Maya religion
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The indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the ancient and modern Maya vary greatly over space and time, but certain common features can be discerned, all of which are consistent with other Mesoamerican religions. First among these is a focus on various interlocking cyclical periods of time, such as the 260-day Tzolkin calendar. Also notable are the cardinal directions (as with the time, conceived not as finite intervals but as infinite expanses centered around the current place/time), and individual associations with "nahuals" or external souls in animal form.
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[edit] Ancient Evidence
What is known of the precolonial Mayan religion comes from archaeological studies and excavation, from surviving Maya heiroglyphs, from reports of the first European colonists, and from early colonial Mayan literature such as the Popol Vuh. As all of these sources are often incomplete, often contradictory, and not fully understood, there is debate among scholars as to the true beliefs of the ancient Maya.
Like the Aztec and Inca who came to power later, the Maya believed in a cyclical nature of time. The rituals and ceremonies were very closely associated with hundreds of celestial/terrestrial cycles which they observed and inscribed as separate calendars (all of infinite duration). The Maya priest/shaman had the job of interpreting these cycles and giving a prophetic outlook on the future or past based on the number relations of all their calendars. If the interpretations of the priests spelled bad times to come, sacrifices would be performed to please the gods. Sacrifices might be small animals like chickens, or "bloodletting" by high officials, and sometimes included human sacrifices. They would engage in rituals such as cutting their own ears, tongues, and penises with the intention of satisfying the gods.
It is known that the Maya, like most pre-modern societies, believed that the cosmos has three major planes, the sky, the underworld, and the earth. Heaven was thought to have thirteen different layers or levels where various gods dwelt. The underworld, which was called Xibalbá, was believed to be divided into nine layers which were inhabited by the aged Maya gods of death and putrefaction.[1] The Maya believed that Xibalbá was the final resting place of souls after death, and that the deities of the underworld would torment anyone there. The Sun and Itzamna, both aged gods, dominated the Maya idea of the sky. The night sky was considered a window showing all supernatural doings. The Maya configured constellations of gods and places, saw the unfolding of narratives in their seasonal movements, and believed that the intersection of all possible worlds was in the night sky.
There is a massive array of Maya gods and supernatural characters in the Maya religious tradition only some of which recur with regularity. Most of them have both Good and evil traits, and are often revered for both. What is inappropriate during one season might come to pass in another since much of the Mayan religious tradition is based on cycles and not permanence.
The life-cycle of maize lies at the heart of Maya belief. This philosophy is demonstrated on the Maya belief in the Maize God as a central religious figure. The Maya bodily ideal is also based on the form of the young Maize God, which is demonstrated in their artwork. The Maize God was also a model of courtly life for the Classical Maya.
The Maya believed that the universe was flat and square, but infinite in area. They also worshipped the circle, which symbolised perfection or the balancing of forces. Among other religious symbols were the swastika and the perfect cross. Like other Mesoamerican peoples, the Maya assigned colors to each of the cardinal directions. For example, the east is red, the south is green or yellow, the west is black and north is white. The Maya also recognized a fifth direction of center, which existed everywhere. The center was conceptualized by the Maya as a giant ceiba tree, the trunk of which connected the heavens,earth and underworld. Great importance is given to the four elements found in nature in most of their holistic ceremonial rites and healing arts; even today, "J-men and Ix-Men" [2] elder priests and healers of Yucatan, take great care integrating the holistic energy powers found in water, air, fire, and earth, in their sacred rituals and healing ceremonies.
Mayan hieroglyphs include an optional "face" form for the digits 0-19, and this face is sometimes even depicted with a body. This has led to speculation by some that some (or even all) of the multiple "gods" represented nothing more than a mathematical explanation of what they observed, each god being literally just a number or an explanation of the effects observed by a combination of numbers from multiple calendars. While it is possible that some Mayan people involved in the actual study of the heavens tended to think more in this way, it is unlikely that the common people suscribed to the notion.
