The Hummingbird King: A Guatemalan Legend

Legends of the World

by Argentina Palacios Ziegler, Felipe Dávalos (Illustrator)

Magnificent illustrations and captivating texts tell the legends of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Americas, and Native America.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Folklore, Fiction, Animals, Mythology, Native American

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent addition to any elementary school library where the goal is to add multicultural diversity. The story is based on the ancient Mayan civilization and is fundamentally a classic one of familial rivalry when the prize is to become chief.
It opens with the old chief (halac uinic) not having an heir and if he dies without one, his younger brother Chiruma will become halac uinic. However, after much waiting a son is born and his name is Kukul, the Mayan term for “beautiful feather.” This is because a beautiful hummingbird appeared during the birth and left a feather. That feather was given to Kukul and became his protective amulet.
Kukul grew up to be a wise and effective halac uinic, leading the tribe to success in battle as well as to a high level of prosperity. Eventually, Chiruma learns the reason for Kukul’s charmed life and steals the feather from him. Pursuing his ambition to the fullest, Chiruma kills Kukul and becomes halac uinic, as a consequence Kukul turns into a magnificent hummingbird and flies away.
The fortunes of the tribe immediately decline as Chiruma was a cruel king that engaged in unnecessary warfare with other tribes. His tribe is defeated and Chiruma is turned into a slave. Kukul is the ancient Mayan name of a beautiful bird that resides in Central America and it is now called “quetzal.”
There are many legends of the origins of creatures of significance, yet one of the most constant themes is some form of rivalry for wealth and power. This story follows the same pattern and introduces the young reader to one aspect of an ancient civilization that was very powerful but simply disappeared. It is beautifully illustrated and written at the level of the student in the middle of elementary school.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations visualize the folktale history behind the Quetzal bird in the kingdom of the Mayans. The picture book is rich in pyramids, agriculture, jungle flora and fauna, and Mayan mythology.

I don't know which grade levels look at ancient civilizations or cultures of the world, but this folk history would work well in either unit. Culturally, the author exposes the reader to the reverence for heaven (in Mayan culture there are 13 heavens), mathematics and agriculture, and omens associated with hummingbirds and quetzals.

It's easy to enjoy the attention to attire, the use of jade in jewelry as well as in weapons, the intricacies of headdresses, and the meaning behind colors (black and white signifies slavery). The presence of architecture is richly displayed in this picture book, and my favorite page is page thirteen (significant number) where thirteen stars paint the night sky. The father and son get to share this magical moment from the top of a pyramid platform.

Page six of the text features an illustration of Mayan numbers: two straight parallel bars with three round stones above it. Each bar = 5. Two bars = 10 + 3 stones = 13. The repetition of thirteen throughout the text and the illustrations is a wonderful little cultural "in".

[Evan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Guatemalan folktale tells the tragic story of Kukul, the son of a chief to whom a beautiful bird appears at birth, leaving behind a unique red feather which becomes his protective charm. However, his uncle Chirumá is jealous and desires the position of king for himself. His uncle sneaks up while he sleeps and steals his red feather, leaving him unprotected when he shoots him with an arrow the following day while hunting in the forest. But magically, Kukul transforms into a beautiful green bird with scarlet chest, the quetzal that was a symbol for the Mayan people and remains so for those of Central American origin today.

One thing that seemed incorrect was the author's note on the last page which explained that the quetzal is found only in the remote cloud forest in the highlands of Guatemala. I'm sure this is incorrect, but maybe she meant the specific type of quetzal portrayed in this story (though I'm not aware of such distinctiveness in the species).

[Ashley B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tale about a young man who was blessed with the safety of a hummingbird feather. With this feather he would not be harmed. As the young man grew he was to fight in battles and wars, not once was he struck with an arrow. Due to his bravery and leadership, the towns people made him their chief. Well his uncle was upset that he was not chosen and went to find a way to get rid the young man. The uncle stole the young man's feather and without the feather, the young man was killed. However, when he died he was changed into a beautiful hummingbird. This hummingbird is recognizable today and is still gorgeous as ever. This was a cute tale as to how the hummingbird came to be. It teaches about being kind and gentle. Also compares two different types of leaders.

[Jose Guzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating tale of how the ever beautiful bird, Quetzal, came to be. It's a Guatemalan legend of it's native bird. It's a childrens book but it stumbled upon my hands at my ripe age of 26. And I actually read it. In front of several older adults (not out loud) but in their presence. I didn't feel weird or anything. The paintings are wonderful, very artistic. So, that I have actually thought of getting a tattoo of one of the images from the book. Highly reccomend it!

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story talks about a young boy who is given a hummingbird feather for safety. He ends up being the chief of the village. The boys uncle ends up taking the feather and killing the young boy. The young boy was changed into a hummingbird, and now the hummingbird is a symbol of a beautiful creature. The moral behind this story is being kind and not being greedy. The illustrations are really colorful in this story!

[Manuel Alvarez]

This story I read to my children and they found it fascinating that how such a thing of beauty can come from such betrayal. My girls asked many questions as I read the book I just think they needed some more information to grasp what had happen. I think this book is a fascinating book to read because it tells stories of the past in how the people were connected to nature.

[Ruqayya Jarad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Guatemalan legend that tell a story of A young brave Mayan chief who had been protected and saved by a hummingbird from his enemies,who wish to capture the kingdom and kill the king! The chief is killed by his jealous uncle and then transformed into a quetzal as a symbol of freedom. A quetzal is a national bird in Guatemalan and an image on their flag. This story is for grade level K- 2.

[Brittany Cullen]

the brother would be king but the king had a son and then the uncle did everything he could to be king and finally the boy died and the brother got what he wanted but he was a mean king and got invaded and captured and was never seen again. a great lesson of not being mean to others because it can come back to you some how.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hummingbird King: A Guatemalan Legend
Palacios, Argentina
a good story shows traditions of the aztec culture and its influence on guatemalan culture, has some historical references of the story and the culture

[Natalie Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This legend describes the rise of a young king who is protected from harm by a hummingbird feather. His evil uncle discovers his feather and takes it from him because he wants to be king. The illustrations are descriptive and help the reader understand the text.

[Justine Liddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chief's wife prayed for a child and a son was born to her on the 13th day of the month, which is a lucky day. Also, another good sign appeared when the baby was born, a humming bird. But, one day the young man lost all of his charm. He was killed and turned into a humming bird.

[Haracio · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is about a person that liked the hummingbird and he consired them as friends.

[Jasmine Roberson]

a guatemalan legend- history/ ancient stories

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Guatemalan legend is beautifully illustrated.

[Leonardo Alvarez]

I think its very cool i read it all and i like all the story

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and actually reminds me of Chinese mythology a lot, what with the whole animal transformation and bittersweet ending.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an authentic legend from Guatemala, with authentic types of illustrations.

[Sasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are cool, but this definitely isn't a book for the weak of heart kiddos.

[Deborah Harris]

AR Quiz No. 18407 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 4.3 - AR Pts: 0.5
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was quite interesting. It definitely was not what I had expected it to be. The story reminds me of Lion King and how the evil uncle does everything he can to become king. The storyline, however, was not really developed all that well.