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The MAYAN Pantheon of GODS! Among the many hundreds of religions and spiritual explanations of the supernatural created by
humans, probably the use of a PANTHEON OF GODS is best. There is always a GOD to ask for help, or blame when things were
going wrong. This is very comforting.
AKHUSHTAL is the Goddess of Childbirth. Another God of medicine is AHAU CHAMAHEZ.
IXCHEL was also the Goddess of weaving, medicine and childbirth, rainbows and other good things.
CIT BOLON TUM is the God of Medicine.
KISIN or CIZIN is the God of Earthquakes.
EKAHAU is the God for tourists, travellers and traders. This is sometimes pronounced EK CHUAH depending on your linguistic
group.
HUNAB KU is the CREATOR GOD, but is often associated with the sun god - KINICH AHAU.
The beautiful rare MACAW PARROT OF THE JUNGLES OF THE MAYA is called KINICH KAKMO. The MACAW parrot because of it's
unique beauty is often a representation, or symbol on Earth of the SUN GOD.
The country of the MAYA, because of jungles, mountains, valleys and the massive cockpit country of the Peten jungles was
nearly always at some kind of local wars. The God of WAR was NACON. In battle, a War Chief would be chosen for each side
and when that person was captured or killed, the war was over. Modern wars elsewhere do not have these civilized ideas of
limited conflict.
BULAC CHABTAN is the GOD after a battle of war and human sacrifice at the temple pyramids. It makes sense to get rid
of your opponents leaders, if you wish to consolidate your new conquests.
YUM CIMIL is the death God, but in some Mayan linguistic groups is called AH PUCH, or the God of the underworld.
IXTAB is the God that causes people to commit suicide. People who have depression know they can reach heaven if they
commit suicide. So the practice was common and less common today, but still there.
Beautiful mountains and valleys are in the charge of the God KEKCH.
YUM KAAX is the all important God of maize, or corn.
ITZAM NA is of course the Creator of the Universe and pervades all aspects of life. This old man GOD also was patron
of the sciences, writing, mathematics and such. The God of all knowledge. The name of the creator God is also given at times
as Hunab KU. While the patron of death and destruction is a female old woman Goddess. YUM CIMIL is the death diety. ITZAMNA
brought culture, maize, cacao, healing, writing, and created the 5000 year Mayan calendars. We are approaching the end of
this cyclical historical Mayan calendar.
XIBALBA is the Christian HELL, in Maya mythology. But all spirits when dead first go into a limbo, or purgatory, for
a time. MITNAL is the place were people are tortured for their bad deeds after dying.
In some Mayan languages, BOLON TZACAB is that of the aristocratic noble lineage.
The North Star is very important in ceremonies and navigation, this is called AH CHICUM EK.
THE PURPOSE OF THE MAYAN PANTHEON OF GODS IS TO organize the cosmos into an ordered place. Create a spiritual religious
function of ceremonies to unify the society, justify wars and the authority in the Mayan Feudal Kingdoms times of the ruling
elites.
In the MAYA mythology, the BACABS are very important. These are four protective dieties, the sons of ITZAMNA and IXCHEL.
These GIANT GODS uphold the sky at cardinal points. The four Gods who are BACABS are called CAUAC, IX, KAN and MULAC. The
south is CAUAC and he is colored red. The WEST is IX and he is colored black. KAN represents the EAST and his color is yellow.
MULAC is north and is colored white.
In Mayan mythology earth goes through cycles of creation and destruction. KAN-XIB-YUI is the Mayan God who recreated
the earth, after it is destroyed by the four giant Gods the four BACABS. The Earth is usually destroyed by floods.
KAN-U-UAYEYAB There is a God who protects cities. Cities in the Mayan Empire usually governed a 26 mile radius, a distance
a farmer could walk in a day and back, which was about 13 miles over winding up and down trails.
AHMAKIQ is the God protecting crops, from the God of wind called KUKULCAN, represented in writings as a feathered serpent.
On a cheerful note, the Mayan heaven or upper world of which there were nine planes, is called YAXCHE. Good people go
here.
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