An almanac page from the Madrid codex. At the lower right is a scribe. Deities play drums and rattles: the rain god Chac (upper and lower left); the corn god (top and center right); the sky god Itzamna (center left), inventor of books and writing, and associated with Kukulkan, the feathered serpent. The vulture signifies rain of little value.

(2)
TZ'UTZ' A CHI
T U CAAP COOL HOK CHE

Tz'aex a hatz'uutz nokeex;
tz'ooc u kuchul kin h'cimac olil;
xeech u tzou tzotzel a pol;
tz'a u lemceech ciichcelmil a nok
tz'a hatz'utz xanaab;
ch'uuycinzah a nuucuuch tuup
tu tupil a xicin;
tz'a malob oochh';
tz'a u keexiloob a x ciichpan caal;
tz'a, uu baakaal
hop men hop tu nak a kab.
T kailbeilt caa i laac ciichpameech
hebiix [maix] maace
uay tu t cahil,
H' Tz'iitbalchee' cah.

In yacumaech
X Cichpan Colelbiil.
Lai beiltic
in kaat ca i[labe]ech
h'aach zempeech
cii[chpam]ech,
tumen cu yan
ca chiicpaaceech ti x buutz' ek,
tu men ca u tz'iboolteech
tac lail
u yetel u x lol nicte kaax.

Chen zacan
zacan a nok,
h'x zuhuy,
xen a tz'a u cimac olil a chee
tz'a utz ta puczikal
tumen helae
u zutucil cimac olil
tu lacal uinic
lail cu tz'ailc
u yutzil ti teech.

(2)
TO KISS YOUR LIPS
BESIDE THE FENCE RAILS

Put on your beautiful clothes;
the day of happiness has arrived;
comb the tangles from your hair;
put on your most attractive clothes
and your splendid leather;
hang great pendants in the lobes of
your ears; put on
a good belt; string garlands
around your shapely throat;
put shining coils
on your plump upper arms.
Glorious you will be seen,
for none is more beautiful here
in this town, the seat of Dzitbalche.

I love you, beautiful lady.
I want you to be seen; in
truth you are very alluring,
I compare you to the smoking star
because they desire you up to the moon
and in the flowers of the fields.

Pure and white are your clothes, maiden.
Go give happiness with your laugh,
put goodness in your heart, because today
is the moment of happiness; all people
put their goodness in you.

(7)
HTI TU BELIL UA UTAAL KIN UAY

Tii ca kay, chan zac pacal
tu kablail yaa[x] che.
Tii yan xan x ciip chohil chan x chuuleeb
beyxan x kukun lail zac chich
tu lacal ciimac yool
u yalaakoob Yum Ku.

Hebix xan H'Colebil yan yaalak h'e . . .
ix chan x muukuy, chan x tz'itz'iibil
Yetel xan x chinchinbaclal
lail xan x tz'unuun.
lail laiix u yaalak chiich'
X Ciichpan Xunan Colebil.

Lail ua yan cimaac [olil] ichil lay bal cheob
baax ten ma u cimaactal ol ton?
Ua beiloob laitiob tac tu zaztal
pencech hatz'utzoob
chen kay chen baxaal
cu man tu tucuuloob.

(7)
FOR THE TRAVELER ON THE ROAD AT DAWN

Doves singing
in the ceiba branches there,
flycatchers, little yellow birds,
cuckoos, mockingbirds there,
all happy,
the birds of the Lord.

Likewise the lady has her birds:
the little birds, the small cardinals,
canaries, hummingbirds,
they are the birds of the beautiful lady.

If such happiness is among the animals,
why shouldn't our hearts be happy too?
At dawn they are
most beautiful
when only songs and games
pass in their thoughts.

(10)
H'UAYAH YAAB
T'KAAL
KIN EEK

U kinil t'okol u kinil
kaziil baal. Chakaab cizin
hekaab miitnal,
in nan utzil chen yan lobil
a huat yetel okol.
Tz'ooc u man hun ppel tuliz haab
lail habil h'kaban h'elae.

Cutaibal xan hun kal
kin x ma kaba
u yail kin u kinil loob
h eek kinoob.

Inan x ciichpan zazilil t yiich
H'unaab Ku u tial u palil
uay yok[ol] cab,
tumen ti lei kin kinooba
tum ppizil u keban yokol cab
tu lacal uinic:
xiib yetel x chuup
chi[ch]an yetel nohoch
otzil yetel ayikal, miatz yetel h'num
Ah'haucan, Aculel
Batab, Nacon, Chacoob
Chumthanoob, Tupiloob.
Tulacal uinic hellae cu ppizil u keban
tiail lail kin; tumen bin kuuchoc
u kinil lai
tiel kina u tz'ooc yokol cab.

