When the tunkuluchú sings… Mayan legend

In El Mayab lives a mysterious bird, which is always alone and lives among the ruins. It is the owl or tunkuluchú, who makes the Maya tremble with his song, because everyone knows that it announces death.

Some say that he does it out of evil, others, because the tunkuluchú enjoys walking through the cemeteries on dark nights, hence his taste for death, and there are those who think that many years ago, a Mayan witch, when she died, turned into the owl.

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

One day, the tunkuluchú received a letter, in which he was invited to a party that would take place in the palace of the kingdom of birds. Although he did not like festivities, on this occasion he decided to attend, as he could not refuse a royal invitation. Thus, he arrived at the party dressed in his best suit; The guests were very amazed to see him, because it was the first time that the tunkuluchú went to a meeting like that.

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

Among the funniest was the chom, who adorned his bald head with flowers and laughed every time he bumped into someone. Instead, the chachalaca, who was always very noisy, remained silent. Each bird wanted to be the most graceful, and unintentionally, the tunkuluchú beat the others. He was so drunk, that he started telling jokes while he danced and twirled on one of his legs, not caring about falling over every now and then.

That's where they were, when a Mayan known for being really annoying passed by. Hearing the noise made by the birds, he entered the party ready to disturb those present. And of course he had the chance to do it, especially after he too got drunk on the balché.

The Maya began to laugh at each bird, but soon the tunkuluchú caught his attention. Without much thought, he ran after him to pull his feathers, while the dizzy bird ran and slipped every moment. Later, the man pulled a thorn from a branch and looked for the tunkuluchú; when he found it, he stung his paws. Although the bird raised them again and again, the only thing he achieved was that the birds believed that he had taken to dancing and laughed at him as much as possible.

It was until the Mayan fell asleep from 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 that the tunkuluchú made. The poor bird felt angry and ashamed at the same time, because no one would respect him after that day.

So, he decided to take revenge for the maya's cruelty. He spent whole days in search of the worst punishment; His resentment was so great 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 get even and chose to use his sense of smell. Then he went to the cemetery every night, until he learned to recognize the smell of death; that was what he needed for revenge on him.

From that moment, the tunkuluchú set out to announce to the Maya when his final hour was approaching. Thus, he stands near the places where he smells that someone will soon die and he sings many times. That's why they say that when the tunkuluchú sings, the man dies. And he couldn't have chosen a better retaliation, because his song makes those who listen to it tremble with fear.