Darwin's theory is that man descended from ape. But the Indians of ancient Mexico - Maya and Aztecs - believed that everything was the other way around.
According to the views of the Aztecs, due to the struggle of the gods, the world went through several cycles of creation - eras. Each was dominated by one of the main elements, which after a while caused a world catastrophe. The era of winds ended with a hurricane, the era of fire ended with fire, and the era of water ended with a flood. People died in cataclysms or turned into animals, after which the victorious god set about creating a new world.
gone With the Wind
The order and number of past eras differed in different versions of the legend. However, in many there was one curious moment. The era of winds (either the second or the third) ended with a devastating hurricane. People were blown away by the wind and turned … into monkeys. In colonial times, kinship with monkeys began to seem offensive to Europeans. So much so that the descendants of the local nobility tried to find an explanation for the myth.
“The third era was called Ekotonatiu, which means“Sun of the Wind”because this era ended from the wind, which was then so strong that it caused the fall of all houses and trees and even the destruction of rocks, and most of the people died; and since those who escaped from this natural disaster discovered a number of monkeys, which must have been carried by the wind from other places, they say that people turned into this kind of animals, from which this so false fable about monkeys was born, in the 17th century, the historian Don Fernando de Alva Ishtlilxochitl, the great-great-grandson of the Tezkok kings.
It is noteworthy that the educated mestizo did not question the reality of the cataclysm, but took up arms only against the myth of the monkeys. Later, Darwin's theory would not be to the taste of Victorian England, and even many "enlightened" people of our time.
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Clay, wood and maize
The Maya also had legends about creation, universal cataclysms, and about people who became monkeys. The epos "Popol-Vuh" reports that after the creation of the Earth, the gods seriously thought about who would honor them. Animals were not suitable for this purpose: they could not speak, pronounce the names of their creators. Demiurges needed more advanced beings.
After consulting, they made people out of clay, but this attempt was unsuccessful. The clay flesh was unstable and soft, blurring right before our eyes. The little men could neither move nor even stand upright. Their neck did not turn, their face was slanted to one side, their eyes were poorly seen. True, these creatures could speak, but they were completely unreasonable, moreover, incapable of reproduction. The gods, without delay, got rid of them and started a second attempt.
This time they took it more seriously, with rituals and spells. This is how people were created from wood. They "had no blood, no blood … no sweat, no fat," nor - far more important - a soul. They had weak limbs, rotten gut and impassive faces. But otherwise they were similar to modern people. The creatures quickly populated the earth and began to dominate it, forgetting about the main duty - worshiping the creators. In addition, evil, soulless pieces of wood managed to annoy everyone and everything: animals, birds, even household utensils!
Finally, the reckoning came. The gods, enraged by neglect, brought a flood down to the earth. He became a signal to others who were offended. The "pieces of wood" that survived the cataclysm were chased by wild animals, tree branches whipped them across their faces. Even in their homes, there was no escape. Everything blamed, presented them with its own account: pots, pans, domestic animals …
“You have done us a lot of wrong, ate us, and now we will get even with you,” said the poultry. “Why did you barely notice us, starve us? However, you always had a stick ready to hit us as you sat and ate. Now you will feel how many teeth are in our mouth! " - the dogs growled, rushing at them. Then the pans and pots started talking: “You have caused us suffering and pain. Our mouths are blackened with soot; you constantly put us on fire and burned us, as if we were not experiencing any torment. Now we will burn you! " And the stones of the hearth, huddled in a heap, rushed out of the fire right into their heads.
“Desperate wooden people ran as fast as they could; they wanted to climb the roofs of houses, but the houses fell and threw them to the ground; they wanted to climb the tops of the trees, but the trees shook them away from themselves; they wanted to hide in the caves, but the caves covered their faces.
This is how the second death of the created people, the created people, took place … They say that their descendants are those monkeys who now live in the forests,”- this is how the story of the wooden people ends.
The Mayan gods still managed to create people without flaws - from maize. But with a new attempt, they were in no hurry. For a long time, the earth was inhabited by monkeys and magical creatures - demigods.
Shame on older brothers
There are many legends about the deeds of the most famous pair of demigods, the twins Hunahpú and Xbalanca. Stories about their confrontation with giants and adventures in the underworld-Xibalba have become part of world culture. But the fact that the famous heroes had older half-brothers is much less known.
Their names were Hun-Baz and Hun-Chouen. Their father died in Xibalba, their mother died. Only grandmother Shmukane remained, who doted on her grandchildren.
When Hunahpu and Xbalanque were born, the older brothers were not happy. Out of jealousy, they began to do bad things to them: they threw the kids out of the house first on the anthill, then into the thistle, then into the thicket of the forest. The twins, however, did not take anything - the tests only tempered them. Over time, they turned into tough youths, but the brothers continued to bully them. The twins hunted all day, brought food into the house, but could not start eating until the elders were full. It is clear that they only got crumbs. Over time, Hun-Baz and Hun-Chouen became so insolent that they threw off all their work on the younger ones, and they themselves only had fun day after day. Finally, the twins got tired of it, and they decided to punish the arrogant.
Once Hunahpú and Xbalanque returned home without spoils. “We shot a lot of birds in the tree, but they got tangled in the branches,” they said. "If our older brothers so desire, then let them come with us and bring the birds down." Hung-baz and Hung-Chowen decided to help the younger ones - apparently they were hungry. They led them to a huge tree, in the crown of which many birds were entangled.
Hun-baz and Hun-Chowen began to climb up, but the tree grew taller and taller. The brothers got scared and wanted to go down, but could not do it. Then the younger ones advised them: “Loosen your loincloths, tie them tightly under the belly, leaving the long ends hanging, and pull them from below. In this way you can descend."
As soon as the fooled brothers did this, the ends of the bandages turned into tails, and they themselves turned into monkeys. They began to jump on the branches and grimace, but in the evening they nevertheless came to their senses and returned home. Seeing the eldest grandchildren in this form, the grandmother was very upset and began to beg Hunahpu and Xbalanque to return them to their former appearance. They agreed. They did not want evil to the brothers, they just wanted to teach them a lesson.
Grimacing, Hun-Baz and Hun-Chowen fled into the forest. The twins took out flutes and a drum and played a melody calling them. The monkey brothers soon appeared. They looked so amusing that the old woman laughed. The Charmed Ones disappeared.
Hunahpú and Xbalanque explained to their grandmother that it was under no circumstances to laugh. The only way to break the spell is by maintaining seriousness. They have only four attempts to turn monkeys back into humans, after which witchcraft will become irreversible. They have already used the first one.
The second time, the grandmother managed to hold out a little longer. The monkeys reached the yard, but with such antics that the old woman laughed again. The third attempt could have been successful. Grandmother held back her laughter for a long time, and the monkeys entered the house. Excited, they grimaced so much that Shmukane broke down and burst into loud laughter. The fourth time they did not respond at all and, disgraced, remained to live in the forests.
Maya to this day have not forgotten that monkeys are their brothers. Unlike their Aztec neighbors, they see nothing wrong with this. Who knows whose descendants these funny tailed animals are - evil wooden people or the artisans of Hun-Batz and Hun-Chouen?
Tatiana Plikhnevich