Introduction

AfterfourteenhundredyearsofastonishingachievementtheMayaleftalegacyofextraordinary
cities,awrittenlanguageandanadvancedculturewhichwasthenlosttohistorybythe10thcentury
AD.WhentheconquistadorPedroAlvaradoarrivedintheGuatemalanhighlandsin1524,their
descendants,theKiche,wereoblivioustotheirhistoricalroots.Instead,AlvaradofoundtheKiche
livingbehindfortifiedwallshighinthemountains.Ittookahistoricjourneyofdiscoveryintothe
junglesofCentralAmericainthe1830sbyBritishillustrator,FrederickCatherwoodandtheAmerican
Diplomat,JosephStephens,torediscoverthelostcivilizationoftheMaya.Whatremains,tothisday,
aretheunansweredquestionsbehindthecollapseoftheMayacivilization.
TheParableoftheGoldenJaguarisacautionarytalethatdealswiththeunderlyingrelationship
betweenfreewillanddestiny.Whetheragreatcivilization,liketheMaya,oranindividualfacedwith
dailychallenges,thequestionremainsastowhatultimatelycontrolsourfate.

TheParableoftheGoldenJaguar

Introduction:London,1853.FrederickCatherwoodrecountsthefollowingstorytohis10yearold
nephew,Edward,abouthisadventurestouncoverthelostcitiesoftheMayas.Thestorybeginswhen
heandhispartner,JohnStephens,findanoldmanuscriptinthearchivesofachurchhighinthe
Guatemalanmountains.ThetatteredparchmentdescribesanexpeditionundertakenbytheSpanish
conquistadorDonPedroAlvaradotofindasecretMayaparadise,alandcalledKaan,

An1841lithographbyFrederickCatherwoodfromhisadventuretouncoverthelostcitiesoftheMayas.


TheTale
TheRiseofPedroAlvaradoandBeatriz:InthevalleyofQuetzaltenango,Guatemala.Alvaradosarmy
defeatstheK'iche,decadencesoftheancientMaya,inadecisivebattle.Aftertheirsurrender,theK'iche
inviteAlvaradototheircapitalcityatQ'umarkaj.FearingthegreatnumberofK'iche'warriorsgathered
outsidethecity,AlvaradoinvitesKingWuqueBatz,hiseldestson,BelehebTzy,andthetopKiche
nobilitytohiscamp.Sparingonlythekingandhisson,Alvaradossoldiersslaughtereveryone.In
exchangeforhislife,AlvaradodemandsalargetributefromtheKing.Forhiseffortsonbehalfofthe
crown,theSpanishKingappointsAlvaradogovernoroftheSpanishColonyofGuatemala.Hisbeautiful
andmuchyoungerwife,Beatriz,joinsAlvaradoandtogethertheybegintoconsolidatetheirpowerat
theirGuatemalancapital.Disinterestedingoverninghisnewempire,Alvaradoinsatiablegreedcompels
himtoseekoutmoreriches.First,heisrebuffedasaninterloperbyFranciscoPizarrowhenhejourneys
toPeru.Next,Alvaradosexpeditionaryfleetisthwartedinhisfailedeffortstoreachthevaluablespices
growingontheMoluccasislands.

DonPedroAlvaradodefeatstheKicheandisappointedgovernoroftheColonyofGuatemalabytheKingofSpain.

ThearrivalofBishopDiegodeLanda:Whileonhisextendedcampaigns,Alvaradoswife,Beatriz,feels
increasinglyneglected.Meanwhile,DiegodeLanda,ayoungCatholiczealotandnewlyappointed
SpanishbishoptotheRomanCatholicArchdioceseofGuatemala,arrivesatthecapital.Landais
tormentedbyinnerdemonswheneverheisinthepresenceofattractivewomen.Landadesperately
triestorepresshisimpulsessohecanmaintainhiscovenanttoGod.Landasunsettledmindfindsan
outletthroughthehorrifictortureheinflictsonthenativesfortheirallegedheresies.Beatrizrealizes
thatshecanmanipulateLanda,theChurchsinquisitor,tohelpextracttributefromtheK'iche.
Exploitinghisweakness,Beatriz,routinelyexercisesherseductivepowers.Theirmutualinterestsenable
BeatriztoconsolidateherpoweroverherGuatemalansubjectswhileLandagoesaboutdestroyingwhat
remainsoftheMayasculture.

LandasinquisitionoftheMayanDescendentsresultsinhorrifictortureandaculturalholocaust.ConquistadorDonPedroAlvarado

