Overview

The wonderful tales offered in this bilingual collection provide readers with a new set of living stories that give insight into the current traditional ways and daily habits of Guatemala’s Tz’utujil Maya people—traditions that are fast disappearing. Anthropologist James D. Sexton and Maya storyteller Pedro Cholotío Temó have worked together for more than fifty years, collaborating on seven previous books, including Mayan Folktales: Folklore from Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. Their latest collaboration, The Witch C’oxol: An Ancient Legend and Other Mayan Folktales, offers a wonderful bilingual story collection that is priceless in cultural content. Readers will encounter tales about the Mayan calendar and shapeshifting naguals and meet characters such as King Tecún Umán and his powerful witch C’oxol as well as the early Spaniards who deceived the Maya out of their gold and silver. Some stories reinforce cultural values such as cleverness and compassion, while others call for respectful conduct while hunting or visiting enchanted hills. The stories reinforce traditional beliefs, reflect much about the natural habitat, and encourage us to pay attention to our dreams.

Full Product Details

9780826368287

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Longtime readers of Sexton's collaborative work with Cholotío Temó will find this volume full of new stories told by a familiar voice, while those encountering Cholotío Temó's storytelling for the first time will be introduced to the powerful role that storytelling continues to play in Maya communities. With stories addressing everything from supernatural beings to recent hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic, this volume of stories underscores how we, to paraphrase the Zapatista slogan, truly inhabit a world of many worlds.""--Paul M. Worley, author of Telling and Being Told: Storytelling and Cultural Control in Contemporary Yukatek Maya Literatures ""The hills are alive with the sound of history! Five hundred years after Pedro Alvarado's invasion of Iximulew (Land of Maize, also known as Guatemala), these stories passed down from one generation to another show the durability and truths of traditional Maya oral history. This is a treasure trove of stories with insight into how communities sustain their world views across generations--and into the cosmic consequences for showing disrespect for community norms, social harmony, and environmental stewardship.""--Liza Grandia, author of Kernels of Resistance: Maize, Food Sovereignty, and Collective Power

Author Information

Pedro Cholotío Temó is the first principal of San Juan la Laguna on the shore of Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. James D. Sexton is a Regents’ Professor emeritus of anthropology at Northern Arizona University.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available