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Very advanced civilizationDeveloped a written language and calendar
Popol VuhCosmos and nature were very importantReligion developed around those practicesLarge City States – largest was TeotihuacanPolytheistic religion
Mayan Civilization
Broken up into the earth, sky, moon, sun, caves, and the mountains
The cosmos affected their ritual cyclesMountains were viewed as animated beings
Cosmos
The Mayan people divided the earth and sky into four different sections
Each direction was associated with its’ own color and society was built upon this belief of the four directions
Four Cardinal Directions
They protected and watched over the people, and all kings would become divine ancestors when they died
Were seen to give spiritual guidance and protection to their people
Rituals were the last major belief in the Mayan community
Human Ancestors
Each god was associated with a specific taskFor example, Itzamma was the creator and
patron of knowledgeImportant celestial bodies (sun, moon) were a
major and important group of deitiesAnother group of gods were associated with the
natural world such as crop production and rainThe last major group were the patrons of
various social and occupational groupsEk Chuah was the god of merchants and cacao
producers
Gods
The Mayan’s believed that Gods were like any other human being living on earth. They need to be nourished, cured of imperfections and capable of faults (Wolfgang von Hagen 1961: 357-58).
To please and pray to the gods, The Mayan’s offered human sacrifices to them. Human sacrifice was used in times of trouble, prayer, or celebration.
Purpose of Sacrifice
The Mayan’s mainly used three different types of sacrifices to please the gods.
The three types are the Arrow Ceremony, the heart rendering ceremony, and blood sacrifices.
3 types of Sacrifices
Arrow CeremonyIn this sacrifice, the
victim, usually a prisoner of war, would be tied in a crucifix fashion to a wooden frame high off the ground.
A Mayan priest would then wound the victim in their place of shame, usually the genitals, and the blood that dripped was smeared onto a nearby idol.
The next practice was to have a set of dancers with arrows come in and symbolically dance around the victim.
After the dance, they would then stand in front of the victim and shoot arrows in a way that “would make the whole chest look like a hedgehog of arrows (Wolfgang von Hagen 1961: 358).”
Heart Rendering CeremonyIn this ceremony, the
victim would be placed spread eagle over a sacrificial stone in a way that would arch the chest for exposure of the heart.
The victim’s arms and legs be held down by “chacs” or priests in the Mayan religion.
As the arms and legs were being held, another priest would drag a flint knife across the chest of the victim, exposing the heart.
The final process is the “the arm of God would plunge into the heart and seized the heart like a raging tiger and snatched it out alive (Wolfgang von Hagen 1961: 358).”
The final type of Sacrifice was the Blood Ceremony. Blood in the Mayan religion was believed to express vital principles even outside the body. They believed it processed magical powers that were pleasing to the Gods.
Victims blood usually came from the genitals of Males because it was especially pleasing to the Gods.
The Blood Ceremony
In the 1500s, the Mayans were conquered and oppressed by the Spaniards
Spaniards were devout Catholics and did not tolerate other religions
In order to survive, the Mayan religion adapted and took on some Catholic principles
Syncretism
A Blended ReligionCatholic beliefs
were incorporated into the Mayan religion
Important Catholic figures such as the saints, Jesus, Mary, and God were incorporated
“Cofradias” – serve the saints
Old Mayan BeliefsSun god = Kinich
AhauMoon = Ix ChelSpirits and lesser
deities were the guardians of field, hearth, and heart
Sun god = God, or more frequently Christ
Moon = Mary, the Virgin Mother
Saints are the guardians of field, hearth, and heart
Example of the Blending of ReligionsSyncretinized Beliefs
A mixed religion in Guatemala that mixes earthen lords, Jesus, saints, and ancestors
Many ancient rituals and beliefs have been dropped, and new Catholic ones developed
Still have some of old pure Mayan beliefsThe “Monkeys”
Costumbre: The Perfect Example
Although Catholicism has exerted a strong influence, Mayans still maintain there identity
Strong Native nationalism movements developed
Still maintain important beliefs not changed by CatholicismThe concept of the soul is drastically different
from the Catholic Perspective
Modern Mayans