Diego Rivera (1886–1957).
“The Creation.” Illustration for the Popul Vuh, ca. 1931.
Watercolor and gouache on paper.
Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (20)
©Banco de México Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo Museums Trust
Maya Story of the Creation
The Popol Vuh recounts the religious beliefs and legends of the ancient Quiché Maya, who inhabited the highlands of Guatemala. Probably originally recited, the text is thought to have been set down first in hieroglyphic form by indigenous writers in the 1550s, at the request of a Jesuit priest. In the 1930s, Mexican artist Diego Rivera, long a champion of indigenous people, was commissioned to create illustrations for an English translation of the Popol Vuh. The story begins with an account of the creation of the world. In the center of this image are fully formed figures, as well as two stiff awkward human-like forms, suggesting the three successive attempts to fashion human beings.