The Mayan civilization had a profound respect for their Gods, frequently displaying their affection and loyalty through human sacrifices. Their religious beliefs adhered to a polytheistic doctrine, in which they worshipped and recognized multiple gods. These divine beings were regarded as natural powers, especially those connected to farming since agriculture was widespread among the Mayans. Religion played a significant role in all aspects of their society. According to “RELIGION AND THE MAYA,” religion served as both the creator and destroyer of the Mayan world, even influencing their architectural designs that were inspired by their religious convictions and way of life.
Mayan religion bears similarities to other religions, particularly Catholicism. Religion played a significant role in the impressive achievements of the Mayan Civilization. This ancient Mesoamerican culture, known as the Mayas, was highly advanced and emerged around 2600 BCE in Yucatan. Over time, it extended its dominion across Eastern and Southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Northern Belize, and the western part of Honduras by the 3rd century AD (Ancient Mayan Religion).
Every aspect of Mayan culture, including architecture, sculpture, calendars, and numbers, signifies Mayan beliefs. This is evident in the layout of their buildings. “The earth in the center of the three-level universe was represented by the Royal Palaces, which were situated at the heart of the city. The shrines and tombs, associated with the heavens and deceased rulers, were located in the north. Acting as a gateway between worlds was the ball court, positioned between the center and north” (The Ancient Maya). The Mayans constructed temples and massive stone pyramids.
Mayan pyramids were built for religious ceremonies and burial purposes. They also constructed temples dedicated to the moon and the sun. Every fifty-two years, these temples and pyramids underwent remodeling and reconstruction (Ancient Mayan Religion). Notable examples of temples include Chichen Itza, Temples of Tikal, and the Temple of Inscription. Mayan religion and Catholicism shared numerous similarities, such as having written and oral traditions, and shared many common traditions.
The Maya and Catholics each had their own sacred texts – the Popol Vuh for the Maya and the Holy Bible for Catholics (RELIGION AND THE MAYA). Both religions practiced intricate rituals involving fasting, bloodletting, and burning incense. Sacrifice was a significant component of their ceremonies, and they both shared a belief in an afterlife. Additionally, both religions provided rules and principles to govern one’s life (RELIGION AND THE MAYA). The Popol Vuh can be considered as the Mayan equivalent of the Bible since it was originally written in hieroglyphic form. It included illustrations and charts that served as a comprehensive navigation system, documenting astronomical and earthly cycles for those seeking to transcend present circumstances (RELIGION AND THE MAYA).
According to “RELIGION AND THE MAYA”, an unidentified person likely converted the original hieroglyphic version of the Popol Vuh into an alphabet format to prevent its loss. The current location of the original hieroglyphic Popol Vuh is uncertain, with suggestions that it may have been destroyed, returned to the ancient Maya gods in a cloud of dust, or still awaiting discovery. Many speculate that it was burned as church officials sought favor from their God and king by burning most Mayan writings. These hieroglyphs were not only present in books but also scattered throughout the land.
In the colossal temples, the walls are covered with intricate carvings of hieroglyphics. These hieroglyphics have a crucial role in documenting different aspects of Maya civilization like astronomical observations, calendrical calculations, historical events, and genealogical information. Mayan hieroglyphs include visually representative glyphs that represent whole words as well as glyphs that indicate specific sounds, creating a comprehensive system of pictorial writing.
The Mayan hieroglyphs resembled the Roman alphabet, with the distinction that each symbol represented a syllable for the Mayans, and they had a total of 800 symbols. Scribes engraved hieroglyphs on various mediums such as stone stelae, altars, wooden lintels, and roof beams. Additionally, they painted them on ceramic vessels and books crafted from bark paper (Mayas). These hieroglyphics have been immensely influential in enhancing our understanding and knowledge of the Mayan civilization. Despite having their distinct characteristics, all the Mayan Gods were interconnected and originated from a potent spiritual force. While they could exhibit kindness toward humans, they also possessed the potential for vengefulness and destruction. The Maya firmly believed that performing rituals and offering sacrifices were necessary to appease the gods and safeguard themselves as well as their world.
Prayers, sacrifices, and visions were the means through which the Mayans communicated with the Gods. Forces of nature were often seen as Gods by the Mayan people, who predominantly worked as farmers. These agricultural Gods took on various forms, including men, women, animals, and hybrid creatures. Initially, the Mayans believed that all Gods were interconnected as a single spiritual entity. Therefore, each God represented multiple deities simultaneously. The reptile god, Itzamna, held the highest position among the Mayan Gods (The Ancient Maya).
Itzamna, also known as Hunab Ku, is the chief god. The Mayas believed that Hunab Ku was the creator of the world and regarded him as too superior to be worshipped by men. However, the priests specially revered him, considering him as the patron deity of the royal lineages. In comparison to Itzamna, Hunab Ku was even more important. Itzamna was revered as the lord of the heavens and had control over day and night. According to the Mayan Religion, Itzamna held various roles such as being their first priest, the inventor of writing, and the god of medicine.
Itzamna was often depicted in various forms, such as a crocodile, a bird, a tree, or an elder with no teeth and a round disk on her forehead. This disk was believed to be a mirror used for divination (The Ancient Maya). Chac was known as the rain God, and was seen as a friendly deity associated with the process of creation and life (The Ancient Maya). Given that rain was crucial for the growth of corn, Chac held great importance for the ordinary Maya farmers (The Ancient Maya). They relied on Chac to bring rainfall and ensure a good crop, so they treated him with utmost kindness.
