Francisco Ximénez discovered the original book at the beginning of the 18th century , which assisted in a more knowledgeable understanding of their civilization. .
The Popol Vuh tells the story of the Hero Twins Hunahpu and Xbalanque. The tale begins with two brothers 1 Hunahpu and 7 Hunahpu who are engaged in a ball game in Guatemala. The game is so loud that it disrupts the gods of the underworld, Xibalba. The brothers must continue the game in the underworld where their loss results in a decapitation as a sacrifice. A daughter of an underworld lord soon passes by a tree where the brother's heads hang and as she walks by one of the heads spits into her hand. The spit impregnates the daughter and she is banned from Xibalba. She eventually gives birth to the Hero Twins; Hunahpu and Xbalanque. These twins like their father and uncle were ballplayers. Hunahpu and Xbalanque returned to Xibalba to avenge their relative's death. With much excitement to replay the lords of the underworld, the lords send the brothers on a journey through hell in which one's soul would take after death. Proving their strength, the brothers ultimately revenged their father and uncle by beheading the lords of the underworld. Upon this victory the brothers ascended from the underworld to take the place of the sun and the moon. .
The most prized offering in the Maya civilization is the sacrifice of an enemy king. Such a sacrifice involved the decapitation of the rival through a ritual reenactment of the decapitation of Hun Hunahpu, the father of the twins. Through their actions, the Hero Twins prepared the way for the planting of corn through their godlike astronomical features. Decapitation and sacrifice correspond to harvesting corn and the sacrifices accompanying planting and harvesting. Corn is significantly important to the Maya's, as they believe man himself is created from maize. Human sacrifice in the Maya culture can be viewed as a gesture of appreciation to their gods.
