The
ancient Maya civilization was centered around the lands of eastern
Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. This ancient
Mesoamerican civilization (the term Mesoamerica refers to the regions
of Mexico and central America before the Spanish colonization of 16th
century) has been roughly divided into three distinct phases viz., the
Preclassic period (2000 B.C. to 250 A.D.), the Classic period (250 A.D.
to 900 A.D.), and the Postclassic period (900 A.D. to the 16th century
A.D.). The people of ancient Maya are best remembered for their highly
developed artistic, architectural, astronomical, and mathematical
systems. Their written language that we have in the form of numerous
inscriptions and codices, has been deciphered to a large extent by now,
and unfolds some of the greatest mysteries of an advanced rainforest
civilization.
* Place the cursor over the images for details. Sources of Mayan Religion
Inscribed Mayan Tablet One
of the most interesting aspects of the Maya civilization was the
religion that they practiced. The sources that tell us about the
ancient Mayan religion are diverse and varied. They include the
following:
•
The three Maya codices that have managed to withstand the ravages of
times. These are nothing but hieroglyphic texts, which were written by
the Mayans themselves.
•
Early colonial Mayan treatises such as Popol Vuh and the Ritual of the
Bacabs, which provide us with historical accounts and mythological
narratives, with respect to the various religious practices of the
ancient Mayans.
•
The large number of scattered archaeological remnants of the mighty
civilization, which include, not only their magnificent edifices, but
also their epigraphs, their sculptures, and small artifacts such as
pottery and terracotta figurines.
All
these sources, alongside some others, have proven to be of great help
in decoding the religious practices and beliefs of the people of
ancient Maya civilization. What we know from these sources is that the
ancient Mayan religion was chiefly characterized by their belief in the
concepts of astrology, divine prophecy/divination, and bloody rituals
that involved animal as well as human sacrifices. We also know that the
ancient Mayan people were worshipers of nature, and hence their gods,
more often than not, stood for natural entities. This, so-called
paganistic faith, was widespread within a number of indigenous
kingdoms, before Christianity made its way into Mesoamerica. These
indigenous kingdoms had their own set of local beliefs and customs, on
which the Mayan religion came to be based. Hence, we also see certain
variations in the faith as we travel further and further in
Mesoamerica. Nevertheless, the basic foundation of the faith is the
same throughout.
Sacred Landscape of Maya
Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá •
In ancient Maya, the landscape that was given sacred connotations,
played a crucial role. The entire topography of the earth was
considered to be alive and animate. The topographic features,
especially the caves, the mountains, and the water bodies were believed
to be living entities participating in the day-to-day affairs of the
human beings.
• The people of ancient Maya assigned the various topographical features of their landscape with specific functions.
•
They regarded physical features such as mountains, valleys, caves,
water bodies, etc. as divine entities and sometimes, also as their
ancestors.
•
There are numerous evidences of such landmarks in the Yucatán peninsula
(modern-day southeastern Mexico), and also of numerous cenotes/wells of
sacrifice across the region.
•
One such sacred cenote is located at the Mayan pilgrimage site of
Chichén Itzá, where solid evidences have been found of ritualistic
human sacrifices in the form of skeletal remains.
• Owing to the Mayan concept of religious topography, there are also a large number of shrines built in caves, mountains, etc.
Religious Sacrifices
Human Sacrifice •
Sacrifices, both animal and human, were central to the ancient Mayan
religion. This does not mean that the religion was completely
sacrificial in nature, but sacrifices seem to have been made in large
numbers, in order to please the gods and to get a good harvest.
•
Sacrifices, in the Mayan religion, were special rituals that were
presided over by the Mayan priests. While the instances of animal
sacrifices seem to have been more common than those of human
sacrifices, there are clear evidences of the practice of ritualistic
blood-letting by the humans. Blood meant life to the ancient Mayans and
so, it was the most precious thing that they could offer to their gods.
•
Generally, whenever the humans had to be sacrificed, it was the
prisoners of war, children or devoted volunteers, who would be chosen.
A recent study by the University of Yucatán shows that, contrary to
popular belief, the sacrificed individuals were mostly young boys, and
not virgin girls.
•
Some ancient sources tell us about the entire process of the ritual of
human sacrifice that was practiced by the ancient Mayans. ❝
First, a stone altar was prepared with a black polish applied to it.
