2 THE QUICHE STORY OF CREATION. 
of nature, they put forth their power without announce- 
ment of purpose, or words of approval. 
The Quiché Genesis continues: ‘‘ And the creation of 
the earth was after this wise: ‘Earth,’ they said, and 
on the instant it was formed. Then the mountains rose 
above the waters; in an instant the mountains and the 
plains were visible, and the cypress and the pine ap- 
peared. | 
‘‘ After this the earth was peopled with the various 
forms of animal life. On these the maker called ‘to 
speak our name, honor us as your mother and father.’ 
But the animals could not speak, they could only cluck 
and croak, each after his kind in a different way.”’ 
This displeased the creators and they said to the ani- 
mals: ‘‘ Inasmuch as ye cannot praise us, neither call 
upon our hames, ye shall be killed and eaten.”’ 
The account then relates that the gods took counsel 
together and determined tomake man. So they made 
the first man of clay. 
This, it seems, was a very imperfect and unsatisfac- 
tory man; so he was consumed in the waters. 
Again there was counsel in heaven; Let us make an 
intelligent being who shall adore and invoke us. So 
they made a man of wood anda woman of pith. The 
result in this case also was unsatisfactory. ‘‘They 
peopled the earth with sons and daughters, but they 
forgot their maker ; they led useless lives ; they lived 
as beasts live; they forgot the Heart of Heaven, 7.e., 
their creator. 
‘*Then was the Heart of Heaven wroth, and destroyed 
those ingrates with terrible destruction. He rained day 
and night upon them a thick resin. They went mad 
with terror. They tried to mount upon the roofs of 
their houses, and the houses fell; they tried to climb 
the trees, and the trees shook them off far from their 
branches. They tried to hide in caves and dens of the 
6 
