Popol Vuh
by Dennis Tedlock

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Dark Jaguar Character Analysis

Dark Jaguar is the fourth man that Xmucane and Sovereign Plumed Serpent create out of corn. Though they also make him a wife, Macaw House, the couple only has daughters and therefore do not found a lasting family line. Dark Jaguar is somewhat of an auxiliary figure to the first four men; though he participates in the fight against the unnamed tribes, he doesn't design a trick cloak and is only mentioned as participating in some of the meetings. Similarly, though his family is given the god Middle of the Plain, their god is never mentioned again after being given to the family.

Dark Jaguar Quotes in Popol Vuh

The Popol Vuh quotes below are all either spoken by Dark Jaguar or refer to Dark Jaguar. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
).

Part Four Quotes

It was staples alone that made up their flesh.

Related Characters: Xmucane, Dark Jaguar, Not Right Now, Jaguar Night, Jaguar Quitze, Sovereign Plumed Serpent
Related Symbols: Corn
Page Number and Citation: 146
Explanation and Analysis:
After the narrator explains how Xmucane and Sovereign Plumed Serpent created humans, they stress the fact that humans were created out of staple foods, especially corn. This first reinforces the intended connection between humans and the land—and one of the major reasons the gods wanted to create humans in the first place was to care for the land, which the humans would do by cultivating crops. In this way, the text creates a very visible connection between humans and the land by creating humans out of what will eventually be the thing that keeps them alive. Then, the creation of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo mi

"What should we do with them now? Their vision should at least reach nearby, they should see at least a small part of the face of the earth, but what they're saying isn't good. Aren't they merely 'works' and 'designs' in their very names? Yet they'll become as great as gods, unless they procreate, proliferate at the sowing, the dawning, unless they increase."

Related Characters: Hurricane (speaker), Sovereign Plumed Serpent (speaker), Xmucane (speaker), Jaguar Night, Dark Jaguar, Not Right Now, Jaguar Quitze
Page Number and Citation: 148
Explanation and Analysis:
After the gods create the first four humans, they realize that the humans are flawed because they see and know too much. This would allow them to become divine themselves. With this assessment, the story begins to consider the differences between men and gods. It again reinforces the purposes of humans (to procreate, to praise the gods, and to care for the land), activities that the gods themselves are exempt from for the most part. This also drives home the fact that humans were created, rather than just existing like the gods do. Thus, by thinking about the purpose of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo mi

They were blinded as the face of a mirror is breathed upon. Their vision flickered. Now it was only from close up that they could see what was there with any clarity.

And such was the loss of the means of understanding, along with the means of knowing everything, by the four humans.

Related Characters: Jaguar Quitze, Sovereign Plumed Serpent, Hurricane, Xmucane, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Page Number and Citation: 148
Explanation and Analysis:
In order to fix the problem of their too-perfect humans, the gods partially blind the first four humans, robbing them of their intense knowledge and sight. By blinding the humans, the gods assert a fourth important quality of humans: that the state of being human is a state of seeking and not knowing. Taking away the humans' sight and understanding means that the first four men will spend their entire lives searching for meaning and knowledge in their world. Though the Popol Vuh itself is a tool to combat this loss of sight and understanding, it can't entirely restore full Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa

There were countless peoples, but there was just one dawn for all tribes.

Related Characters: Xbalanque, Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar, Hunahpu
Page Number and Citation: 161
Explanation and Analysis:
After the tribes spend an unspecified amount of time traveling, praying for the sun, and multiplying, the sun finally rises. When it does, it reminds the reader again that the different storylines in the different sections of the Popol Vuh overlap, reinforcing the idea that history is experienced differently by different people. For Hunahpu and Xbalanque, their experience of the first sunrise is of ascending into the sky after defeating the Xibalbans and attempting to put Seven Hunahpu back together, while for the first humans, the sunrise comes after, presumably, many years of traveling and waiting. This also makes it Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis.

"It's just a coyote crying out," and "Just a fox."

"Just a puma. Just a jaguar."

In the minds of all the tribes, it was as if humans weren't involved. They did it just as a way of decoying the tribes; that was what their hearts desired.

Related Characters: The Tribes (speaker), Hacauitz, Dark Jaguar, Auilix, Tohil, Not Right Now, Jaguar Night, Jaguar Quitze
Page Number and Citation: 164
Explanation and Analysis:
After Tohil cautions the first four men that the unnamed other tribes will try to hunt him, Auilix, and Hacauitz down and destroy them, he instructs the men to begin playing a trick on the tribes. The first four men impersonate predators in order to scare them. When the tribes refuse to acknowledge that the predators they hear are anything but animals, it shows that they're acting very much like Seven Macaw did. They're magnifying themselves and appear to believe that they're too important and powerful to be taken down by the first four men, who are characterized as being Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Ex

These three had sons, but Dark Jaguar had no son. They were all true penitents and sacrificers, and these are the name of their sons, with whom they left instructions.

