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Maya civilization

Languages | Peoples
Architecture | Calendar
Human sacrifice | Mythology
Peoples | Religion
Society | Textiles
Pre-Columbian Music
Trade | Writing
Maya history

Classic Maya collapse
Spanish conquest of Yucatán

Maya mythology refers to the pre-Columbian Maya civilization's extensive polytheistic religious beliefs. The Maya civilization is a Mesoamerican Civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the Pre-Columbian Americas The Maya peoples constitute a diverse range of the Native American peoples of southern Mexico and northern Central America. As unique and spectacular as any Ancient Egypt, Greek or Roman architecture, Maya architecture spans several thousands of years The Maya calendar is a system of distinct Calendars and Almanacs used by the Maya civilization of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and by Human sacrifice is the act of Homicide (the Killing of one or several Human beings in the context of a Religious ritual ( ritual killing The Maya peoples constitute a diverse range of the Native American peoples of southern Mexico and northern Central America. Nowadays the Maya religion of Chiapas and Yucatan (Mexico Guatemala Belize and western Honduras is full of tensions between the traditional ancestral religion the 're-invention Maya society shared many features with other Mesoamerican civilizations for there was a high degree of interaction and Cultural diffusion throughout the region Knowledge of Mayan textiles is limited mostly to Elite ceremonial costumes nonetheless their clothing has significant representation in the complexities of their culture The Music that was central to Pre-Columbian Maya culture still remains a bit of a mystery today During the height of the Maya civilization, trade was a crucial factor in maintaining cities The Maya script, also known as Maya hieroglyphs, was the writing system of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica, presently The Classic Maya Collapse refers to the decline and abandonment of the Classic Period Maya cities of the southern Maya lowlands of Mesoamerica between the The Spanish Conquest of Yucatán was the campaign undertaken by the Spanish Conquistadores ' against the Late Postclassic Maya states and The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences The Maya civilization is a Mesoamerican Civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the Pre-Columbian Americas Polytheism is belief in or worship of multiple Gods (usually assembled in a pantheon) together with associated Mythology and Rituals A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos These beliefs had most likely been long-established by the time the earliest-known distinctively Maya monuments had been built and inscriptions depicting their deities recorded, considerably pre-dating the 1st millennium BC. See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always The 1st millennium BC encompasses the Iron Age and sees the rise of successive empires Over the succeeding millennia this intricate and multi-faceted system of beliefs was extended, varying to a degree between regions and time periods, but maintaining also an inherited tradition and customary observances. A millennium (pl millennia) is a period of Time equal to one thousand Years (from Latin la mille, thousand and la annum The Maya shared many traditions and rituals with the other civilizations and cultures in the Mesoamerican region, both preceding and contemporary societies, and in general the entire region formed an interrelated mosaic of belief systems and conceptions on the nature of the world and human existence. A Civilization is a society in which large numbers of people share a variety of common elements Mesoamerica or Meso-America (Mesoamérica is a Region extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, defined EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 Prehistory See also Prehistory Paleolithic See also Paleolithic, Recent African Origin, Early Homo sapiens However, the various Maya peoples over time developed a unique and continuous set of traditions which are particularly associated with their societies, and their achievements. The Maya peoples constitute a diverse range of the Native American peoples of southern Mexico and northern Central America.

Despite the ca. early 10th century "Terminal collapse", during which Maya monument construction and inscription recording effectively ceased over large areas and many centers were subsequently abandoned, the Maya peoples themselves endured and continued to maintain their assorted beliefs and traditions. The maintenance of these traditions can be seen in the relics and products of those centers which flourished during the Post-Classic phase, such as in the northern Yucatán Peninsula, occasionally combined with other influences more characteristic of the Gulf coast and central Mexican regions. Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into a number of named successive eras or periods from the earliest evidence of human habitation The Yucatán Peninsula, in Southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Although the southern lowland and highland Maya regions of present-day Guatemala saw very little further monument building during this period, the maintenance of traditional beliefs among the local Maya is attested by the accounts and reports of the 16th and 17th century Spanish. Guatemala (República de Guatemala) is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west the Pacific Ocean to the southwest As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar The Spanish Empire (Imperio Español was one of the largest Empires in history and one of the first Global empires In the 15th and 16th centuries

Though the Spanish conquest interrupted the Mayan tradition of elite literacy and destroyed the large majority of Mayan codices, the stories and traditions of the Maya continued to be handed down to succeeding generations, albeit much influenced and restricted by the influx of European practices and beliefs, Roman Catholicism in particular. The Spanish Conquest of Yucatán was the campaign undertaken by the Spanish Conquistadores ' against the Late Postclassic Maya states and Maya codices (singular Codex) are folding Books stemming from the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization, written in Maya hieroglyphic Many Maya have experienced considerable persecution for their beliefs and political oppression over the centuries since the first European arrivals; although there can be no doubt that Maya society and tradition has undergone substantial change, many Maya people today maintain an identity which is very much informed by their collective history, traditions and beliefs– a heritage which is distinctively Maya even where substantially combined with the widespread adoption of Christianity. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Modern Mayan oral traditions are often referred to as Maya folklore to distinguish them from the pre-Columbian literate mythology.

