Chac Mool

written by Carlos Fuentes
[I] 190 – 205

Summary:
The narrator begins: Filiberto murió ahogado en Acapulco (191). He seems to know why he drowned – he was tempted to go, then swam too much for his age. Filiberto is to be transferred in his coffin via truck, and the narrator is going to deliver him. The narrator looks through Filiberto’s briefcase and finds his journal …

“Filiberto’s journal begins normally: he meets with a lawyer about his pension and dines in a café. He talks with his friend Pepe about religion and work, where someone died the water red.

“He also has an affinity for certain forms of indigenous Mexican art. He’s been looking for a reasonable replica of Chac Mool, the Mayan god of rain, which he finds in la Lagunilla. He is very skeptical of its originality – although it looks so elegant, it has tomato sauce smeared on it to sell its authenticity. He puts Chac Mool in his basement.

“The plumbing broke, putting water in the basement. Chac Mool becomes covered with moss. That night, Filiberto begins to hear moans from the basement; the night they stop, more rain water inundates the basement. Scraping off the moss was difficult – it seemed to have become part of the stone already. Also, the figure grew softer; the skeptical Filiberto thinks the statue was actually plaster. Later, though, he notices the figure is the texture of flesh, of rubber, and that Chac Mool has hair on its arms. Of this impossibility, Filiberto writes, “Tendré que ver a un médico, saber si es imaginación, o delirio, o qué, y deshacerme de ese maldito Chac Mool” (198).”

Filiberto’s handwriting deteriorates to that of a child here.

“What is real and what is imaginary? … the line between the two is indistinguishable. The Chac Mool has become smooth, elegant, and golden, almost as if indicating he is a God. He begins to awaken; one night, Filiberto opens his eyes to see a grotesque, noisome creature at his bed; entonces empezó a llover (200).”

In the real world, Filiberto is pinned with rumores de locura y aun robo (200).

“Chac Mool has fantastic stories about myths and his birth, but has an inhuman stench that emanates from flesh that isn’t flesh. He desires soap and sleeps in Filiberto’s bed.

“When the dry season begins, Chac Mool demands water; says Filiberto, debo reconcerlo: soy su prisionero (202). Chac Mool wears his clothes and is used to being obeyed. Filiberto discovers Chac Mool leaves the house at night to hunt for dogs, rats, and cats for food; later in the dry season, Filiberto is forced to order out rice with chicken. He also has to run trips to get water; if he tries to flee, he will be struck down by Chac Mool, also god of lightening. Filiberto also notices that Chac Mool eventually has to turn back into stone, that he is getting more irritable, and that he is falling into human temptations. Also, Chac Mool wouldn’t die and leave Filiberto alive; Filiberto thus must flee.

“He decides to flee to Acapulco at night; he plans to swim away with his little remaining money. He is sick of Chac Mool: a ver cuánto dura sin mis baldes (buckets) de agua (204).”

The diary of Filiberto ends, and the narrator arrives at the terminal. When he gets there, the door opens; a yellow Indian appears; his appearance is repulsive, his face is covered in powder, he reeks of cheap lotion, his lips are smeared with lipstick. This man (Chac Mool?) says: “Lo sé todo. Dígales a los hombres que lleven el cadaver al sótano” (205).


Translation:
http://web.mit.edu/jikatz/www/ChacMool.pdf

Themes:
-la decadencia del orden establecido y el descontrol
-la tenue línea entre lo real y lo ilusorio
-el cuento fantástico del siglo XIX y del siglo XX