Key Takeaways: Maya Gods and Goddesses
- There are at least 200 gods in the Maya pantheon.
- Important ones include gods of death, fertility, rain and thunderstorms, and creation.
- Some gods are relatively new ones, first appearing during the Late Postclassic period, while others are much older.
How many gods did the Mayans believe in?
Major Mayan Gods and Goddesses You Should Know About Introduction – Itzamna – The Ruler of the Heavens. Ix Chel – The Mayan Moon Goddess. Kinich Ahau – The Yucatec Mayan Sun God. Chaac – The Mayan Rain God. Yumil Kaxob – The Mayan God of Flora. Yum Cimil – The Yucatec Mayan God of Death. Yum Kaax – The Mayan God of Forests.
What are the names of the Mayan gods and goddesses?
There were eight main Mayan gods and goddesses. Who were the Mayan gods and Mayan goddesses, and what were their names? Itzamna - the creator god Chaac - the rain god Yum Kaax - the nature god Hunab Ku - the one god Ix Chel - the goddess of medicine and childbirth Kinich Ahau - the sun god Ek Chuaj - merchant deity and god of cacao
How did the Mayans worship their gods?
Sep 26, 2013 · The provided answer that follows is obviously strictly based on an impartial, factual and historical point of view. ANSWER: Since the …
What are the Mayan gods' names?
Sep 04, 2014 · Since the beginning of recorded history, which is defined by the invention of writing by the Sumerians around 6000 years ago, historians have cataloged over 3700 supernatural beings, of which 2870...
How many Mayan goddesses were there?
There were over 250 deities in the pantheon of the Maya. There were over 250 deities in the pantheon of the Maya and, owing to the mass burning of their books by Bishop Diego de Landa in 1562, much information about the gods (and Maya culture) was irretrievably lost.Jul 7, 2012
What are the 9 main Mayan gods?
Who were the Mayan gods and Mayan goddesses, and what were their names?Itzamna - the creator god.Chaac - the rain god.Yum Kaax - the nature god.Hunab Ku - the one god.Ix Chel - the goddess of medicine and childbirth.Kinich Ahau - the sun god.Ek Chuaj - merchant deity and god of cacao.Kukulkan - the serpent god.More items...
Who is the main Mayan god?
Kukulcán1. Kukulcán – The Feathered Serpent God. The feathered serpent deity, known to the Yucatec Maya as Kukulcán, is the most well-known and prominent Mayan god of the Maya pantheon. You will also see this god referred to as Gucumatz in the Quiche Maya designation and as Quetzalcoatl in the Aztec Nahuatl language.
What 4 Mayan gods are listed?
The 7 Most Important Gods in Maya CivilizationItzamná Itzamná was one of the most important gods for the Maya: he was the creator, and ruler of day and night. ... Chaac. ... Kukulkan. ... Yum Kaax. ... Ix Chel. ... Cizin. ... Hunab Ku.Feb 16, 2021
Were there any female Mayan gods?
Ix Chel – The Mayan Moon Goddess Ix Chel (or Ixchel, also called Goddess O and sometimes associated with Goddess I) was an important feminine deity in the Mayan pantheon (from both the Classic and Late Postclassic Period, circa 250 – 1550 AD).Sep 30, 2019
Who was bigger Aztecs or Mayans?
Aztec civilization inhabited central Mexico from 14th to 16th century while the Mayan empire widened all over a vast landscape in northern Central America and southern Mexico from 2600 BC.Jun 27, 2021
Who is the Mayan god of love?
IxchelIxchel (pronounced Ishchel) was the Maya goddess of the moon, of love, of gestation, of medicine, and of the textile arts. She was the wife of the sun god Ak Kin, and was often represented accompanied by a rabbit; in hieroglyphics her name appears as Chak Chel, meaning “large rainbow”.Jan 10, 2020
What do Mayan tattoos mean?
Mayans who got tattoos were honored for their bravery during the process, as it meant they had the fortitude to deal with the pain and suffering. Mayan tattoos depicted symbols of the gods, power animals and spiritual symbols to express harmony and balance or the power of night or day.
What is Mayan religion called?
Traditional Maya religion, though also representing a belief system, is often referred to as costumbre, the 'custom' or habitual religious practice, in contradistinction to orthodox Roman Catholic ritual.
What does the Mayan god Kimi look like?
Kimi*, the god of death, is the Lord of the Maya Underworld (Xibalbá), associated with death, war and sacrifice. Also known as God A, he is portrayed totally or partially as a skeleton - often shown with black spots to represent the decay of flesh.
Who is the old lady in Maya and the three?
One person who takes interest is an old lady named Ah Puch (Rita Moreno). Maya's mother does her best to get her ready for her coronation, something that Maya wants no part of.Oct 22, 2021
Who was kukulkan?
Kukulkan, also spelled K'uk'ulkan, /kuːkʊlˈkɑːn/ ("Plumed Serpent", "amazing Serpent") is the name of a Mesoamerican serpent deity that was worshipped by the Yucatec Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula before the Spanish Conquest of the Yucatán.
How many gods were there in the Maya pantheon?
She is depicted as a woman with a rope around her neck, as hanging was considered by the Maya to be the honourable way to commit suicide. While as many as 250 gods or goddesses have been identified to date, there is thought to have been many more in the enormous Maya pantheon.
What is the rainbow goddess?
To complicate matters further, there is another goddess, ‘Goddess O’, or Chac Chel, the rainbow goddess. While Ix Chel is associated with such aspects as childbirth, pregnancy, and fertility, Chac Chel ruled over death and destruction. It is entirely plausible that the two goddesses were in fact two opposite aspects of a single deity, ...