The person to be sacrificed, would be covered in blue paint and then,
made to lie on his back on the altar. His ankles and wrists would be
tightly clasped, so that he would not be able to move. In the sound of
drums covered with deerskin, the high priest, dressed in a black robe,
would strike the chest of the victim with a sharp, obsidian knife. The
heart of the sacrificed individual, which would be still beating
immediately after his death, would then be pulled out of his chest, and
gifted to the gods.❞ •
Human sacrifices were performed in several other ways as well.
According to some sources, individuals were taken to the top of the
Mayan pyramids (which were their shrines), and then thrown down with
force. This caused immediate death in most cases. Where the person did
not die in the first attempt, he was again taken to the top and then
thrown down for the second time. The process was repeated until the
person eventually succumbed to death.
•
In other instances, the Mayans also had their 'wells of sacrifice', as
mentioned above. These were deep sinkholes, into which the victims were
pushed and left to die in their watery graves.
The Mayan Priests
Mayan Priest •
In ancient Maya, priesthood was a hierarchical institution. The entire
setup comprised a community of professionally qualified individuals,
who functioned as intermediaries between the common people and the gods.
•
Complete knowledge of the art of reading and writing was the X factor
of the priestly class, due to which they were held in high esteem, both
by the common masses as well as by the royalty.
•
They not only performed sacrifices and other sacred rituals, but they
were also well-versed in the science of astrology, and made prophecies.
•
Their main function was to keep and preserve detailed knowledge and
records about the various gods and their cults. They were also required
to be extremely well-acquainted with ancient historiography and
lineages, especially of the ruling class.
•
Mayan priests were usually male, except some rare instances of female
priesthood, where the chief would be a princess from the royal
bloodline.
•
While the position of the high priest was governed strictly by
heredity, the lower orders were not, and would be appointed by the high
priest himself.
•
We have ample evidences of priestly-looking Mayan statues. These are
iconographically, ascetic figures that have been depicted reading and
writing. However, in the absence of solid evidence, it is difficult to
say if these are priests or royal scribes or whether the priests
themselves functioned as royal scribes.
The Mayan Pantheon
Itzamna •
The ancient Maya pantheon consisted of a plethora of gods and
goddesses, each assigned with a defined role and function, which they
needed to perform for welfare of the human race.
•
The Mayan pantheon can be classified under six broad categories viz.,
the immortal deities, the ancestors, the mortal heroes, the animal
persons, the malevolent spirits and spooks, and the lesser beings such
as dwarfs and goblins.
•
The immortal deities of the ancient Mayans were those natural entities
on whom they most depended on. For instance, they worshiped Itzamna,
the God of bountiful harvest. He was considered as the 'creator' in the
Mayan mythology, and was associated with corn, their major crop. At the
same time, the ancient Mayans also had personifications of sun, rain,
moon, lightening, and so on.
•
Ancestor worship was widely prevalent in ancient Maya. They believed in
the eternal existence of ancestors, whose descendants they considered
themselves to be. These ancestors were usually unknown individuals,
having continuous residences in mountains and caves. Hence, not only
the ancestors, but the topographic features were also venerated.
Hero Twins •
The third in line were the mortal heroes. These were also ancestors,
but their identities were known to the Mayans. They were venerated
because of their heroic deeds. The best known of these heroes, are the
twins named Hunahpu and Xbalanque, who have been regarded as the
ancestors of the Mayan ruling families.
•
The animal persons were the various 'sacred' animals, birds, and
insects, who were represented with human attributes. They performed
various humanly tasks. For instance, the Owl was the Messenger of the
Lord of the Underworld, the Howler Monkey was a writer and a sculptor,
the Jaguar was depicted as a high priest, etc.
•
After the animal persons, were the various spooks, spirits, and demons,
who were malevolent and extremely harmful in nature. They always landed
humans into great trouble and hardship. However, the exact position of
these beings in the Mayan pantheon is not very clear.
•
At the bottom of the Mayan pantheon, lied the goblins and the dwarfs,
who were often portrayed alongside the deities. These lesser beings,
were both, benevolent as well as malevolent. However, in order to
achieve their benevolence, they needed to be appeased.
