Biblioteca di Rassegna iberistica

La fiebre amarilla en el Popol Vuh

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Abstract

This essay will examine the hypothesis proposed by Miguel Bustamante, which suggests that there is sufficient evidence in the Popol Vuh to assert that yellow fever existed in the Mayan region prior to the arrival of Europeans. This assertion is based on the description of certain symptoms of the disease. Bustamante’s approach is informed by the translation of Georges Raynaud, Juan Mendoza, and Miguel Ángel Asturias, which is recognized for its innovative and poetic liberties. The objective of this study is to verify the text cited by Bustamante in several prominent versions of the Mayan text. Consequently, the fragment under consideration is analyzed in the versions by Adrián Recinos, Adrián Chávez, Enrique Sam Colop, and Michela Craveri. This analysis reveals significant variations in each translation, ranging from literal and symbolic interpretations of certain terms to the general depiction of diseases through the names of the Lords of Evil. The essay’s conclusion suggests that Bustamante’s hypothesis appears to be unsupported by the majority of the translations.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Presentato: 22 Aprile 2025 | Accettato: 07 Luglio 2025 | Pubblicato 09 Settembre 2025 | Lingua: es

Keywords Medicine • Narrative • Yellow Fever • Translations • Popol Vuh

Copyright © 2025 Dante Liano. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-939-9/019


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