Mayan

During the Early Classic period when the original Popul Vuh was made, the Quiche people wrote their hieroglyphic texts on pottery, plaster, and paper. Carving messages into stone was done in this period as well (Tedlock, p.22). These methods not only helped to preserve and remember Mayan culture, but served as an art form in itself through the use of their word pictures. As time passed by, the act of carving their texts into major monuments became the norm, however, this declined during the Postclassical period leaving the writing on walls and on pages to be the major thing to do (Tedlock, p.23). The political event that caused a new version of the Popul Vuh to be made was the European invasion that occurred during the sixteenth century. The Europeans used methods of force including weapons and gunpowder to coax people into doing as they wished. Missionaries burned the Mayan hieroglyphic books in an attempt to force their own writings and culture upon the people (Tedlock, p.25). Ironically, these political events that tried to weaken the Mayan culture only acted as a catalyst in forcing the Quiche people to develop new methods of preserving their culture. This need for the conservation of their literature resulted in the later alphabetic text of the Popul Vuh that was made possible through the learning of the Roman alphabet. The authors of the alphabetical version chose to remain anonymous but left clues that they were matchmakers (Tedlock, p.57). The fact that they chose not to be mentioned may seem somewhat odd, however by looking at the circumstances they were in during this part in history we find clues about their choice. Many believed that the missionaries destroyed the original book of the Popul Vuh yet the new version's authors remaining anonymous suggested that the original still exists and they were trying to protect it and themselves as well(Tedlock, p.30). This new version of the text greatly strengthened the Mayan culture by allowing them to share a common myth and carry it on.