Rabinal Achi : A Mayan Drama of War and Sacrifice

In the ancient Mayan drama Rabinal Achi, a rebel warrior is captured by the ruler of an enemy city-state and faces his certain death at court. The first direct translation into English.

In the ancient Mayan drama Rabinal Achi, a rebel warrior is captured by the ruler of an enemy city-state and faces his certain death at court. In the dialogue that evolves the warrior dances a dance of death, makes psychic leaps to his homeland and demands a series of requests from his captors to reconcile his death far from his homeland. Tedlock presents the first direct translation from Quiche Maya to English of Rabinal Achi. It is one of the few surviving pieces of Native American drama from the pre-Columbian period in the form of an intact script.

Here is one of the most important surviving works of pre-Columbian civilization, Rabinal Achi, a Mayan drama set a century before the arrival of the Spanish, produced by the translator of the best selling Popol Vuh. The first direct translation into English from Quiché Maya, based on the original text, Rabinal Achi is the story of city-states, war, and nobility, of diplomacy, mysticism, and psychic journeys. Dennis Tedlock''s translation is clear and vivid; more than that, it is rooted in an understanding of how the play is actually performed. Despite being banned for centuries by Spanish authorities, it survived in actual practice, and is still performed in the town of Rabinal today. Tedlock provides an introduction and commentary that explain the historical events compressed into the play, the Spanish influence on the Mayan dramatic tradition, and the cultural and religious world preserved in this remarkable play.