Popol Vuh

by

Dennis Tedlock

Jaguar Quitze Character Analysis

Jaguar Quitze is the first human created by Sovereign Plumed Serpent and Xmucane out of cornmeal. He is handsome, devout, and at first, all-knowing. With his wife Red Sea Turtle, he becomes the progenitor of the Cauec line of Mayan people, who worship the god Tohil. Jaguar Quitze is instrumental in orchestrating the tricks against the unnamed tribes and insuring a Mayan victory. When he decides that it's time, he and the other three first men simply disappear rather than die. Upon his departure, he leaves his son the "Bundle of Flames," which is a mysterious package that future generations never open but treat as a memorial to the first four men.

Jaguar Quitze Quotes in Popol Vuh

The Popol Vuh quotes below are all either spoken by Jaguar Quitze or refer to Jaguar Quitze. 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, Sovereign Plumed Serpent, Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Related Symbols: Corn
Page Number: 146
Explanation and Analysis:

"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: Xmucane (speaker), Sovereign Plumed Serpent (speaker), Hurricane (speaker), Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Page Number: 148
Explanation and Analysis:

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: Xmucane, Sovereign Plumed Serpent, Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar, Hurricane
Page Number: 148
Explanation and Analysis:

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

Related Characters: Hunahpu, Xbalanque, Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Page Number: 161
Explanation and Analysis:

"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), Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar, Tohil, Auilix, Hacauitz
Page Number: 164
Explanation and Analysis:

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, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Page Number: 174
Explanation and Analysis:
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, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Page Number: 192
Explanation and Analysis:

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, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Page Number: 192
Explanation and Analysis:

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, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Page Number: 195
Explanation and Analysis:
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Jaguar Quitze Quotes in Popol Vuh

The Popol Vuh quotes below are all either spoken by Jaguar Quitze or refer to Jaguar Quitze. 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, Sovereign Plumed Serpent, Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Related Symbols: Corn
Page Number: 146
Explanation and Analysis:

"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: Xmucane (speaker), Sovereign Plumed Serpent (speaker), Hurricane (speaker), Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Page Number: 148
Explanation and Analysis:

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: Xmucane, Sovereign Plumed Serpent, Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar, Hurricane
Page Number: 148
Explanation and Analysis:

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

Related Characters: Hunahpu, Xbalanque, Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Page Number: 161
Explanation and Analysis:

"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), Jaguar Quitze, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar, Tohil, Auilix, Hacauitz
Page Number: 164
Explanation and Analysis:

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, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Page Number: 174
Explanation and Analysis:
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, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Page Number: 192
Explanation and Analysis:

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, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Page Number: 192
Explanation and Analysis:

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, Jaguar Night, Not Right Now, Dark Jaguar
Page Number: 195
Explanation and Analysis: