Sample Paintings

Journey to the Polpol-Vuh

The Spanish Conquest of Yucatan would prove to be a devastating war where individual tribes and groups of Mayans fought over 170 years against the invading Spaniards. The Spanish who valued the Yucatan for its precious stones and metals would find that the land contained very small amounts of these resources.

The Spanish killed tens of thousands of the occupying Maya who tried very hard to preserve their culture from the invading Spanish. The last known Mayan written version of the Popol-Vuh, the Mayan story of creation, was maintained by the Maya until the late 17th century.

At that time the Spanish church and Spanish officials destroyed the original Mayan literature, including the Popol-Vuh, written by Maya. The Spanish allowed a reprint of Mayan work but was in the language of Quichen and was version approved by Spanish Christian missionaries. 

Original stories from the Popol-Vuh were still taught by Mayan descendants but were passed down through generations by word of mouth. 

These ethno historical stories are a form of oral literature that has been passed down to me from my Mayan descending grandmother in an attempt to keep our culture alive.