Mayan Gods and Goddesses
Learn all about the Mayan Gods and Goddesses with this helpful Teaching Wiki! Here you'll discover Mayan God and Mayan Goddess names, historical details, facts about Mayan Goddesses, Mayan pictures of gods, and links to our engaging teaching resources.
Itzamna - Mayan creator god
Itzamna was among the oldest and most important gods in the Mayan religion. He was the son of the creator god Hunab Ku, and he was associated with the sun god Kinich Ahau (as well as the goddess Ix Chel). There are many stories and myths about Itzamna since he was considered a cultural hero by the Maya.
Chaac - Mayan god of rain
Chaac was the rain god, and a particularly important god for any culture with a strong agricultural base like the Maya! The story says that he carried an axe in one hand with which he struck the clouds to make it rain. Another legend tells that Chaac was the brother of the sun god, and together they defeated their adoptive parents.
Ix Chel - Mayan goddess of medicine and childbirth
Ix Chel is known as La Blanca and is one of the most important goddesses in the vast Maya Pantheon. She was the wife of Itzamná, one of the most powerful gods. Together they had 13 children, including Yum Kaax; corn god and Ek Chuah; god of merchants, cocoa, and war.
Kinich Ahau - Mayan god of the sun
Kinich Ahau was the Sun god of Maya culture, and he was often represented by a jaguar, eagle, or deer (animals that depicted power). It is said that he was a generator of light, time, heat, and the four directions that the universe had in its vast expanse.
Ek Chuaj - Merchant deity and god of cacao
Many Mayan gods had a dual nature reflecting very different aspects of society, and Ek Chuaj is the best example of this. While he was the god of merchants and cacao, he was the god of war, chaos, and destruction too. His benevolent side was represented by a man with a large cane that worked as a lance, carrying various items on his back.
Kukulkan - The serpent god
One of the most famous of the Mayan gods was Kukulkan. He's known as the deity of water and wind, and some suggest that Kukulkan (and the later Aztec god Quetzalcóatl) were the same being.
Who is Xquic in the Maya?
She is noted for being the mother of the Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque and is sometimes considered to be the Maya goddess associated with the waning moon.
What is the name of the rain gods in the Tzolkin cycle?
Chiccan. A group of four Chorti rain gods who live in lakes and make rain clouds from the water in them. As with the Bacabs, each of the rain gods was associated with a cardinal direction. Chiccan was also the name of a day in the Tzolkin cycle of the calendar.
1. Kukulcán – The Feathered Serpent God
The feathered serpent deity, known to the Yucatec Maya as Kukulcán, is the most well-known and prominent Mayan god of the Maya pantheon. You will also see this god referred to as Gucumatz in the Quiche Maya designation and as Quetzalcoatl in the Aztec Nahuatl language. His origins date back to the Late Preclassic period.
2. Itzamná – The God of the Sky
Considered the founder of the Maya culture, patron and protector of the sciences, astrology, and writing, Itzamná is one of the most important ancient Maya gods known as the god of the sky and also as the god of wisdom.
3. Ix Chel – The Mayan Moon Goddess
Ix Chel is one of the most important goddesses in the vast Maya Pantheon (from both the Classic and Late Postclassic Period, circa 250 – 1550 AD). She was also wife to Itzamná, one of the most powerful gods.
4. Ah Puch – The God of Death
Things get a bit complicated when it comes to the mythical scope of the Mayan gods of death, and in Mayan religion, Ah Puch is just one of the many names associated with the aspect of death, including Ahal Puh, Cizin, and Yum Cimil, and he stands above the others known for his sovereign rule over death, disaster, and darkness.
5. Buluc Chabtan – The God of War
Buluc Chabtan was the Mayan god of war, violence, and sudden death. People prayed to him for success in war and, simply put, to stay on his good side in order to avoid sudden death. Blood was seen as nourishment for the gods and a human life was the ultimate gift to a deity.
Overview
Y
One of four Mopan "Grandfathers" of the earth and chief lightning god.
An important rain god at Copán and Quiriguá in the southern Maya area.
God of death, disease, and the underworld.
God of the woods, of wild nature, and of the hunt; invoked before carving out a maize field from the wilderness.
Maya mythological beings
• CHB – Books of Chilam Balam
• LAC – Lacandon ethnography
• L – de Landa
• M — Madrid Codex
• PV – the Popol Vuh.
A
The god of wine and intoxication, identified with the drink Balché.
The god of tattooing.
The god of the sky and wood, a creator deity.
God of bees and honey.
The goddess of the moon, queen of the night.
B
The old god of the interior of the earth and of thunder, sky-carrier, fourfold.
The jaguar god of the underworld. Also any of a group of jaguar gods who protected people and communities.
A sky god. One of the creator and destroyer deities who participated in the last two attempts at creating humanity.
C
A god of mountains and earthquakes. He was a son of Vucub Caquix and Chimalmat.
A creator god.
A bat and death god.
The Bacab of the north, associated with the color white, and the Muluc years. Son of Itzamna and Ixchel.
E
Ek Chuaj, the "black war chief" was the patron god of warriors and merchants. He was depicted carrying a bag over his shoulder. In art, he was a dark-skinned man with circles around his eyes, a scorpion tail and dangling lower lip.
G
The three patron deities of the Palenque kingdom, made up of a sea deity with a shell ear, GII a baby lightning god (god K), and GIII the jaguar god of fire, also patron of the number seven.
A feathered snake god and creator. The depiction of the feathered serpent deity is present in other cultures of Mesoamerica. Gukumatz of the Kʼicheʼ Maya is closely related to the god Kukulkan of Yucatán and to Quetzalcoatl of the Aztec. God of the seas, oceans, wind, and storms.