Tum[e]m
tu bizic u xocxocil tu lacal
u kkeban uincoob
u uay t lume tumen.
Ti u tz'ic hun ppeel
x nuc homa
betan yetel u kaat h'kamaz tu lacal
u yalil yich lei
max cu yok ticoo lob
cu mental tiob
uay t lum.
Lai can h'tulnaac lail x nuc homaa
cu tz'o.

(10)
THE DARK DAYS
OF THE LAST MONTH
OF THE YEAR

The days of crying, the days
of evil. The demon is free,
the infernos open,
there is no goodness, only evil,
laments and cries.
An entire year has passed,
the year numbered here.

Come is a month of
days without name,
painful days, days of evil,
black days.

The beautiful light of the eyes of
Hunabku for his earthly sons
has not yet come,
because during these days
the transgressions of all people on earth
are measured:
men and women, children and adults
poor and rich, wise and ignorant;
Lord Serpent, commissioner,
governor, captain, rain priest,
councilors, constables.
All people's transgressions are measured in
these days; because the time
will come when
these days will mark the end
of the world.

For this
there will be a count of all
the transgressions of people
here on earth.
Into a great glass
made from the clay of tree termites,
Hunabku puts the tears
from those who cry over the evils
done on earth.
When the great glass is filled to the brim
it will end.

(11)
HUA PAACH'OOB
YETEL PPUZ[OOB]

Tz'u lam kaa[bet]
u ppizil u xociil ua hayppel haab ua katum
kin maan[aac]
le u kinil uay te cahobaa leil
h nucuuch chaac uincoob
laitiob liiz u pa[ak] leil
u uchben cahob
helah c'ilic
uay Peten H'Chakan,
tu lacal lail cahoob ttittanoob
yook lum
uay helah
taan c'ilic ttuuch
men ttuuch yokol canal uitzoob.

Lail cu talziic
tu uay t cahoob c tz'iic
u thanilbaal [baal] lail c'iliic hela
baax c ohelma;
tumen zazammal
ci ilic t c chumuuc caan
u chiculil bax alan ton
tumen h uuchben uincoob
uay t cahale,
uay t lume.

Ti c tz'iic u hahil c ool
u tial caa paactac
xocic u ba[al] yan t yiich
lai caan yo[co]l akab bay tu c chum
tu chumu[c] beyua tun chimil
tan canza.

(11)
THOSE WHO BUILD HOUSES
AND TEMPLES

Essential
to count the haab years or katun'oob
that have passed since
the great powerful men
raised the walls of the ancient cities
that we see now
here in the province of the plains,
all these cities scattered
on the earth
here and there, on high hills.

Here in the cities, we try to give
meaning to what we see today in the skies
and what we know;
for day to day
at midday
we see in the skies
the signs told to us by
the ancient people of this land,
the ancient people of these villages
here on our earth.

Let us purify our hearts
so at nightfall,
and at midnight,
from horizon to zenith
we may read the face of the sky.

(12)
AH'TZAAB CAN
H KUUKUL KUUL CAN

Ti teech
uinic
tal in uailic
baaxten uay peten,
uay h chakan,
uay te lum
c u [uc]hben huapaach uincoob
hebiix xan h ppuuz
maliicil cohoc teil
lumoob maix
maic x uinic bayanon
tz'ooc u yantaal
lemceech yaab kin
uay cu ximbanccuba
Xah Chaapaat
hum uuc u tiichil u pol yaat chen
laiti ca uilic
u kaatal ta beel
utial u hanteech
yetel u tial u tz'a teech
loobil tah cuxtal
ua ma ta naatiic
baax cu kaatic teich.

Ma tun hel caa kuuch u kinil
u yantaahma maix l u ailic
tie ca tu yuub, he caah
tz'iicinahi
tumen laitiel
maix u . . . chahal u tz'iic
leil u nuctah tiel
Ah X Chapaat laiti nuce tii.

Laibetiic haach tu chah lobil
le baax cu tz'iic u yaal
nucatiel tumen h'tabz[a]biel tumen.

(12)
LORD RATTLESNAKE
LORD PRECIOUS FEATHERED SERPENT

To you,
human,
I come to tell you
that here in this region,
this plain,
here in this land,
back in the era of ancient giants
and hunchbacks
when even no people such as us
had as yet ever arrived,
a very long time ago
Lord Centipede passed here,
and had with him seven jumping heads;
you could see them
quickly crossing the road
to devour you
or put evil
in your life
if you could not understand
the riddle he asked.

But the day arrived
when there was one who answered.
When he heard,
Lord Centipede became furious
because one had understood, responded
and answered his riddle.

So it was Lord Centipede
who was the one who was tricked,
became gravely ill, and died.