Punishment is thus necessary for the world of civilization to exist. If Hunanp and Ixbalanqu represent light and the norms of civilization, it is more than fitting that they act as the agents of justice. They utilize the power of the word to deliver the punishment deserved by those who transgress the norms of what is to become the civilized world. The world of man cannot exist if the world of the gods is unable to defeat the ills that hinder creation, that prevent the word from materializing existence.