After this catastrophe, ere yet the earth was quite recovered from
the wrath of the gods, there existed a man "full of pride," whose name
was Vukub-Cakix. The name signifies "Seven-times-the-colour-of-fire,"
or "Very brilliant," and was justified by the fact that its owner's
eyes were of silver, his teeth of emerald, and other parts of his
anatomy of precious metals. In his own opinion Vukub-Cakix's existence
rendered unnecessary that of the sun and the moon, and this egoism
so disgusted the gods that they resolved upon his overthrow. His two
sons, Zipacna and Cabrakan (earth-heaper [4] (?) and earthquake),
were daily employed, the one in heaping up mountains, and the
other in demolishing them, and these also incurred the wrath of
the immortals. Shortly after the decision of the deities the twin
hero-gods Hun-Ahpu and Xbalanque came to earth with the intention of
chastising the arrogance of Vukub-Cakix and his progeny.
Now Vukub-Cakix had a great tree of the variety known in Central
America as "nanze" or "tapal," bearing a fruit round, yellow, and
aromatic, and upon this fruit he depended for his daily sustenance. One
day on going to partake of it for his morning meal he mounted to
its summit in order to espy the choicest fruits, when to his great
indignation he discovered that Hun-Ahpu and Xbalanque had been before
him, and had almost denuded the tree of its produce. The hero-gods,
who lay concealed within the foliage, now added injury to theft by
hurling at Vukub-Cakix a dart from a blow-pipe, which had the effect
of precipitating him from the summit of the tree to the earth. He
arose in great wrath, bleeding profusely from a severe wound in the
jaw. Hun-Ahpu then threw himself upon Vukub-Cakix, who in terrible
anger seized the god by the arm and wrenched it from the body. He then
proceeded to his dwelling, where he was met and anxiously interrogated
by his spouse Chimalmat. Tortured by the pain in his teeth and jaw he,
in an excess of spite, hung Hun-Ahpu's arm over a blazing fire, and
then threw himself down to bemoan his injuries, consoling himself,
however, with the idea that he had adequately avenged himself upon
the interlopers who had dared to disturb his peace.
But Hun-Ahpu and Xbalanque were in no mind that he should escape
so easily, and the recovery of Hun-Ahpu's arm must be made at all
hazards. With this end in view they consulted two venerable beings
in whom we readily recognise the father-mother divinities, Xpiyacoc
and Xmucane4, disguised for the nonce as sorcerers. These personages
accompanied Hun-Ahpu and Xbalanque to the abode of Vukub-Cakix, whom
they found in a state of intense agony. The ancients persuaded him
to be operated upon in order to relieve his sufferings, and for his
glittering teeth they substituted grains of maize. Next they removed
his eyes of emerald, upon which his death speedily followed, as did
that of his wife Chimalmat. Hun-Ahpu's arm was recovered, re-affixed
to his shoulder, and all ended satisfactorily for the hero-gods.
But their mission was not yet complete. The sons of Vukub-Cakix,
Zipacna and Cabrakan, remained to be accounted for. Zipacna consented,
at the entreaty of four hundred youths, incited by the hero-gods,
to assist them in transporting a huge tree which was destined for the
roof-tree of a house they were building. Whilst assisting them he was
beguiled by them into entering a great ditch which they had dug for the
purpose of destroying him, and when once he descended was overwhelmed
by tree-trunks by his treacherous acquaintances, who imagined him
to be slain. But he took refuge in a side-tunnel of the excavation,
cut off his hair and nails for the ants to carry up to his enemies as
a sign of his death, waited until the youths had become intoxicated
with pulque because of joy at his supposed demise, and then, emerging
from the pit, shook the house that the youths had built over his body
about their heads, so that all were destroyed in its ruins.
But Hun-Ahpu and Xbalanque were grieved that the four hundred
had perished, and laid a more efficacious trap for Zipacna. The
mountain-bearer, carrying the mountains by night, sought his
sustenance by day by the shore of the river, where he lived upon
fish and crabs. The hero-gods constructed an artificial crab which
they placed in a cavern at the bottom of a deep ravine. The hungry
titan descended to the cave, which he entered on all-fours. But a
neighbouring mountain had been undermined by the divine brothers,
and its bulk was cast upon him. Thus at the foot of Mount Meavan
perished the proud "Mountain Maker," whose corpse was turned into
stone by the catastrophe.
Of the family of boasters only Cabrakan remained. Discovered by the
hero-gods at his favourite pastime of overturning the hills, they
enticed him in an easterly direction, challenging him to overthrow a
particularly high mountain. On the way they shot a bird with their
blow-pipes, and poisoned it with earth. This they gave to Cabrakan
to eat. After partaking of the poisoned fare his strength deserted
him, and failing to move the mountain he was bound and buried by the
victorious hero-gods.