BeatrizdelaCueva,AlvaradoswifeAntigua,theoldGuatemalanCapital

Alvaradosreturn:Afterthefailureofhismostrecentventure,AlvaradoreturnstotheGuatemalan
capitaltofindthatthecolonystreasuryisdepleted.TheimprisonedsonofKingWuqueBatz,Beleheb
Tzy,attemptstogainhisfreedombymakingAlvaradoanoffer.HetellsAlvaradothathisfather,besides
beingaKicheking,isalsoashamanicpriest.BelehebTzyconvincesAlvaradothathisfathers
supernaturalpowerscanguidethemtoKaan,asecretparadiseoftheancientMaya.Alvaradois
grippedbygreedwhenheistoldthatKaanishometoagoldenjaguarthatcontinuouslysweatsgold.In
exchangeforhishelp,BelehebTzywantsAlvaradotoinstallhimaskingoftheK'iche.Alvarado
immediatelysummonsKingWuqueBatz.Whenherefusestohelp,Alvaradoordershismentoseizethe
kingsnieceandthreatenstokillher.KingWuqueBatzrelentsandagreestoleadAlvarados
expeditionaryforce.ToensureKingWuqueBatzsobedience,hisnieceisforcedtotravelwiththem.
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ThefallofBeatrizandLanda:AlvaradoleavesforthesecretMayaparadisebutaftermonthswithouta
wordfromherhusband,Beatriziseagertodeclareherhusbanddead.Thesordidrelationshipbetween
BeatrizandLandaisnolongerasecrettohersubjects.Proclaimingherselfawidow,Beatrizappoints
herselfGovernessoftheSpanishcolonyofGuatemala.Totrytojustifyherillegitimateclaimtopower,
Beatrizreadsasoulfulmissivetoajeeringcrowdfromthebalconyatthegovernorspalace.Withindays
torrentialrainsfloodtheGuatemalancapitaluntileverythingisdestroyed.Nevertobeseenagain,
BeatrizandLandasfateremainamystery.
AlvaradosarrivalatKaan:Aftermonthsoftravelthroughdeepjunglesandhighmountains,Alvarado
andhismenarriveataloftymountainpassfromwheretheycanlookdownuponashiningcity.They
descendandfindanEdenofblissandplenty.AlvaradoimmediatelymakeshiswaytotheTempleofthe
GoldenJaguarandclimbstoasanctuaryatthepyramidstop.Heisastonishedtoseegoldcontinuously
gushingfromaglowingjaguar.Thepriestspourthemoltenliquidintobrickmoldswhicharetakento
buildthegoldencitythatsurroundsthem.

ThesolidgoldtemplesofKaanbuiltwithbricksfromtheGoldenJaguar.

Overwhelmedbygreed,Alvaradoimmediatelyplotstostealthegoldenjaguar.Whenhelearnsabout
theirevilintentions,KingWuqueBatzconfrontsAlvaradoandBelehebTzyandwarnsthemthatthe
godswillwreakrevengeiftheygothroughwiththeirplan.Outragedbyhisfathersapocalyptic
divination,BelehebTzy,drawshisdaggerandplungesitdeepintohisfathersheart.
Alvaradosdemise:Alvarado,BelehebTzy,andasmallforceofSpanishsoldiersreturnthatnight.As
thepriestsaresleeping,theyquietlyseizethegoldenjaguarandflee.WitheverystepAlvaradoandhis
mengrowincreasinglyeuphoricastheyquicklyputdistancebetweenthemselvesandthelandofKaan.
Justastheyreachthehighestpointonthemountaintrail,thesunbreaksoverthehorizonandaseries
ofearthquakesbegintogrowinintensity.Withinmomentstheirrisingeuphoriaisreplacedbyabject
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terror.PandemoniumensuesandAlvaradoandthegoldenjaguarareabandoned.Withtherealization
thathisfateissealed,Alvaradoraiseshisarmstotheskyandcursesthegoldenjaguar.Withhisdestiny
nolongerunderhiscontrol,afinaljoltsendsAlvaradooffthehighcliff.

InhisattempttofleewiththeGoldenJaguar,Alvaradoisjustmomentsawayfromreachingthehighestpointonthetrail.


Andthemoralofourstoryis(takeyourpick):
Withoutchoices,weceasetobemastersoftheirfate.
TheEnding:CatherwoodandhisnephewaresuddenlyinterruptedbyEdwardsmothershoutingfrom
anadjourningroomthatitistimeforbed.Edwardaskshisunclewhetherthestoryhehasbeentelling
himreallyhappened.TowhichCatherwoodanswers,Iwillansweryourquestionwhenwefinishthe
restofthestory.
Thusendsourtale...

VolcanoessurroundthesecretparadiseofKaan,anEdenstilltoberediscoveredinthehighlandsofGuatemala.

Authorsnote:Muchofthistaleisbasedonhistoricalfact.Thisincludes2separateexpeditionsbyCatherwoodandStephens
torediscoverthelostcitiesoftheMayasintheearlybetween18411843;thebattleinthevalleyofQuetzaltenango;
Guatemalain1524resultinginthedefeatoftheKiche;theKichecapitalcityatQ'umarkaj;theslaughteroftheKiche
noblemenwhentheyacceptedaninvitationtomeetatAlvaradosencampment;WuqueBatz,BelehebTzywererealKiche
noblemenatthetimeoftheSpanishconquest;theexpeditionbyAlvaradotoPeruandhisfailedattempttocompletehis
journeytotheMoluccasspiceislandsintheSouthPacific;thefoundingoftheGuatemalaColonialCapitalnearpresentday
Antigua;BeatrizselfappointmentasGovernessofGuatemala;Beatrizdeathbydrowninginatorrentialfloodthatdestroyed
theGuatemalanCapitalshortlyafterwritingaletterlamentingherhusbandsdeath;thehorrifictortureanddestructionof
theMayadescendantsbyDiegodeLandabeginningin1549inhisruthlessattempttowipeoutthelastvestigesoftheMaya
cultureandreligion,andKaan,theMayavisionofheaven.
TheParableoftheGoldenJaguar,PeterWalker,2016.