Some American Corn Gods 261 



first time Xmucane knew that her sons would never return to 

 her. But the First Mother was a woman of experience. She 

 shook her head when Xquiq told her by what manner she had 

 conceived. 



"In this world such things happen very differently. It could 

 only happen so with you if you are a magic-making person. 

 How can I tell that unless I see you make magic?" 



"Give me a basket/' said Xquiq. 



Xmucane put one into her hand. 



"Now come and see." 



Xquiq went out to a cleared place where maize was 

 planted, and to a single hill. From that one hill she picked 

 so many ears of maize that the basket was filled to overflow- 

 ing. Xmucane ran and threw her arms around her. 



"I know now that you speak the truth. And your son is the 

 son of my son." 



To appease the sorrow of Xmucane, Tepeu sent Xquiq 

 twin sons who carried on the tradition of their father and 

 uncle. They are the heroes of countless stories in the Popol 

 Vuh. They too had a magic way of making maize grow where 

 none had grown before. It was told of them, as of Quetzalcoatl 

 the embodiment of the Plumed Serpent, that in their time 

 the maize grew so tall and so strong that a single stalk was all 

 that a man could carry. 



One of Xquiq's sons was called Xbalanque, "Jaguar," in 

 honor of the beast which protected the maize by springing on 

 the deer who would have eaten the crop. In many ancient 

 Mexican carvings the jaguar is identified with the maize, as its 

 guardian. The frog was another animal which came in for spe- 

 cial honors on account of its supposed rain-making powers. 

 Frogs of gold and of jade have been found in many of the 

 buried temples and tombs. There was a frog of jade, weigh- 

 ing more than ten pounds, and sacred to Coatlicue, which 

 was part of the loot the Spaniards stole. This never reached 

 Spain as the caravel was sunk in the Caribbean. There, sup- 

 posedly, it still lies with other Mexican treasure. 



