Hun Chouen- Maya DemigodDemigod"Patron of Scribes"

The Elder Brothers

Hun Chouen and his brother Hun Batz were sons of Hun Hunahpu and his first wife Xbaquiyalo. Hun Chouen, "One Spider Monkey" or "One Artisan" in the K'iche' calendar, was a master scribe and painter. After their father's death in Xibalba, the brothers were raised by their grandmother Xmucane.

When the pregnant Xquic arrived and later gave birth to the Hero Twins, the elder brothers saw rivals. The Popol Vuh describes how Hun Chouen and Hun Batz denied their younger half-brothers food, forced them to eat scraps, and made them serve as household drudges.

The Tree and the Tail

The Hero Twins lured Hun Chouen and Hun Batz into a tree to retrieve birds, then caused the tree to grow until the brothers were stranded at the top. As they struggled to descend, they loosened their loincloths to use as climbing aids. The loincloths became tails. The brothers became monkeys.

Their grandmother Xmucane pleaded for their restoration. The Hero Twins attempted a ceremony of reversal: if Xmucane could watch the monkey brothers dance without laughing, the spell would break. Four times the transformed brothers appeared with such comical grimacing that Xmucane could not hold back. The transformation became permanent.

As monkeys, Hun Chouen and Hun Batz became patrons of the arts they had practiced in human form. Classic Maya scribes painted monkey figures on their pottery, and children born on Chuen days in the calendar were expected to become gifted artisans.