The Precolumbian cacique or king is a shaman, inasmuch as he unites heaven and earth, and it is for this reason that he is chief not because of his will or that of the group. The entire society is a sharer in these symbols, myths, rites, and cosmogonical teachings, which individuals will absorb in their respective ways and degrees. To no one would it occur to be deceitful in things of this nature. Such things are not doubted in an archaic society. For that matter, any such deceit would be noticed at once, by virtue of the very dynamics of the social milieu.
Origins become contemporary, and the primordial situation is embodied, so that life is re-generated.
But those levels do not exclude each other, instead, they complement each other. Thus, a symbolical or mythical thing or occurrence can likewise be historical, and geographically situated. In fact, in light of what we have said, a celestial occurrence necessarily corresponds to another, earthly one, and this reciprocity is one of the proper characteristics of the universe and of man. Accordingly, the different readings of reality, or the knowledge of the distinct levels on which this reality is manifested, far from being mutually exclusive, actually conjoin in the cosmic concert, which is open to being experienced in multidimensional wise. One of the most beautiful examples of the Precolumbian myths that have come down to us is found in the Popol Vuh , a sacred book of the Mayas-Quiches, which contains a set of cosmogonical legends.