January 1, 2014 Werner "The Sleeping Elephant"

Sometimes he hides himself, but today he was visible. I had gone out to the small patio behind the hall and there he was. I saw his back under the sunlight; vegetation now covers him. For many of us, he’s nothing more than a mound -- a small mountain -- at the skirts of the volcano and if no one points out that his shape resembles an elephant (frankly, vaguely so), it would perhaps go unnoticed.

It is called “The hill of gold;” that being because in its entrails (so the story goes) lies the treasure of the Tz'utujils who were fleeing from the Spaniards when they came to conquer them hundreds of years ago. The rifles and the gunpowder of the Spaniards easily defeated the weapons of the natives. They fled, and when fleeing they left behind a vast amount of gold and precious stones. From their ships the invaders were dazzled beholding the booty and legend has it that when they were about to jump into the land, the volcano began spitting out lava and rocks in abundance, thus killing the Spaniards and forming another volcano  that hid the treasure to this day.

Tradition says there is a spell on the mountain that hides the entrance to the treasure and that only the priests know the way in; when the Ladinos* are gone, the spell would disappear and the riches would return to the tz’utujil people.

This legend reveals certain things about the power struggle between the Ladinos* and the indigenous people; I would like to address this topic in the next post.

*The Ladinos are ethnical group that is the result of the union of the Spaniards and the indigenous people.  “Coffee with milk” -- as someone said to simplify it, -- some of us have more coffee and some more milk in our physical makeup -- and psychological makeup as well (This combination brings out interesting qualities of character about which, regrettably, I cannot speak now in detail). Although the indigenous people surpass the Ladinos in number, the Ladinos are the dominant ethnic group in Guatemala. 

Source: Asturias, Miguel Ángel (2000).  Cuentos y leyendas; edición crítica.  Guatemala: ALLCA XX.

(SPANISH)
A veces se esconde, pero se hoy se dejó ver. Salí al pequeño patio detrás del salón y allí estaba; el sol daba sobre su lomo; la vegetación le ha cubierto ya. Para nosotros no es más que un promontorio -- o una pequeña montaña -- a las faldas del volcán y si alguien no nos dijera que tiene forma de elefante (la forma es vaga, francamente) quizás no lo notaríamos.

“El cerro de oro” -- así le llaman, y eso es porque se dice que en sus entrañas alberga el tesoro de un pueblo indígena en fuga (los tz’utujiles), cuando los españoles venían a conquistarlos. Las armas de los indígenas no pudieron con los arcabuces y la pólvora de los conquistadores. Los primeros, al huir, fueron dejando tras de sí un enorme tesoro (oro, piedras preciosas). Desde sus barcas los invasores estaban deslumbrados viendo el botín. Cuenta la leyenda que ya para saltar a tierra, el volcán comenzó a lanzar fuego y rocas matando a los españoles y formando otro volcán, escondiendo el tesoro hasta el día de hoy.

La tradición dice que hay un encantamiento sobre el cerro para cerrar el acceso al tesoro y que solo los sacerdotes saben cómo entrar y que cuando los ladinos se vayan, el encanto desaparecerá y las riquezas volverán al pueblo tz’utujil.

Esta leyenda revela ciertas cosas sobre la lucha de poder entre los Ladinos y los indígenas; de eso quiero hablar el día de mañana.

Fuente: Asturias, Miguel Ángel (2000).  Cuentos y leyendas; edición crítica. Guatemala: ALLCA XX.