In the village of Kaban lived an old woman, famous for being a witch. One day she found a small egg and, filled with joy, took it and kept it in a warm dark place. Every day she took the little out to contemplate and stroke it. And it so happened that, after a few weeks, the egg hatched and a baby boy emerged from it. The witch cuddled the baby, but since she could not feed him, she sought a wet nurse. The woman came and breastfed the child just as if he was her own. When the witch saw such tenderness, she said to the woman:

--From this day, you shall be the mother and I, the grandmother.

The boy did not grow more than a handspan and after some time his appearance changed: he grew a beard and his nose enlarged. He was, therefore, a dwarf. When the witch realized this, she loved the creature even more.

Since the witch spent most of her time near the hearth, the dwarf suspected that she kept something mysterious underneath it, and he set out to discover what it was. When the witch was not looking, he dug through the ashes and came upon a small wooden slit drum: a “tunkul”. As soon as he had it in his hands, he struck it and, surprisingly, the sound was loud and traveled a long distance. When she heard this, the witch came to her grandson and said:

--What you have done cannot be fixed. But I tell you this: it shall not be long until terrible things happen. Things that will fill people with horror, and whose consequences will involve you.

The dwarf answered:

— Since I am not old, I shall see them.

The witch replied:

— I am old and I shall see them as well.

The king of Uxmal and his counselors knew that the sound of that tunkul announced the end of his rule. However, to alleviate their lord’s affliction, the counselors said:

— Fight your destiny.

— How? — asked the king.

— Find the one who struck the tunkul; you may hear the truth you need from his lips.

The king had his guards search his realm for the one who struck the tunkul. After much walking, they found the dwarf and brought him to the palace. Upon seeing him, the king asked:

— What does the sound of that tunkul announce?

— You know better than I do—the dwarf replied.

— Can I be released from this prophecy? — asked the king.

The dwarf answered: “Build a road between Uxmal and Kaban and, when it is finished, I shall come back and give you my answer”.

The road was ready very soon, and the dwarf and witch came to Uxmal. Then the king asked the dwarf:

— What is your answer?

— You shall know it, if you pass the test to which I will put you.

— What test is this?

— That a “cocoyol” palm nut be cracked open on your head and mine.

— I accept, but you will face the challenge first—said the king.

— If that is your wish...

The executioner walked forward, placed a cocoyol on the dwarf’s head and dealt a strong blow. But concealed under his hair, the dwarf wore a copper helmet that the witch had given him. Hence, the dwarf shook his mane and rose smiling. Then the king took off his cloak in silence, climbed the scaffold and allowed the executioner to place the cocoyol on his head. Upon the first blow, the king was no more.

The dwarf was immediately proclaimed king. The same day the witch summoned the dwarf and said:

— You are king now. Now I can die. Do not mourn me, as my death is not a matter of sorrow. Apply justice as I taught you. Take advice from all, and then choose the best. Do not shy away from truth, even if it is bitter. Be benign rather than just. Pay heed to the voice of the Gods, but do not turn a deaf ear to that of men. Neither disdain the humble, nor blindly trust the mighty.

The dwarf followed the witch’s advice for a while, and prosperity spread through his realm. But as the years passed, his spirit changed. He perpetrated injustices and became a tyrant. His pride grew so much, that one day he told his counselors:

— I will create a mightier god than any of those who now rule us.