Jun 11
Unearthing the Mayan Creation Myth
Researchers find that the tale of the "Hero Twins" goes back more than 2,000 years.
Archaeologists who have uncovered two massive carved stucco panels in the Mirador Basin of GuaÂtemalaâ??s northern rain forest say they are the earliest known representation of the Mayan creation myth, predating other such artifacts by a millennium. According to the researchers, the panelsâ??26 feet long and 20 feet high, with images of monsters, gods, and swimming heroesâ??date to 300 B.C. They formed the sides of a channel that carried rainwater into a complex system of stepped pools, where it was stored for drinking and agriculture.
Idaho State University archaeologist Richard Hansen, who is directing the ongoing excavation, says that the panelsâ?? carved images depict an important scene from the Popol Vuh, a text of the Mayan myth that was first recorded in the 16th century. In the part of the story shown, the Hero Twins swim through the underworld after retrieving the head of their father, the deity Hun Hunahpu...
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