Afterwork: The border.

Mayan creation myth:

“Heart-of-the-Earth-and-Sky” is from a book called Beginnings: Earth, Sky, Life, Death.

Heart-of-the-Earth-and-Sky is a beautifully told myth, beginning as many creations myths do, with emptiness. The earth was hidden; there was nothing but sea and sky. Then the god Heart-of-the Earth-and-Sky appeared and called on the earth to come forth and the land was there. He finished creating the world, but the first sunrise had not come (a recurring theme). He made all the creatures large and small and then assigned them places and ways to live. Heart-of-the-Earth-and-Sky wanted the animals to praise him and to thank him for giving him life. But, they could not, and so he told them they would not be the ones to rule the earth. And still the first sunrise had not come.

Then he made clay men. They were disappointing, so he melted them with rain into puddles, and the first race of men disappeared. He tried again with wooden men. They had life, but no minds. They were a terrible disappointment. He had to destroy them and had the help of others—the dogs, the millstones, the pots and dishes. All joined willingly in the attack on the wooden men—biting them, grinding them, beating them—until they were destroyed. Only a few managed to escape to the trees and remain as monkeys.

Again Heart-of-the-Earth-and Sky tried to make men. This time he called upon four other gods to help him. They all said that man must be made of the greatest of all plants—corn. Messengers were sent to bring back the finest corn—both yellow and white—which were made into yellow and white meal. Half of the meal was mixed together with water and shaped into four men. The other half of the meal was mixed with water and boiled until it became a rich broth and this was fed to the four corn men.

These men were wise, noble and could think. They thanked Heart-of-the-Earth-and-Sky for their gifts and for their lives. But he still was not pleased. These men were too wise. He realized that they saw all things and could grow too powerful. He breathed a veil before the eyes of these men, so that they saw only that which was before them. Then he caused them to sleep and while they slept, he created four women for them. When they awoke they did not even remember they had lost much knowledge and together the four first men and the four first women watched the first sunrise on earth.



`lns