Apart from epigraphy on monuments (which deal primarily with commemorations and dynastic successions), only three complete Maya texts and fragments of a fourth are known to have survived into the present day. Epigraphy (ἐπιγραφολογία from Greek ἐπιγραφή — "inscription" is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs engraved The majority of the Maya codices were burned by Europeans like Bishop Diego de Landa during their conquest of Mesoamerica and subsequent efforts to convert the Maya peoples to Christianity. Maya codices (singular Codex) are folding Books stemming from the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization, written in Maya hieroglyphic A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight Diego de Landa Calderón ( 12 November, 1524 &ndash 1579 was Bishop of Yucatán. The Maya peoples constitute a diverse range of the Native American peoples of southern Mexico and northern Central America. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Available knowledge of Maya mythology, as such, is rather limited. What is known is drawn largely from 16th - 17th century accounts of post-conquest Maya beliefs and traditions, which do not necessarily correspond with the traditions which were maintained in earlier times.

Contents

Overview

In common with other Mesoamerican civilizations, each of the cardinal (or world-) directions were ascribed certain properties and associations. These attributes held a particular significance, and they provided one of the major frameworks which interlinked much of Maya religion and cosmology. Cosmology (from Greek grc κοσμολογία - grc κόσμος kosmos, "universe" and grc -λογία -logia) is study The Maya world-view recognized the four primary compass directions, and each of these was consistently associated with a particular color— east with red, north with white, west with black and south with yellow. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST internal designation HT-7U is an experimental Superconducting Tokamak Magnetic fusion energy This is about the direction for other uses see North (disambiguation. This article refers to the cardinal direction for other uses see West (disambiguation. South is one of Cardinal directions and is opposite to the North. These associations and their respective glyphs are attested from at least the Early Classic period, and also figure markedly in the Postclassic Maya codices. The Maya script, also known as Maya hieroglyphs, was the writing system of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica, presently Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into a number of named successive eras or periods from the earliest evidence of human habitation Maya codices (singular Codex) are folding Books stemming from the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization, written in Maya hieroglyphic [1]

A fifth 'direction', the "center", also formed a part of this scheme. Associated with a blue-green color, this was most frequently represented by a great ceiba tree, conceptualized as the "world tree" or "tree of life". Ceiba (includes Chorisia is the name of a genus of many species of large Trees found in tropical areas including Mexico, Central and World trees are a prevalent motif occurring in the mythical cosmologies creation accounts, and iconographies of the Pre-Columbian cultures of In Maya cosmology this formed a kind of axis mundi which connected the Earth's center with the layers of both the underworld and the heavens. The axis mundi (also cosmic axis, world axis, world pillar and center of the world) is a ubiquitous symbol that crosses human cultures It is believed that living ceiba trees were maintained at the center of many pre-Columbian Maya settlements in symbolic representation of this connection, and possibly one was placed at each of the four cardinal directions as well. [2]

Maya deities each displayed different aspects based on these five directions as well as a number of other natural and symbolic cycles observed by the Maya.

Maya deities also had dualistic natures associating them with day or night, life or death. Dualism denotes a state of two parts The word's origin is the Latin duo, "two". There were thirteen gods of the thirteen heavens of the Maya religion and nine gods of the nine underworlds. Between the upperworlds of the heavens and the underworlds of the night and death was the earthly plane which is often shown in Maya art as a two-headed caiman or a turtle lying in a great lake. Alligators and caimans are Archosaurs Species of Crocodilians and form the family Alligatoridae (sometimes regarded instead Turtles are Reptiles of the Order Testudines (all living turtles belong to the Crown group Chelonia) most of Natural elements, stars and planets, numbers, crops, days of the calendar and periods of time all had their own gods. The gods' characters, malevolence or benevolence, and associations changed according to the days in the Maya calendar or the positions of the sun, moon, Venus, and the stars. The VENUS ( V ictoria E xperimental N etwork U nder the S ea project is a cabled sea floor observatory operated by the University

The Quiché Maya creation story is outlined in the Popol Vuh. This page is about the Native American people for other uses the dish see Quiché (disambiguation. For other uses see Popol Vuh (disambiguation The Popol Vuh ( K'iche' for "Council Book" or "Book of the Community" This has the world created from nothing by the will of the Maya pantheon of gods. Man was made unsuccessfully out of mud and then wood before being made out of maize and being assigned tasks which praised the gods — silversmith, gem cutter, stone carver, potter, etc. Some argue this story adds credence to the belief that the Maya did not believe in art per se; all of their works were for the exaltation of the gods.

