By: Tim Donohue

Chris Imken

Jeff Stumm

The Religion of the Mayans

The Mayans

Very advanced civilizationDeveloped a written language and calendar

Popol VuhCosmos and nature were very importantReligion developed around those practicesLarge City States – largest was TeotihuacanPolytheistic religion

Mayan Civilization

Broken up into the earth, sky, moon, sun, caves, and the mountains

The cosmos affected their ritual cyclesMountains were viewed as animated beings

Cosmos

The Mayan people divided the earth and sky into four different sections

Each direction was associated with its’ own color and society was built upon this belief of the four directions

Four Cardinal Directions

They protected and watched over the people, and all kings would become divine ancestors when they died

Were seen to give spiritual guidance and protection to their people

Rituals were the last major belief in the Mayan community

Human Ancestors

Each god was associated with a specific taskFor example, Itzamma was the creator and

patron of knowledgeImportant celestial bodies (sun, moon) were a

major and important group of deitiesAnother group of gods were associated with the

natural world such as crop production and rainThe last major group were the patrons of

various social and occupational groupsEk Chuah was the god of merchants and cacao

producers

Gods

The Maize God

The Mayan’s believed that Gods were like any other human being living on earth. They need to be nourished, cured of imperfections and capable of faults (Wolfgang von Hagen 1961: 357-58).

To please and pray to the gods, The Mayan’s offered human sacrifices to them. Human sacrifice was used in times of trouble, prayer, or celebration.

Purpose of Sacrifice

The Mayan’s mainly used three different types of sacrifices to please the gods.

The three types are the Arrow Ceremony, the heart rendering ceremony, and blood sacrifices.

3 types of Sacrifices

Arrow CeremonyIn this sacrifice, the

victim, usually a prisoner of war, would be tied in a crucifix fashion to a wooden frame high off the ground.

A Mayan priest would then wound the victim in their place of shame, usually the genitals, and the blood that dripped was smeared onto a nearby idol.

The next practice was to have a set of dancers with arrows come in and symbolically dance around the victim.

After the dance, they would then stand in front of the victim and shoot arrows in a way that “would make the whole chest look like a hedgehog of arrows (Wolfgang von Hagen 1961: 358).”

Heart Rendering CeremonyIn this ceremony, the

victim would be placed spread eagle over a sacrificial stone in a way that would arch the chest for exposure of the heart.

The victim’s arms and legs be held down by “chacs” or priests in the Mayan religion.

As the arms and legs were being held, another priest would drag a flint knife across the chest of the victim, exposing the heart.

The final process is the “the arm of God would plunge into the heart and seized the heart like a raging tiger and snatched it out alive (Wolfgang von Hagen 1961: 358).”

The final type of Sacrifice was the Blood Ceremony. Blood in the Mayan religion was believed to express vital principles even outside the body. They believed it processed magical powers that were pleasing to the Gods.

Victims blood usually came from the genitals of Males because it was especially pleasing to the Gods.

The Blood Ceremony

In the 1500s, the Mayans were conquered and oppressed by the Spaniards

Spaniards were devout Catholics and did not tolerate other religions

In order to survive, the Mayan religion adapted and took on some Catholic principles

Syncretism

A Blended ReligionCatholic beliefs

were incorporated into the Mayan religion

Important Catholic figures such as the saints, Jesus, Mary, and God were incorporated

“Cofradias” – serve the saints

Old Mayan BeliefsSun god = Kinich

AhauMoon = Ix ChelSpirits and lesser

deities were the guardians of field, hearth, and heart

Sun god = God, or more frequently Christ

Moon = Mary, the Virgin Mother

Saints are the guardians of field, hearth, and heart

Example of the Blending of ReligionsSyncretinized Beliefs

A mixed religion in Guatemala that mixes earthen lords, Jesus, saints, and ancestors

Many ancient rituals and beliefs have been dropped, and new Catholic ones developed

Still have some of old pure Mayan beliefsThe “Monkeys”

Costumbre: The Perfect Example

Although Catholicism has exerted a strong influence, Mayans still maintain there identity

Strong Native nationalism movements developed

Still maintain important beliefs not changed by CatholicismThe concept of the soul is drastically different

from the Catholic Perspective

Modern Mayans

Wolfgang von Hagen, V. (1961). The Ancient Sun Kingdoms of the America’s. Cleveland, Ohio, USA: The World Publishing Company.

Works Cited