Andrés Xiloj

Who is Andrés Xiloj?

Andrés Xiloj Peruch was a K'iche' daykeeper from Momostenango in Guatemala. He was also one of the four "chuchkajawib" of Momostenango. After his death, his son Angél became chuchkajaw of the Santa Isabel lineage. Being a native speaker of the K'iche' language and a practitioner of traditional Maya calendric divination, he served as a consultant for several anthropological studies. He assisted Dennis Tedlock in elaborating his award-winning translation of the ancient K'iche' document Popol Vuh. Dennis Tedlock has described the translation process as "three-way dialogue among Andres Xiloj, the Popol Vuh text, and myself."