Chac, commonly depicted with a reptilian countenance and fangs, sometimes carried a lightning ax as per the beliefs of the Mayan religion. Yum Kaax, revered as a benevolent deity, held great significance among Mayan farmers. Additionally, Yum Kaax was considered the father of the Hero Twins in Mayan mythology. This youthful god has always been portrayed with a sprouting ear of corn on his head, resembling a headdress. Notably, the Mayan civilization draws inspiration from the physical attributes of this deity when depicting the ideal female body in their artistic creations.
Ix Chel, a feminine deity, was worshipped as a rainbow goddess in the Mayan religion. She held various roles as the Moon Goddess, Water Goddess, Fertility Goddess, and Earth Goddess. Her domains included healing, childbirth, weaving, and prophesying. While predominantly worshipped by women, Ix Chel also had a darker aspect tied to snakes and destruction. The island of Cozumel served as a significant site dedicated to her worship in the Ancient Maya civilization.
According to the Mayas, gods had control over daily, monthly, and yearly events. Thus, sacrifices were deemed necessary by the Mayans to gain favor from the gods. Pleasing the gods was considered crucial in their lives. Offerings made to the gods varied from simple items like corn, fruit, or blood. In cases where blood was offered as a sacrifice, Mayans would pierce their own lips, tongue, or genitals for this purpose. Moreover, humans were sacrificed during times of need as a means to seek assistance and maintain a positive relationship with the gods.
The Maya had a tendency not to sacrifice individuals from their own city, but rather focused on sacrificing prisoners of war. Additionally, they also performed sacrifices on criminals and children, particularly orphans, who they would bring from nearby cities. The rationale behind their belief in human sacrifice was that it served as the sole means of establishing contact with the Gods (The Ancient Maya). Sacrificing lives served as the Maya’s method of nourishing the gods and obtaining their desired outcomes. They harbored a fear that failure to sacrifice humans would result in severe punishment (Mayan Religion – Ancient Mayan Civilization).
The Mayans practiced sacrificial rituals where victims, typically painted blue, were killed on top of a pyramid. The methods of sacrifice included shooting the victims with arrows or holding their limbs while a priest used a sacrificial flint knife to cut open their chest, tear out their heart, and burn it as an offering to the Gods. Captured rulers were often sacrificed by decapitation using an axe. The rituals were carried out by a group known as “Mayan Priests” within the Mayan temples. The chief priest, referred to as “Ah Kin Mai” in the ancient Mayan religion, would hold down the victim while another priest removed their heart.
According to the Maya, blood was believed to create a connection between earth, heaven, and hell (A Day With A Maya). In Classic Mayan belief, the spirits of deceased Maya were believed to dwell in Xibalbá, the lowest underworld. The Mayans strongly held the belief in life after death. Hun Camé, known as the god of death, governed the underworld with the help of the lords of death. It is believed that Hun Camé had dominance over all other deities (A Day With A Maya). The lords of death and some ordinary deceased Mayans also resided in Xibalbá. According to Mayan beliefs, the soul never ceased to exist but embarked on a dangerous journey through the world beyond.
According to Mayan beliefs, access to heaven was limited to those who died during childbirth or were sacrificed. The Maya people would bury their loved ones with offerings such as food and drink, intending for them to be used as bribes for Hun Camé in order to pass through Xibalbá and reach the Heaven of Dawn. In this celestial realm, the departed individuals would watch over their living relatives and bring them prosperity and rain. This heavenly abode specifically catered to those who perished through childbirth or sacrifice.
According to the beliefs of the Ancient Mayan Civilization, it is said that Hun Camé is extremely difficult to bribe, which results in many Mayans being trapped in Xibalbá. The Mayans held the belief that every individual possessed a companion animal spirit. Upon birth, the same soul found within a human would also inhabit the body of an animal. The Maya believed that the identical soul present in a human being was also present in an animal upon their birth. These two souls would share the same destiny – if the human perished, so would the animal, and vice versa.
The Mayans believed that any animal could share a human’s soul, regardless of its size or species. While ordinary Mayans did not have the ability to choose their animal, kings were believed to have this privilege. The preferred choice of kings was generally a jaguar, which was highly esteemed and beloved by the Mayan population (Mayan Religion – Ancient Mayan Civilization). Skilled shamans could enter a trance state and transform into their animal spirit, with good shamans potentially having multiple animal companions, as a means to access the supernatural realm.
Sometimes, shamans would use hallucinogenic drugs or engage in fasting to achieve transformations. However, these transformations were often combined with Maya blood ceremonies. Bloodletting, a Mayan sacrificial ritual where individuals would cut themselves and offer their blood as food to the Gods, was believed to facilitate the connection with animal spirits (Mayan Religion). The Mayan people performed the bloodletting ritual as they believed that their blood provided sustenance to the Gods (Mayan Religion). Therefore, it is evident that the Mayans had a straightforward religion accompanied by intricate rituals.
Their religion is observed in several other religions today, notably Catholicism. It is remarkable how much we understand about Mayan religion, despite the Spanish’s efforts to eradicate Mayan culture and religion, which were nearly successful. Although some find the sacrifices and bloodletting rituals abhorrent, they were considered normal in the daily worship of the Mayan people. The Mayan Religion played a vital role in the growth of the exceptionally advanced Mayan Civilization.
