Xmucane and Xpiacoc

Xmucane () and Xpiacoc (), alternatively Xumucane and Ixpiyacoc, are the names of the divine grandparents of

Maya mythology Maya or Mayan mythology is part of Mesoamerican mythology and comprises all of the Maya tales in which personified forces of nature, deities, and the heroes interacting with these play the main roles. The myths of the era have to be reconstruct ...

of the

Kʼicheʼ people Kʼicheʼ (pronounced ; previous Spanish spelling: ) are indigenous peoples of the Americas and are one of the Maya peoples. The Kʼicheʼ language is a Mesoamerican language in the Mayan language family. The highland Kʼicheʼ states in the ...

and the daykeepers of the ''

Popol Vuh ''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popol Wuj'' or ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people, one of the Maya peoples, who inhabit Guatemala and the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and ...

''. They are considered to be the oldest of all the

gods A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...

of the Kʼicheʼ pantheon and are identified by a number of names throughout the text, reflecting their multiple roles throughout the Mayan creation myth. They are usually mentioned together, although Xmucane seems to be alone during most of the interactions with the

Maya Hero Twins The Maya Hero Twins are the central figures of a narrative included within the colonial Kʼicheʼ document called Popol Vuh, and constituting the oldest Maya myth to have been preserved in its entirety. Called Hunahpu and Xbalanque in the Kʼi ...

, when she is referred to as simply "grandmother". The pair were invoked during the creation of the world in which the Maya gods were attempting to create humanity. Xmucane and Xpiacoc ground the

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...

that was used in part of the failed attempt, although the beings created were described as being simply

mannequin A mannequin (also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off different fabrics and textiles. P ...

s and not real people. These two are also invoked, often by other powerful deities, for their powers in divination and matchmaking. Xmucane herself also plays an integral role in the development of the Maya Hero Twins. She was at first wary of them and their mother,

Xquic Xquic (or Ixquic , Mayan languages#Modern orthography, ALMG: Xkikʼ, sometimes Gloss (annotation), glossed as ''"Blood Moon"'' or ''"Blood Girl/Maiden"'' in English) is a mythological figure known from the 16th century Kʼicheʼ language, Kʼiche� ...

, and ordered them out of her house when they were yet infants, but she would come to accept them almost as her own sons, raising and caring for them. Characters from the Popol Vuh Maya deities {{mesoamerica-myth-stub