Depicted as an old man, he’s in charge of bolts from the blue among the Kekchi and Mopan Maya.

This is such a big job that he has several underlings to assist him, including Cakulha and Coyopa. (He’s not the only Storm God to use hired help – Huracan has three assistants.)

According to legend, a woodpecker was sent to locate the hidden store of all the world’s maize. It promptly landed on a huge stone and began tap-tap-tapping all over it.

Some time passed with no luck and the poor woodpecker’s beak was really starting to ache. Finally it gave one last tap – and detected a faint echo. “Hey guys, I think I’ve found something,” cried the bird, “but there’s no way my beak is gonna get through that rock. I’m only a bird, not a drilling machine.”

So Yaluk dispatched a mighty thunderbolt and zapped the rock in that exact spot. ZZZZAP! (We hope the woodpecker managed to fly out of the way first.) And lo, the rock split open to reveal a glorious treasure – enough maize to feed all the mortals and kickstart the entire Mesoamerican farming industry.

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Article last revised on April 16, 2019 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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