The Mayan Legend of Tunkuluchu

Source

In this Mayan land a mysterious bird appears, which often roams these lands when the sun falls and shadows appear on the ground. Known as the tecolote or tunkuluchú, this bird makes the Mayan people tremble with their song announcing death.

Some people say he does it for evil, others, because the tunkuluchú bird enjoys walking through cemeteries on dark nights, hence his taste for death, and there is no shortage of who think that many years ago, a Mayan witch, dying , he became the owl.

There is also a legend, which speaks of a distant time, when tunkuluchú was considered the wisest of the kingdom of birds. That is why the birds went to look for him if they needed advice and everyone admired his serious and prudent behavior.

It is said that a distant day, the tunkuluchú received a letter, to invite him to a party that would take place in the palace of the kingdom of birds. Although he did not like the festivities, on this occasion he decided to attend, because he could not refuse a real invitation. So, he arrived at the party dressed in his best suit; the guests were very surprised to see it, because it was the first time that the tunkuluchú was going to a meeting like that.

Immediately, he was given the most important place on the table and offered the most delicious dishes, accompanied by balché, the Mayan liquor. But the tunkuluchú was not used to the balché and as soon as he drank some glasses, he got drunk. The same thing happened to the other guests, who turned the party into pure whistles and outrageous laughter.

Among the funniest was the chom, who adorned his bald head with flowers and laughed every time he tripped over someone. On the other hand, the chachalaca, who was always very noisy, remained silent. Each bird wanted to be the one with the greatest grace, and without wanting to, the tunkuluchu won the others. He was so drunk, that he took to telling jokes while dancing and spinning on one of his legs, not caring to fall every time.

That's what they were, when a Mayan man known for being really latose passed by. Hearing the birds' uproar, he went to the party prepared to annoy those present. And of course he had a chance to do it, especially after he got drunk with the balche.

The Mayan man began to laugh at each bird, but soon the tunkuluchu caught his attention. Without thinking much, he ran after him to pull his feathers, while the dizzy bird ran and slipped at every moment. Afterwards, the man pulled a thorn from a branch and looked for the tunkuluchu; when he found it, it stung his legs. Although the bird raised them again and again, the only thing he did was that the birds believed that he had given him to dance and they laughed at him more than he could.

It was until the Mayan man fell asleep because of the drunkenness that he stopped bothering him. The party was over and the birds returned to their nests still dizzy; some laughed when they remembered the tremendous ridicule the tunkuluchu had made. The poor bird felt anger and shame at the same time, because no one would respect him after that day.

Because of what happened, he decided to take revenge for the cruelty of the Mayan man. He spent whole days searching for the worst punishment; so much was his spite, that he thought that all men should pay for the offense he had suffered. Thus, he sought in himself some quality that would allow him to retaliate and chose to use his nose. Then, he went every night to the cemetery, until he learned to recognize the smell of death; that was what he needed for his revenge.

From that moment, the tunkuluchú was proposed as an objective to announce the Mayan man when his final hour approaches. Since then he sings many times near places where he smells that someone will die soon. That's why they say that when the tunkuluchú sings, the man dies. And he could not choose better revenge, because his song makes the listener tremble with fear.