The 10 most important Mayan gods in history

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. Despite the fact that the Mayan people took on the task of stamping their myths on paper, this would not be worth much after the arrival of the Spaniards in American lands.

The Spaniards burned a large part of the papers containing the mythology of the Mayans, and for this reason in the There are currently many gaps in what we know about the beliefs and culture of this people in particular.

But nevertheless, yes data is known about the Mayan gods, entities to which this Mesoamerican people worshiped. In this article we will see what are the main Mayan deities that exist and some of their characteristics.

• Related article: "Types of religion (and their differences in beliefs and ideas)"

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 that culture and its religion has been extracted. Based on these documents, we will now review a list of the most influential Mayan gods.

1. Hunab Ku: Father of all Gods

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

He is a dual god, so also represents everything and nothing. The Mayans 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 of the Mayan pantheon, since gifts are attributed to him to provide abundant harvests. He is illustrated as an old man with a reptilian trunk and tongue.

In the Yucatan Peninsula, an area hit by droughts, is where this god is most venerated.

3. Itzamná: god of wisdom

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

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

• You may be interested: "The 10 most important Aztec gods"

4. Pawahtun: Charger of the Cosmos

Mayan mythology illustrates this deity in two different ways. In one of the versions he is seen as a single old, toothless man with a tortoise shell, while in others they place it as four men who are in charge of supporting the four corners of the universe.

Within the Mayan culture the shell of the turtle is a symbol of strength and protection, since it was in one of them that 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 she is associated with multiple actions in addition to love. Manual works, vegetation, fertility and medicine, are some of the things with which it is associated within the Mayan 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

Regarding this God there is a debate, because it is said that he originates from two different deities but it is not clear which of them he really comes from. Everything will depend on the region where he is worshiped.

Some say that he comes from Itzamná, while others say that he comes from Kinich Kakmó. Beyond this dilemma, Kinich Ahau is considered in addition to the god of the sun the patron saint of music and poetry.

7. Yum Kaax: god of corn

He is another of the most praised deities of the Mayans, because abilities of to favor the hunters in terms of their luck, and to be responsible for the good harvests of the sowers. The Mayans show him as a young man engaged in manual work on the land.

8. Kauil: god of fire

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

The rituals to this god continue today based on bonfires in which the participants, after having interacted with the fire, come out renewed. He is illustrated as an ambiguous figure with a serpent's mouth and a long nose..

9. Ek Chuah: god of cocoa

A God provided with two specific capacities by the Mayan culture. The first is to encourage and favor the planting of cocoa on the land, and the second is to promote conflict as patron of war.

He was very popular with street vendors, who worshiped him daily to keep their sales going well.

10. Yum Kimil: god of death

Sovereign of the Mayan 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 houses of the sick to hunt new victims and take them to hell. The way they had to drive him away was by screaming as loud as they could.

Bibliographic 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 Yucatan. Washington: Dumbarton Oaks.