Popol Vuh Creation Myth

El Teatro Campesino presents plays adapted from the sacred Mayan ...

Like most children, the Valdez brothers grew up playing make-believe. But rather than pretending to be superheroes from a televised cartoon, the three sons of Luis Valdez, world-renowned playwright and founder of El Teatro Campesino, pretended that they were Quiché Mayan Gods.

One of their favorite tales to re-enact? A magical story that their parents read to them before going to sleep each night: the tale of the magic twins from the ancient Mayan creation myth "Popol Vuh."

"The story of the twins was a wonderful way to open the imagination to another world where a mythical realm unfolded," said Lakin Valdez, the youngest Valdez brother and artist in residence at ETC. "They were demigods essentially, with unlimited powers. To a kid's imagination, this opened up an unlimited universe."

It comes as no surprise that the allure of this magical universe would continue long after the Valdez boys had grown up and become involved in theater.

Kinan Valdez, the middle brother and producing artistic director for ETC, said that the idea of adapting stories from the "Popol Vuh" to the stage was something that he and his brothers had talked about for a while.

But the project of producing a dramatic rendition of such an all-encompassing text — filled with mythos and sacred meaning — would need more than a single production could fulfill.

So rather than one play, the Valdez brothers pulled stories from the parts of the Mayan creation myth that had natural story arcs and created three separate productions.

This Saturday, the world premiere of first of the three parts in ETC's "Popol Vuh" cycle, "Heart of Heaven," will be presented at the San Juan School Soccer Field in San Juan Bautista.

This free, outdoor production will run for two weekends and then be followed in August by the second outdoor production in the series, "The Story of Seven Macaw."

In September, the series will continue with the third and final installment, "The Magic Twins," which will be presented inside the El Teatro Campesino Playhouse in San Juan Bautista. Though the first two productions are family-friendly, the third is not recommended for children.

Adventurous theatergoers can experience the entire three-part "Popol Vuh" cycle daily in back-to-back presentations over the course of Labor Day Weekend on Sept. 3, 4 and 5 (see info box for times).

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