The Legend of the Giron Gagal

by Robert Rosskopf

A tapestry hanging in the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City is a codice that dates back to ancient times. It shows a group of people coming out of the ocean led by a man who is carrying a round object in front of his face. The codice shows their migration from town to town, the man always carrying the round object in front. The Quiche name for the object is Giron-Gagal which means "compass" or "director". Their enemies believed that who ever had this object could not be defeated in battle, because they had the blessing of the Gods. (The Title of the Lords of Totonicapan, 170) A photograph of this tapestry can be seen in "The Lives and Travels of Mormon and Moroni" by Ainsworth, page 87.