A dispute between the sun and clouds caused a severe drought, as the sun refused clouds permission to cross the heavens. Amid famine, a boy, Vicente, encountered a divine messenger who instructed him to lead a special procession to bring rain. Following the ritual, rain returned, and Vicente ascended to heaven as the patron of rain. The sun reconciled with the clouds, acknowledging their power.
Source
Ethnology of the Mayas of
Southern and Central British Honduras
by John Eric Thompson
Field Museum of Natural History
Anthropological Series, Pub.274, Vol.17.2
Chicago, 1930
► Themes of the story
Conflict with Nature: The initial dispute between the sun and the clouds leads to a severe drought, highlighting humanity’s vulnerability to natural forces.
Divine Intervention: A divine messenger guides Vicente to perform a ritual procession, resulting in the return of rain, demonstrating the influence of higher powers in human affairs.
Sacrifice: Vicente’s willingness to be carried in the procession symbolizes a form of personal sacrifice for the greater good, leading to the restoration of balance.
► From the same Region or People
The sun and the clouds were having a dispute. The clouds maintained that they caused the rain when they formed themselves. The sun denied that they caused the rain, as without his permission they could not cross his face. The sun was so annoyed that he refused permission to the clouds to cross the heavens. As a result there was a terrible drought, and the people began to die of famine. They made processions with the saints, but still there was no rain. There was a small boy, Vicente, who lived with his grandmother. He was very disobedient, and his grandmother decided to thrash him, so Vicente ran away to the top of a high hill to avoid the thrashing.
► Continue reading…
He stayed there all day, and when night came, he was afraid to go home. Shortly after sunset a small boy appeared to him, and asked him what he was doing there. Vicente explained that his grandmother wanted to thrash him and that he had fled to the top of the hill to avoid her. The boy said he was the messenger of Mam and told Vicente to tell his grandmother to inform the people that it was useless to make processions like those they had been making. The people must make a new procession and carry Vicente instead of the saint, and then Mam would send the rain. Vicente returned home, and his grandmother was so pleased to see him once again that she forgave him. Vicente began to repeat what the messenger of the Mam had told him. “The people in the village are fools. They will never get rain if they continue to make processions with the saint. They must carry me if they want rain.” The old lady was vexed with him. “How can you cause the rain?” she said. “You aren’t God.”
Someone overheard the conversation, and told the alcalde of the village. The alcalde summoned Vicente to his presence, and asked him if it was true that he could cause rain. Vicente told him what the messenger of the Mam had said to him. The alcalde was impressed, and arranged for a new procession next day, when Vicente would be carried on the litter. Next day Vicente was placed on the litter in the church, and everyone in the village brought a few flowers, till Vicente was entirely buried in their mass. At midday they heard thunder at each of the four corners of the world, and there came a heavy wind, and the sky was full of clouds. The rain poured down unceasingly, until at last they made the procession to stop the rain. When the procession was finished, and they were returning to the church, Vicente and all the flowers that surrounded him were carried up to heaven, where he became the patron of rain.
The sun made his peace with the clouds. “I now see,” he said, “that I am not so powerful as you. In a few minutes your clouds covered the sky, and made it so that I could not see anything. You will be my elder brother.” This is the reason why it always becomes cool when it rains, as the sun cannot shine down on the earth.
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