When I first expressed interest in the Popol Vuh, my partner got me several different translations. I began with the translation by Allen J. Christenson, as it was translated directly from the Quiche Maya language (missing the accented e on Quiche because I'm unsure how to add it on Arch). This translation is excellent, and he adds a lot of very useful footnotes that provide a significant amount of cultural context. It will be interesting to read through some of the other translations to see how things compare, but my thoughts as I wrap up this beautiful text:

1) It's really interesting to see Christenson discuss how often in the Quiche -> Spanish -> English translations, the Franciscan missionaries that translated the original manuscript into Spanish Christianized the text, inserting words like "demon" where the more apt translation would be "deceiver" or "trickster". I wonder how various (especially academic) interpretations of the text are skewed based on only perhaps having access to these translations that were first filtered through missionaries.

2) There seems to be a misconception that the Popol Vuh is a "world creation" myth. However, that really isn't the case. The original authors seem clear that this is specifically the origin story of the Quiche Maya. For example, when the Framer & Shaper, and the Sovereign & Quetzal Serpent framed and shaped the first actual humans (on the fifth and final attempt), these humans went to Tulan after long awaiting the dawn that never came. In Tulan, there were already people. Specifically, it's mentioned several times in the footnotes that it's speculated that the people present in Tulan were the great Toltec people.

3) There are some really interesting overlaps with Central Mexican "mythology", that I'd really like to explore more before speculating upon. I know that there aren't many Aztec texts in existence, at least as far as I'm aware, but if anyone has any recommendations for reading on this subject, I'd be very open to hearing about them.

#PopolVuh #QuicheMaya #MesoamericanHistory #Mesoamerican #LatinoHistory

#KamalaHarris claim about states #banning #teaching #Latinohistory relies on some flawed examples
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/aug/07/kamala-harris/kamala-harris-claim-about-states-banning-teaching/
#FactCheck #Arizona

"For the first production of its kind by a national commercial television network, several of California’s first Chicano Studies professors were recruited to examine history and culture from the Chicano perspective as well as to explore contemporary issues facing the Mexican American community."

Chicano I & II: The Mexican American Heritage Series

https://www.uschefnerarchive.com/chicano/

#MexicanAmericans #LatinoHistory #LatinxHistory #documentary #MexicanAmericanHistory

78 years ago, my grandfather Carlos spent Christmas Eve alone in London and my Uncle Ernest was in a cold camp in Belgium. They were about to see some horrible things. They survived. We’ll survive, too #ChristmasEve2022 #wwII #latino #latinohistory #axios #axioslatino

I am the Race and Justice Reporter at #Axios. I write about history and racism. Here's one:
The Underground Railroad to Mexico exposes a neglected history about the Black experience in the Americas. It's likely more enslaved Black people in the US escaped to Mexico than originally thought.
#undergroundrailroad #undergroundrailroadtomexico #blackhistory #history #latino #latinohistory #racism #slavery
https://www.axios.com/2022/02/08/underground-railroad-mexico-latinos-black-histoy