There were, then, the Nim-Chocoh of those of Cavec,[432] the Nim-Chocoh of those of Nihaib, who was second, and the Nim-Chocoh-Ahau of the Ahau-Quiché, who was third. Each one of the three Chocoh represented his family.
And this was the life of the Quiché, because no longer can be seen [the book of the Popol Vuh] which the kings had in olden times,[433] for it has disappeared.
In this manner, then, all the people of the Quiché, which is called Santa Cruz,[434] came to an end.
[430] Queheri e cahauixel rumal ronohel ahauab Quiché. The Nim-Chocoh (Great Chosen or Great Counsellors) were the dignitaries charged with proclaiming and executing the decisions of the government. E alanel, "those who give birth," the text calls them.
[431] E alanel, e u chuch tzih e u cahau tzih, literally, "those who proclaim the word of the mothers, the word of the fathers."
[432] Ximénez, in his translation, supplies this line omitted in the original, surely through an error made in the transcription from the Quiché text.
[433] The sentence from this place in the original is as follows: rumal mahabi chi ilbal re qo nabe oher cumal ahauab, and is evidently garbled. It is easily completed, however, by comparing it with two other sentences of the text, one from the preamble which says: rumal ma-habi chic ilbal re Popo Vuh, and one from Chapter 11 of Part IV which reads: Xax qu'etaam vi qo cut ilbal re, qo vuh, Popol Vuh u bi cumal. The author ends his work by explaining again that he had to write it because the ancient book no longer exists in which the kings read the past and the future of their people.
[434] As has been said in another place, it was Bishop Marroquín who baptized with the name of Santa Cruz the Spanish city which replaced the ancient Quiché capital.
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