The introduction and notes in the edition I read were an excellent guide to a culture I am fairly ignorant of. Translator Dennis Tedlock did an great job at explaining the nuances of the cultural significance of the myths.

I found it particularly interesting that most of the stories in the Popol Vuh can be linked to specific astronomical/calendrical events. An incredibly complex and sophisticated world-view.

The journeys of the hero-gods into the underworld realm of Xibalba were both funny and horrifyingly grotesque at the same time. Though probably not as horrifying as the semi-historical section towards the end in which the mythic origins of human sacrifice are explained.

Tedlock very generously acknowledges the help he received from contemporary Quiché Maya practitioners, particularly Andrés Xiloj who initiated him as Daykeeper, one who is able to perform divinations using the 260-day ritual calendar of the Maya.