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| Very
little is known about the Maya pantheon, because so much information
has been lost, but it is clear that the Maya had more than
150 gods in total. The Mayans believed that the universe was
divided into thirteen |
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| layers.
Each of these layers had its own god. Gods had many qualities
that humans don't have. One
god could have more than one sex, or be both |
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|
old
and young, etc. Though Tepeu and Gucumatz
were responsible for the creation of humans, some stories mention that
they were only the planners and that they asked another god, Hunab K'
U to do the creating. Besides these three gods, some of the main gods
were:
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ALOM
was the god of the sky. |
|
(XIB)
CHAC was the rain god.
He was associated with creation and life (also closely related to
Kukulcan). |
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COYOPA
was the ruler of the sound of thunder. |
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HACAUITZ
was the god of the mountains. |
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The
JAGUAR god is one of
the many spirits of the forest that the Maya believed in. In order
to keep evil away some villages place jaguar "spirits" at each of
the villages entrances. |
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|
ITZAMNÁ
is the god who invented writing. He is also the patron
of the arts and sciences as well as the god of the sky. Itzamna
is one of the most important deities in the Maya pantheon. He was
entirely good. |
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IXTAB
is the suicide god (always represented with a rope
around her neck). Mayans believed that if people committed suicide
they would go to heaven. |
|
IX
CHEL is the goddess
of weaving, medicine and childbirth. She was also the ancient goddess
of the moon. She sends floods and powerful rainstorms to earth,
and is the wife of Itzamná. |
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TOHIL
was the god of fire. |
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XIB
CHAC was the Mayan rain
god. |
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XPIYACOC
was the god of marriage. |
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YUM
CIMIL was the Death
God (also called Ah Puch), or god of the underworld. |
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| "The
Big Myth" © Distant Train 2002 |
