to death because if you do, you will be the indecent ones."
"Okay," the four owls replied, "we do not want to kill you, but what will we bring to your father instead of your heart?" They asked. "Take him a false heart, use the sap of a tree," she said. The juice that sprouted from the tree was red like blood. It settled in the gourd shell and, when dried, it became round like a heart. The owls took it to Kuchuma Kik' to deceive him.
The Lords of Xibalba burned the heart of red sap and as the smell was so sweet and pleasant, they believed that Ixkik' had really died. That's how the maiden escaped from Xibalba!
Ixkik' walked to the house of Ixmukane, the mother of Jun Junajpu, and introduced herself to her: "Good morning, ma'am, I am your daughter-in-law," she said. "You are not my daughter-in-law," Ixmukané answered angrily. "My children Jun Junajpú and Wuqub Juanjpú have died in Xibalbá, so you can not carry any of their children. Now leave me alone, I live here with my two grandchildren and I am sad to have lost my children."
Ixkik' insisted so much that the grandmother told her: "So you are my daughter-in-law... We'll see that! Go to the milpa and fill this net with food to feed us all. Do not you dare to cut the corncobs or return without the net being full! " "It's fine," Ixkik replied and walked towards the field. When she arrived, she saw that there was only one milpa.
"How can I fill the net with so little corn?" the young woman asked herself, desperate.
But Ixkik' was very wise and her future children already had a lot of magic. She began to invoke the food keepers. She cut the only flower of corn, but she did not cut the corncobs, even so, the net was filled with a large quantity of corn corncobs! It was so full that Ixkik' did not have the strength to carry it. Then, the forest animals arrived and loaded the net to the corner of Ixmukane's house.
When Ixmukane left the house and saw the net full of food, she exclaimed: "Surely you have destroyed all the milpa to arrive with so much food! I'll go see what you've done," and they all walked to the cornfield: Ixkik', Ixmukane and two grandchildren Jun Batz' and Jun Chowen. When they arrived at the milpa, they saw it intact. "That's the magic of my grandchildren, the ones you carry in your belly. You really are my daughter-in-law! As of today, you are welcome in my house."
This way, Ixkik' found her destiny and was accepted by Ixmukane. Soon, she gave birth to two beautiful babies, two sons of Jun Junajpu, who were called Junajpu and Xbalamke. These two brothers had many wonderful adventures that you will soon know.
*The Popol Vuh is the National Book of Guatemala.
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