After the creation story, the Popol Vuh tells of the struggles of the legendary hero twins, Hunahpu and Ixbalanque, in defeating the lords of Xibalba, the underworld. The Maya Hero Twins are the central figures of a narrative included within the the colonial Quiché document called Popol Vuh, and constituting the oldest Maya myth to have been In Maya mythology Xibalba (ʃɨbɒlbə roughly translated as "Place of fear" is the name of the Underworld, ruled by Mayan Spirits of Disease In the study of Mythology and Religion, the underworld (gr κάτω κόσμος) is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term Afterlife The twins descend into the underworld, perish, and are eventually miraculously reborn. This myth provides a metaphor for the agricultural cycle and the annual rebirth of the crops. These two stories are focal points of Maya mythology and often found depicted in Maya art.

The Creation Story

In Maya mythology, Tepeu and Gukumatz (also known as Kukulcan, and as the Aztec's Quetzalcoatl) are referred to as the Creators, the Makers, and the Forefathers. Tepeu is a K'iche'-Maya word meaning "sovereign" (also "one who conquers" or "one who is victorious" Gukumatz (Alternatively Gucumatz Gugumatz or Kucumatz. Translates as " sovereign plumed serpent " was represented as feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl (Quetzalcōhuātl keʦalˈkoːwaːtɬ is an Aztec sky and creator god. They were two of the first beings to exist and were said to be as wise as sages. Huracan, or the Heart of Heaven, also existed and is given less personification. See also Huracán (disambiguation Huracan (also Hurakan, from Mayan Jun Raqan "one legged" was a He acts more like a storm, of which he is the god.

Tepeu and Gucumatz hold a conference and decide that, in order to preserve their legacy, they must create a race of beings who can worship them. Huracan does the actual creating while Tepeu and Gucumatz guide the process. Earth is created, but the gods make several false starts in setting humanity upon the earth. Animals were created first; however, with all of their howling and squawking they did not worship their creators and were thus banished forever to the forest. Man is created first of mud, but they just dissolved and crumbled away. Other gods are summoned and man is next created of wood but has no soul, and they soon forgot their makers, so the gods turned all of their possessions against them and bring a black resinous rain down on their heads. Finally man is formed of masa or corn dough by even more gods and their work is complete. Masa is Spanish for Dough, but in Mexico it sometimes refers to Cornmeal dough ( masa de maíz in Spanish As such, the Maya believed that maize was not just the cornerstone of their diet, but they were also made out of it. Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica

Notable Gods

See also List of Maya gods and supernatural beings

PV=Popol Vuh, L=Landa

Bacabs

The Bacabs were four brothers, the sons of Itzamnaaj and Chak Chel. Bacab is the generic Yucatec name for each of the four pre-Spanish aged Maya deities of the interior of the earth and its water deposits In Yucatec Maya mythology Itzamna was the name of an upper god and creator deity thought to be residing in the sky A creator god placed these skybearers at the four corners of the universe. Because each stands at one of the four cardinal directions, each is associated with a color, and also with a specific segment in the Maya calendar.

References to the Bacabs are found in the 'Relación de las Cosas de Yucatán', of the sixteenth-century bishop, Diego de Landa, and in various Yucatec 'Books of Chilam Balam'. Diego de Landa Calderón ( 12 November, 1524 &ndash 1579 was Bishop of Yucatán. The Mayan Chilam Balam books are named after Yucatec towns such as Chumayel Mani and Tizimin and are usually collections of disparate texts in which Mayan and Spanish traditions The four brothers were intimately associated with the four Chaacs, or rain deities. Chaac (also rendered as Chaak or Chac) is the originally Yucatec name of the Maya rain deity In the Yucatán, the Maya of Chan Kom referred to the four skybearers as the four Chacs. Like many other deities, the Bakabs were important in divination ceremonies, being approached with questions about crops, weather, or the health of bees. Their counterparts among the Huaxtecs (the Mamlab) were also thunder gods.

The First Humans

According to the Quiche tradition of the Popol Vuh, the names of the first ancestors were as follows.

The Men

B'alam Agab
Meaning "night jaguar," he was the second of the men created from maize after the Great Flood sent by Hurakan. He married Choimha.
B'alam Quitze
Meaning "jaguar with the sweet smile," was the first of the men created from maize after the Great Flood sent by Hurakan. The gods created Caha-Paluma specifically for him to marry. Alternative names: Balam Quitze, Balam Quitzé
Iqi B'alam
Meaning "moon jaguar," he was the third of the men created from maize after the Great Flood sent by Hurakan. The gods created Cakixia specifically to be his wife.
Mahucatah
Meaning "distinguished name," he was the fourth of the men created from maize after the Great Flood sent by Hurakan. The woman Tzununiha was created just for him.

