The Popol Vuh is the most important example of Maya literature to have survived the Spanish conquest and is one of the worlds greatest creation stories, comparable to the beauty and power of Genesis. It describes the five creative attempts to form beings who could speak intelligently, remember their creators, and offer them appropriate words of reverence. Eventually the Gods manage to form twins who defeat the lords of death and make it possible to populate the earth with humankind. Most previous translations have relied on Spanish versions rather than the original Kiche-Maya text. The fruit of ten years research, this definitive free translation with extensive notes by a leading Mayan scholar brings out the richness and elegance of this sublime work of literature, comparable with the other great epic poems of the ancient world such as the Ramayana and Mahabharat of India, or the Iliad and Odyssey of Greece.