Brinton.] "14: [Nov. 4, 



terized by numerous lirrsh gutturals, by hissing sounds, and explosive or 

 "detonating" consonants, wliicli sti'ike most European ears disagreeably, 

 and in the alphabetic representation of ■which there is no uniformity 

 among authors.* 



The civilization of these people was such that they used various mne- 

 monic signs, approaching our alphabet, to record and recall their 

 mythology and history. Fragments, more or less complete, of these 

 traditions have been preserved. The most notable of these is the National 

 Legend of the Kiches of Guatemala, the so-called Popol VuJi. It was 

 Avritten at an unknown date in the Kiche dialect by a native who was 

 fiimiliar with the ancient records. A Spanish ti'anslation of it was made 

 early in the last century by a Spanish priest, Father Francisco Ximenez, 

 and was first published at Vienna, 1857. f In 1861 Ihe original text was 

 printed in Paris, with a French translation, by the care of the late emi- 

 nent Americanist, the Abbe Brasseur (de Bourbourg). This original 

 covers about 175 octavo pages, and is therefore highly important as a lin- 

 guistic as well as an archseological monument. 



Both these translations are justly open to criticism. It needs but 

 little study to see that they are both strongly colored by the view which 

 the respective translators entertained of the purpose of the original. Xime- 

 nez thought it was principaliy a satire of tlie devil on Christianity, and a 

 snare spread by him to entrap souls ; Brasseur believed it to be a history 

 of the ancient wars of the Kiches, and frequently carries his Euhemerism 

 so far as to distort the sense of the original. 



. "What has added to the difficulty of correcting these erroneous impres- 

 sions is the extreme paucity of material for studying the Kiche. A 

 grammar written by Ximenez has indeed been published, but no dic- 

 tionary is available, if we except a brief "Vocabulary of the Principal 

 Roots" of these dialects by the same author, Avliich is almost useless for 

 critical purposes. 



■ It is not surprising, tlierefore, that some Avriters have regarded this 

 legend with suspicion, and have spoken of it as but little better than a 

 late romance concocted by a shrewd native, who borrowed many of his in- 

 cidents from Christian teachings. Such an opinion will pass away when 



* After some liesitation I have adopted the orthography Kiche instead of the 

 more usual Quiche. The initial letter i« in fact neitlier k nor q, but a rough gut- 

 rtural represented by a peon liar letter in the manuscripts, and for the sound of 

 ■vvliich we have nothing to correspond in European alpliabets. Dr. Berendt 

 transliterated the name as Kiche; and apart from its Ijeing on the wliole more 

 correct, it prevents confusion M'ith tlie Qquichua of Peru. Kiche is a compound 

 ■oi kiy ov kij, much, many, and che trees. The orthography adopted by Mr. A. 

 F. Bandelier, and credited by liim to Dr. Berendt, to wit, QQuichei'Tiuelfh Annual 

 Report of the Peabody Museum, p. 620, note) was not used by Dr. Berendt, and 

 :sliould not be adopted, as it is witliout authority, and increases tlie liability 

 ■of confusion with tlie Peruvian language. 



'\ Las Hisiorias del Origendclos Iiulios de esta Provincia de GucUemala. Por el 

 R. P. F. Francisco Ximenez. 



