Comprising of more than forty cities

the Mayan Civilization arose in

Mesoamerica, between 250-900CE

.

The Maya people were some of the most advance

of all ancient Mesoamerican cultures.

They were a very knowledgeable civilization who developed their own

astronomy, calendar systems and writing. They

built great pyramidal structures and

observatories and were great potters and

weavers.

The Mayan religion was characterized by the worship of …

Gods of Nature: The worship of Gods was a major part of everyday Mayan lifestyle. The Gods were

responsible for creating a good harvest for society and without their help everyone would

perish. The afterlife: The Mayans had a strong belief in

the afterlife. The idea of one being compensated for their life on earth was also a major factor of

the afterlife.

The Underworld: The Mayan world was composed of 3 layers- the Heavens, the Earth and the Underworld. The underworld was a place where demons and evil gods and creatures lived and the Mayans conducted

many ceremonies to ensure that is where they stayed. Ritual sacrifice: This was an essential practice in

Mayan civilization. The Mayans believed that the Gods were kept satisfied through human sacrifice.

Just like most ancient societies, the Maya had their own ideas about how the world came into being. They did not have one myth but rather they had many with a great deal of interrelationship between

them.

The basic Mayan myth regarding the creation of the universe was called Popol Vuh.

Their creator God was Itzamna; the Sun God was Kinich Ahau; the God of destruction and death was the Old

Woman Goddess, she held the bowl from which the floods occurred.

The Mayans had a strong belief in several cycles of birth then a destruction that would take the form of a flood.

The Mayans believed that the Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xblanque, defeated the Lords of the underworld in a ballgame, and this became a metaphor of the life force of the sun which emerged from the underworld

every morning. The only way that rebirth could occur was after a

human sacrifice. This would keep the world in balance.

There is an eternal struggle between good and evil. If a person died as a sacrifice, a warrior in battle, a

woman in childbirth, a priest or ruler, then a person would go directly to paradise.

The Mayans had numerous deities whom they

worshipped and offered human sacrifices to.

The Sun God = Kinich Ahau

The Maize God = Yumil Kaxob

The Death God = Yum Cimil

The Hero Twins = Ixbalanque and Hunahpu

The God of fire, water, wind and air = Gukumatz

RITUALS AND PRACTICES

Mayan rituals were performed in order to satisfy their Gods. These rituals guaranteed

order in the world. Different rituals and ceremonies correspondd to different

practices such as divination, baptism, rights related to the cycles of the year, cycles of

time and ceremonies of sacrifice for the Gods.

Rituals…Rituals and ceremonies were a large part of Mayan

culture.

Divination ceremony :

This was a ritual centered on their elaborate calendar system and knowledge of astronomy. It was the job of

the priests to discern lucky days from unlucky ones and to advise the rulers the best days to do things.

Human sacrifice

This was done in order to please the Gods. In a sacrificial ceremony the human sacrifice would be placed at the

top of a pyramid or a raised platform and a priest would make an incision just below the rib cage and rib out the individuals heart with his bare hands. The heart would

then be burnt in order to nourish the Gods.

Mayan Ball Game

This ritual was a re-enactment of the Mayan myth of the Hero Twins. In this story the Hero Twins had to battle the Gods

of death from the underworld by playing a ball game.

In the story the Twins win and they rise into the heavens to be the sun and the moon. The ball is believed to represent the moon and the sun and the court the game is played on

represents the earth.

Two teams would verse each other and try to pass a ball through one of two hoops located at opposite ends of a court. The winners of the game were usually treated as heroes whereas the losers were usually given death as a

penalty.

Influence in the society…The Mayan Religion formed the basis of

everyday life in Mayan Civilization.Since religion was such a vital aspect of life the

way in which the Mayans conducted all areas of their lifestyles were believed to be

influenced and dedicated to the Gods. For example the homes where the Mayans lived were believed to be a representation of

the universe.Political, economic and military decisions were

all justified by the Gods.