The 10 most important Mayan gods in history

A summary of the most outstanding deities of this important Mesoamerican civilization.

Mayan mythology is one of the most mysterious in terms of the origin and meaning of its rituals, which are based on offering sacrifices to the Mayan gods. Although the Mayan people took on the task of putting their myths on paper, this would not be of much use after the arrival of the Spaniards to American lands.

The Spaniards burned most of the papers containing the mythology of the Maya, and for this reason there are currently many gaps in what we know about the beliefs and culture of this particular people.

However, we do, however, know about the Maya gods, entitiesHowever, we do know about the Mayan gods, entities that this Mesoamerican people worshipped. In this article we will see which are the main Maya deities that exist and some of their characteristics.

The most important Mayan gods

There are three Mayan texts that survived the burning of the Spanish (Popol Vuh, Chilam Balam, y The Chronicles of Chacxulubchen); they are where most of the information we have so far about this culture and its religion has been extracted. Based on these documents, we will now review a list of the most influential Maya gods.

1. Hunab Ku: Father of all Gods

Within the Mayan culture, this god is the only one who has life and from whom all other things come from, not only the other Mayan gods, but everything around us.

He is a dual god, so he also represents represents also the everything and the nothingness. The Mayas invoke him through the Sun, where they believe he comes from.

2. Chaac: God of lightning and rain.

This Deity is one of the most popular and praised in the pantheon of the Mayas, in view of the fact that he is attributed with gifts to provide abundant harvests. that she is attributed with the gift of providing abundant harvests.. He is illustrated as an old man with a trunk and a reptilian tongue.

In the Yucatan Peninsula, an area plagued by drought, is where this god is most venerated.

3. Itzamná: god of wisdom.

This deity is one of the most multifaceted that the Maya had. He represents the origins of science and knowledge, He is also known as the God of the Sun, sovereign of the sky, master of the day and the night..

This god is in charge of maintaining a balance between life and death, and promotes chaos so that new creations can exist.

4. Pawahtún: Charger of the Cosmos

Mayan mythology illustrates this deity in two different ways. In one version he is seen as a single old, toothless man with a turtle shell, while in other versions he is seen as four men who are in charge of holding the four corners of the universe.

Within the Mayan culture the tortoise shell is a symbol of strength and protection, as it was in one of themIt was in one of them where the Sun and the Moon hid during the destruction of the world.

5. Ixchel: goddess of love

This deity is the wife of the God of wisdom (Itzamná) and is associated to multiple actions besides love. Manual work, vegetation, fertility and medicine are some of the things with which she is associated.are some of the things she is associated with in Maya culture.

The illustration of this goddess consists of an old woman emptying a vessel on the surface of the earth.

6. Kinich Ahau: god of the sun.

There is a debate about this god, since it is said that it originates from two different deities, but it is not clear from which one it really comes from. Everything depends on the region where he is worshipped.

Some say it comes from Itzamná, while others say it comes from Kinich Kakmó. Beyond this dilemma, Kinich Ahau is considered not only the god of the sun, but also the patron saint of music and music. the patron of music and poetry.

7. Yum Kaax: god of corn

This is another of the most praised deities of the Mayas, because he is attributed with the ability to favor hunters in terms of their luck, and to be responsible for the good harvests of the sowers. The Mayas show him as a young man and busy with manual work on the land.

8. Kauil: god of fire

The Mayas describe him in their culture as the father and mother of humans. father and mother of humans, fire had a transcendental role in the mythology of the Mayas.. The inhabitants of this civilization believed that he who mastered the power of fire was able to control his inner violence.

Rituals to this god continue today based on bonfires in which the participants, after having interacted with the fire of these, leave renewed. He is illustrated as an ambiguous figure with a snake-like mouth and a long nose..

9. Ek Chuah: god of cocoa

A god provided with two specific capacities by the Mayan culture. The first one is to encourage and favor the sowing of cocoa in the land, and the second one is to promote the conflicts as patron of the promoting conflicts as patron of war..

He was very popular among street vendors, who worshipped him daily so that their sales would go well.

10. Yum Kimil: god of death

Sovereign of the Maya underworld and hell, this malevolent deity served as a source of inspiration for the illustrations that are currently given to death in many of its versions, especially the one that represents it as a skeleton.

Yum Kimil, according to Mayan mythology, prowled the homes of the sick. prowled the homes of the sick to hunt for new victims and take them to hell.. The way they had to chase him away was by shouting as loud as they could.

Bibliographical references:

• Looper, M. (2009). To be like Gods. Dance in Ancient Maya Civilization. Austin: University of Texas Press.
• Taube, K. (1992). The Major Gods of Ancient Yucatán. Washington: Dumbarton Oaks.