again] with flute and with song, but you, try to control your laughter. Let the trial begin!" said Hunahpú and Xbalanqué.
Immediately they began again to play. Hunbatz and Hunchouén returned dancing, and came as far as the center of the court of the house[152] grimacing and provoking their grandmother to laughter, until finally she broke into loud laughter. They were really very amusing with their monkey faces, their broad bottoms, their narrow tails, and the hole of their stomach,[153] all of which made the old woman laugh.
Again the [elder brothers] went back to the woods. And Hunahpú and Xbalanqué said: "And now what shall we do, grandmother? We shall try once again, this third time."
They played the flute again, and the monkeys returned dancing. The grandmother contained her laughter. Then they went up over the kitchen; their eyes gave off a red light; they drew away and scrubbed their noses and frightened each other with the faces they made.
And as the grandmother saw all of this, she burst into violent laughter; and they did not see the faces [of the elder brothers] again because of the old woman's laughter.
"Only once more shall we call them, grandmother, so that they shall come for the fourth time," said the boys. They began again, then, to play the flute, but [their brothers] did not return the fourth time, instead they fled into the forest as quickly as they could.
The boys said to their grandmother: "We have done everything possible, dear grandmother; they came once, then we tried to call them again. But do not grieve, here we are, your grandchildren; you must look to us, oh, our mother! Oh, our grandmother! to remind you of our elder brothers, those who were called and have the names of Hunbatz and Hunchouén," said Hunahpú and Xbalanqué.
They were invoked by the musicians and singers, and by the old people. The painters and craftsmen also invoked them in days gone by.[154] But they were changed into animals and became monkeys because they became arrogant and abused their brothers.
In this way they were disgraced; this was their loss, in this way Hunbatz and Hunchouén were overcome and became animals. They had always lived in their home; they were musicians and singers and also did great things when they lived with their grandmother and with their mother.
[152] X-e ul chic u nicahal u va ha, literally, "they came to the edge of the house."
[153] U chi qui qux, literally, "the mouth of their stomachs."
[154] The painters and carvers of Yucatán invoked Hunchevén and Hunahau, who were the younger sons of Ixchel and Itzammá (a god and goddess whom the Maya of the peninsula venerated), according to Bishop Las Casas ("De los libros y de las tradiciones religiosas que había en Guatemala," Apologética Historia de las Indias, Chap. CCXXXV). Those younger sons—the chronicler says—were not gods but divine men. Their names are evidently those of the days of the Maya calendar, 1 Chuén and 1 Ahau. The reader will easily notice the similarity between the Quiché youths and the Maya demigods. Bishop Las Casas writes in this connection: "All the trained workmen like the painters, the workers in feathers, the carvers, silversmiths, and others like them, worshiped and made sacrifice to those younger sons called Hunchevén and Hunahau, so that they would grant them the talent and skill needed to do a finished, perfect piece of work.
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