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Post Conquest Mayan Literature

The Letter of the Thirteen Chiefs
Written on January 6, 1580

lt100 In dei nomine

Ah hun yuk oc olal ahau ah tepale.
Yoklal teexil ca cħuylic ceex ah tepal,
licil ca dzaic v uich c'alab olal teex,
lt105 ti ocaan ti c'ol bay u nah c'ocçic ti c'ol,
a yamailooneex ceex ah tepale,
lay ix tah oklal ca dzibtic huun teex
tu pach padre fray Gaspar de Nájera, ah maya than,
cu benel ta taneex v canteex ti baal yan u nah toon loe,
lt110 okotba ca caah ta taneex ceex ah tepale
ca a uokçeex a uicheex c'okol tamuk a uocçiceex ca tibil okotba.
Ceex ah tepale yumileexe ohel teex mail bahun anat aba coon
tumen a vichilanobeex, bay ca[nan]tahanil hele,
tumen a vichilan don Guillén de las Casase.
lt115 Chin pulba ca caah ta tan ca a dzacbeçeex
yaabil culhebal vay v mektan toon ceex ah tepale,
yoklal lay hach kanaan toon uchebal c'ilic yutzil kin
va bahun bay c'ilmail hele yoklal hach ca yama ca yamai[l] xan
tumen bay hahal yum ca caah tie.
lt120 A uohelmeex iuil ceex ah tepal dzabci u yatzil
ca ya yumil ti fray Diego de Landa, yahau caan vay maya cuchie.
Okotba ca caah ah tepalileex ceex a tuxchiteex v hel toon
yacunicoon yetel anticoon tac numyail,
ohelticoon ix bay u cibah ca yum.
lt125 Dzabi u yatzile San Franciscoil padre
a dzabeex ca yumte ceex ah tepal,
yoklallobi tzenmailoonlobi, tzecmailoonlobi ca yumoob
talci ca xpianoil uay tac luumil mayae yumile ahaue.
Yohmaon a dzabeex ca yuminte
lt130 yohel ix ca than a dzabeex cananticoon,
va uchace ca utzac ca çebel kamic v yacuneex nah
yoklal ua bin a tuxchiteex ti yahau caanil tac yam ma ohmaicoone
bin ca ca manez numya ti latulah yohelticoon
yetel yoheltic ca numya yetel ca uincile.
lt135 Tumteex yumile tohneb c'ol a cibeex ceex ah tepale,
bay taachil a vutzciniceexe,
licil iuil a vubiceex mail v yanal padresob
payal te toon yetel tzeec toon
tu yanumal catolicoil oc olal ceex ah tepale,
lt140 heuac San Franciscoil padre ocçoon ti xpianoil
laix yam tzeec toon tu pectzil evangelio,
padre fray Luis de Villalpando
yetel ulakoob uchie San Franciscoil padres
tzecmailoon hele xane.
lt145 okotba ca caah tah tepalil,
ca a uokçeex a uicheex c'okol coon a palil, a cuchcabal
ca a tuxchiteex u yaabal u pimil padresob toon
tu pach padre fray Gaspar de Nájera,
ci u talel ta toon u chacaancun yetel u cante ca numyail.
lt150 Teex loe tac u pimil padresob toon ah tepale
ca utzac u xelicoob v cich uahil u than Dios toon.
Be yumileex ahau ah tepale
va ix ca uchucac a uiliceex ca numyail cat uch lae!
Ocaan ti c'ol binil a dzabeex
lt155 u pimil yah tzeculoob yanumal ku toon
tac than pimcunexcoob yah anatil ca lukul.
Yumile, manaan tu pach lahunkal u tzucul cah cahanoob
vay tac peten lae
hex c'ah tzeculoob tac maya thanile,
lt160 ma kuchanoob ti lahuncakaloob tac thani.
Otzil yilabal u cimiloob ca lakob ti hun hun tzuc ti cah
ti mamaac chochicoob tu keban,
bacac ix hach dzacaan yol padreob u tanloon ti xpianoil tilobe,
bahun u dzab ma pimoob,
lt165 tayici c'ahau ah tepale
pimcunoob padresoob tu pach padre fray Gaspar de Nájera
yoklal lay u than likul nachil a uicnaleex ceex ah tepale
bin ix a uanteex tamuk a dzaiceex a dzayatzil u mat be.
Ma bahunppel tuba ca payma ti Dios ceex ah tepale
lt170 uahma u dzamal ca toh olal yetel ca hun olal
bay ix ca hanal xane.
Cahina yolte c'ilab a icheex;
ca tuchie ma iuil bahun ca cici ol ti ceexe.
Heuac ma uchac tac thani, yoklal nachileex yan toon,
lt175 Dios nachcunic v çithan a uahaulileex
yetel a tepalileex yokol cab
caix u dzaab u yaabal kinteex a cuxhebeex ti toh olal
bay u dzib olmail ca pucçikaloon v yanhal teex ceex ah tepale.
Uay ti dzibnoon maya tu uacppel u kinil enero 1580.


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