Their Wives

Caha-Paluma
Meaning "falling water," she was a woman created specifically to be the wife of Balam-Quitzé.
Cakixia
Meaning "water of parrots," she was a woman created specifically to be the wife of Iqi-Balam.
Choimha
Meaning "beautiful water", she was a woman created by the gods specifically to marry B'alam Agab.
Tzununiha
Meaning "house of the water," she was a woman created specifically to be the wife of one of the first men, Mahucatah.

Locations

Metnal
The lowest and most horrible of the nine hells of the underworld. Metnal is the ninth level of the Maya underworld Xibalba. It is a place of eternal darkness and cold Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering In the study of Mythology and Religion, the underworld (gr κάτω κόσμος) is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term Afterlife It was ruled by Ah Puch. In Maya mythology, Ah Puch (Alternatively Ahpuch or Hun ahau where the first /a/ is sometimes omitted if the words are pronounced continuously was Ritual healers would intone healing prayers banishing diseases to Metnal.
Xibalba
Also known as Xibalbá or Xibalbay, is a dangerous underworld ruled by the demons Vucub Caquix and Hun Came. In Maya mythology Xibalba (ʃɨbɒlbə roughly translated as "Place of fear" is the name of the Underworld, ruled by Mayan Spirits of Disease In the study of Mythology and Religion, the underworld (gr κάτω κόσμος) is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term Afterlife The road to it is said to be steep, thorny and very forbidding. Much of the Popol Vuh describes the adventures of the Maya Hero Twins in their struggle with the evil lords of Xibalba. For other uses see Popol Vuh (disambiguation The Popol Vuh ( K'iche' for "Council Book" or "Book of the Community" The Maya Hero Twins are the central figures of a narrative included within the the colonial Quiché document called Popol Vuh, and constituting the oldest Maya myth to have been

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Miller and Taube (1993), pp. World trees are a prevalent motif occurring in the mythical cosmologies creation accounts, and iconographies of the Pre-Columbian cultures of The Vision Serpent is an important creature in Pre-Columbian Maya mythology. Mayanism is a term coined to cover a non-codified eclectic collection of New Age beliefs influenced in part by Pre-Columbian Maya mythology and some folk New Age ( New Age Movement and New Age Spirituality) is a Social Collective Phenomenon and a Spiritual Nature 77–78.
  2. ^ Miller and Taube (1993), p. 57.

References

Demarest, Arthur (2004). Arthur Demarest is an anthropologist and archaeologist, known for his studies of the Maya civilization. Ancient Maya: The Rise and Fall of a Rainforest Civilization, Case Studies in Early Societies, No. 3. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Cambridge University Press (known colloquially as CUP is a Publisher given a Royal Charter by Henry VIII in 1534 ISBN 0-521-59224-0. OCLC 51438896. The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is according to its website a "nonprofit membership computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purpose  
Miller, Mary; and Karl Taube (1993). Mary Ellen Miller (b December 30, 1952) is an American Art historian and academic at Yale University. Karl Andreas Taube (born September 14, 1957)  is an American Mesoamericanist, Archaeologist, Epigrapher and ethnohistorian The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya: An Illustrated Dictionary of Mesoamerican Religion. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05068-6. OCLC 27667317. The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is according to its website a "nonprofit membership computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purpose  
Mary Miller; and Simon Martin (2004). Mary Ellen Miller (b December 30, 1952) is an American Art historian and academic at Yale University. Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05129-1. OCLC 54799516. The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is according to its website a "nonprofit membership computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purpose  
Roys, Ralph L. (trans. and ed. ) (1965). Ritual of the Bacabs: A Book of Maya Incantations, The Civilization of the American Indian Series, Vol. 77. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. The University of Oklahoma Press is the publishing arm of the University of Oklahoma. OCLC 14488101. The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is according to its website a "nonprofit membership computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purpose  
Schellhas, Paul (1904). Representation of Deities of the Maya Manuscripts (Project Gutenberg eBook republication), Selma Wesselhoft and A. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works M. Parker (trans. ), 2nd edition, revised, Papers of the Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Vol. IV - No. 1, Cambridge, MA: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is a Museum affiliated with Harvard University in Cambridge Massachusetts. OCLC 68002784. The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is according to its website a "nonprofit membership computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purpose  
Thompson, J. Eric S. (1970). For other persons named Eric Thompson see Eric Thompson (disambiguation. Maya History and Religion, Civilization of the American Indian Series, No. 99. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. The University of Oklahoma Press is the publishing arm of the University of Oklahoma. ISBN 0-8061-0884-3. OCLC 177832. The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is according to its website a "nonprofit membership computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purpose  

External links

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