Terms, Contexts and Meanings of the Blood and Sacrifice in the Popol Vuh

Abstract

. In the Popol Vuh, the words for “blood” are kik’ and koma’j and the principal sacrificial acts are self-sacrifice, derived from the verbal root t’is, and human sacrifice, pus. Meanwhile the self-sacrifice has the property of awakening and renewing the gods, the sacrifice pus can activate their reanimation. The myth also establishes that the sacrifice pus, as well as heart and pure blood, cannot be for the benefit of the Lords of Xib’alb’a. The offerings for the Underworld must be assets of low value, and more specifically, fake blood, like tree sap, called kik’ jolomax, probably a metaphor for women’s bleeding during the menstrual cycle. With regard to ball game, which cannot be a prerogative of Xib’alb’a either, the examination of the episodes where the terms chaaj ("ball" and "play ball") and kik’ ("ball") are mentioned demonstrates that both terms are synonymous, since they are metonymic of the sacrifice.