Related Characters: Jaguar Quitze, Not Right Now, Jaguar Night, Dark Jaguar
Page Number and Citation: 174
Explanation and Analysis:
As Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, and Dark Jaguar prepare to leave their families and die, the narrator records the names of the sons of the first three. However, because Dark Jaguar doesn't have any sons, he becomes a much less important figure, and his family disappears through the rest of the text. This shows again that Mayan lineages are traced through male lines, as One Hunahpu explained when he impregnated Blood Moon. Like One Hunahpu, Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, and Not Right Now are able to live on and be remembered because they have sons specifically. This Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam

Part Five Quotes

Whether there would be death, or whether there would be famine, or whether quarrels would occur, they knew it for certain, since there was a place to see it, there was a book. Council Book was their name for it.

Related Characters: Jaguar Quitze, Not Right Now, Jaguar Night, Dark Jaguar
Page Number and Citation: 192
Explanation and Analysis:
The narrator recounts how the great lords, all descendants of the first four men, knew how to properly govern. Those lords were great because they dedicated a great deal of time and energy to studying the Council Book, which is the name the Mayans use to refer to the Popol Vuh itself. This draws on the fact that the Popol Vuh is a narrative version of the Mayan calendar. One familiar with the Mayan calendar could use the Popol Vuh to track celestial events, as each character corresponds to a star or other celestial body, and their interactions with other Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut o

They were great in their own being and observed great fasts. As a way of cherishing their buildings and cherishing their lordship, they fasted for long periods, they did penance before their gods.

Related Characters: Jaguar Quitze, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar, Jaguar Night
Page Number and Citation: 192
Explanation and Analysis:
The narrator continues the explanation of the ancient Quiché leaders. In this passage, however, the narrator begins to consider the way in which being great humans to begin with in turn made those lords great leaders. When the lords observe the fasts and do penance before the gods, it shows that they're truly embodying the qualities of perfect men. Creating beings who would revere their creators was one of the primary concerns when Sovereign Plumed Serpent was attempting to first make humans, and these humans are proof that the gods were successful in their endeavor. Further, these perfect humans function Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provid

Three Deer and Nine Dog, in the twelfth generation of lords...They were tortured by the Castilian people.

Black Butterfly and Tepepul were tributary to the Castilian people. They had already been begotten as the thirteenth generation of lords.

Don Juan de Rojas and Don Juan Cortés, in the fourteenth generation of lords. They are the sons of Black Butterfly and Tepepul.

Related Characters: Jaguar Quitze, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar, Jaguar Night
Page Number and Citation: 195
Explanation and Analysis:
As the narrator lists generations of lords from the different houses, they inevitably reach the point in time when the Spanish invaded Mesoamerica and conquered the Mayan peoples. By including this event and these people in this version of the Popol Vuh, the narrators commit this atrocity to memory and ensure that these sacrificed individuals won't be forgotten by future generations. This also reinforces the importance of the text itself. The Spanish tortured the Mayans in order to assert their dominance and spread Christianity, while also taking action to stamp out as much local religion as they possibly could. This Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut
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Dark Jaguar Character Timeline in Popol Vuh

The timeline below shows where the character Dark Jaguar appears in Popol Vuh. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part Four
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
What It Means to be Human Theme Icon
The first four humans are named Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, and Dark Jaguar . These men talk, listen, walk, and work. They're also handsome, and from the very... (full context)
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
What It Means to be Human Theme Icon
...Prawn House for Jaguar Night; Water Hummingbird for Not Right Now; and Macaw House for Dark Jaguar . The narrator says that these four couples make up the root of the Mayan... (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
...praise Sovereign Plumed Serpent and fast often. Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, and Dark Jaguar are great thinkers and are very devout, and they suggest that their families set out... (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
What It Means to be Human Theme Icon
The families of Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, and Dark Jaguar travel to a citadel called Seven Canyons. There, Jaguar Quitze's house is given the god... (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
After this, Tohil speaks to Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, and Dark Jaguar and tells them that it's time to leave this place. The god asks the men... (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
Finally, Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, and Dark Jaguar notice the "sun carrier" (the star Venus) rising in the sky. They unwrap their incense... (full context)
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
...Tohil drinks the blood and speaks. Soon, Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, and Dark Jaguar begin making the sounds of pumas and coyotes when they see people from the tribes,... (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
What It Means to be Human Theme Icon
...shields and weapons and plan to attack Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, and Dark Jaguar on their mountain. The tribes decide to attack at night, but instead of marching, they... (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, and Dark Jaguar make a plan. They build a fence around their citadel and then line the fence... (full context)
Origins, Customs, and the Mayan Culture Theme Icon
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
What It Means to be Human Theme Icon
...ready, the tribes descend upon the citadel. Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, and Dark Jaguar stand on the mountain and let their children watch the spectacle below. When the tribes... (full context)
Heroism vs. Villainy Theme Icon
Names, Power, and Memory Theme Icon
What It Means to be Human Theme Icon
Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, and Dark Jaguar know that they're going to die eventually, so they leave instructions with their sons. They... (full context)