The Fourth Book brings us down to what is presumably history. We say
"presumably," because we have only the bare testimony of the "Popol
Vuh" to go upon. We can note therein the evolution of the Kiché
people from a comparatively simple and pastoral state of society to
a political condition of considerable complexity. This account of the
later periods is extremely confused, and as the names of many of the
Kiché monarchs are the same as those of the gods, it is often difficult
to discriminate between saga and history. Interminable conflicts are
the subject of most of this book, and by the time the transcriber
reached the twelfth chapter he seems to have tired of his labours
and to have made up his mind to conclude with a genealogical list of
the Kiché kings. He here traces the genealogies of the three royal
houses of Cavek, Nihaib, and Ahau-Kiché. The state of transition and
turmoil in which the country was for many years after the conquest
must have tended to the disappearance of native records of any kind,
and our author does not appear to have been as well versed in the
history of his country which immediately preceded his own time as he
was in her mythology and legends. According to a tradition recited by
Don Domingo Juarros in his "History of the Kingdom of Guatemala," the
Toltecs emigrated from the neighbourhood of Tula in Mexico by direction
of an oracle, in consequence of the great increase of population in
the reign of Nimaquiché, fifth King of the Toltecs. "In performing
this journey they expended many years and suffered extraordinary
hardships." Nimaquiché was succeeded by his son Aexopil, from whom
was descended Kicab Tanub, the contemporary of Montezuma II. This
does not at all agree with the "Popol Vuh" account.