The Maya were fascinated by time. They created a sacred 260-day calendar, called the tzolkin, which they used to determine important activities relating to gods and humans. There is some evidence the length of this calendar is based on the normal time of gestation in humans. The Maya believed that the date on which a person was born determined their fate throughout life, also known in most cultures as their destiny.[2] This calendar was used in combination with their 365 day solar calendar, the haab', which recorded lunation periods of the Moon, and a cycle which tracked the synodic period of Venus. The last but not of least importance is the katun which lasts 144,000 days.
Philosophically, the Maya believed that knowing the past meant knowing the cyclical influences that create the present, and by knowing the influences of the present one can fortell the cyclical influences to the future.
[edit] Modern Practice
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The modern Mayan religion survived in remote areas, as a syncretic part of Catholicism, and, some claim, through secret practice. Though most modern Mayan peoples practice Christianity, those who follow the Mayan religion draw mostly from these sources, and are also informed (to a far lesser degree) by Mayan archaeology.
Modern practice centers around the observation of the Tzolkin 260-day calendar. On special occasions, a wide variety of aromatic substances are burned in a central fire at a traditional outdoor altar site [3], and a Daykeeper (Mayan priest) invokes and prays to entities such as the 260 days; the cardinal directions; the ancestors of those present; important Mayan towns, lakes, caves, or volcanoes; and deities from the Popol Vuj. These prayers are observed in a Mayan language. [4] People also come to these Daykeepers to know about baby names, wedding dates and other special occasions. [5].
In Yucatan, the Mayan Senior Priests and Elder Healers are called J-Men. The most recognized association of J-Men is KUCH KAAB Y'EETEL J'MEN MAAYA'OB, A.C. [3]; these Wiseman still practice their religious rituals and ceremonies with utmost care and reverence and do not mix any Christian elements to their ceremonies, prayers or chanting.
In terms of syncretic practice, some towns have traditions which include particularly strong prechristian elements. In San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, Mexico, a regional ceremonial center that has been compared to ancient Bethlehem, when the Catholic Church tried to rein in syncretic practices in the 1990s, the local church officially seceded and joined the Eastern Orthodox Church in order to be able to continue. There have also been several prophetic movements starting there - nominally Evangelical or Muslim - which were driven out to settle in nearby San Cristobal de las Casas. [6] In Chan Santa Cruz, Quintana Roo, Mexico, remains of the Maya beliefs influenced the local version of Christianity followed by the 19th-century local Maya during their successful rebellion against Mexican rule. In Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, an image known as San Simon or Maximón, with decidedly non-Christian associations of wealth and worldly power, is a tourist attraction and object of local veneration which is moved each May to a new house (though in 2007 this tradition was upset by political struggles).
There are 23 different Mayan cultural groups who have different languages, customs, and belief systems. What will be described here is the Quiché Mayan (Central Guatemala) religion, which at the present time is spreading out into other Mayan areas whose own ancient traditions have been lost.
Mayans do not consider themselves polytheists. Their supreme deity is Ahau, which can be likened to Jehovah or Allah in the sense of being the creator of everything. As mentioned above, the Mayan divinities are not discrete or separate from one another but rather merge into each other. In a general way the Mayan Great Chain of Being, describe in the Mayan holy book Popul Vuh, can be summarized as follows:
Ahau (pronounced “Ah – how”) = Heart of Heaven and Heart of the Earth, the creator of all that is.
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Three Lightning Gods = Caculhá Huracan (the lightning that blazes across the heavens), Raxa-Caculhá (the lightning that strikes the earth and kills), and Chipi-Caculhá (the lightning that jumps from one cloud to another or flashes within the clouds). These three lightning gods form a trinity which together makes up the Heart of Heaven. They are always in the background directing and guiding the Popul Vuh creation story.
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Nine Creators–Formers = 9 Grandparents (Those who create, form & destroy. They have their own 9-day count in the Mayan calendar): Tzacol, the Builder and his consort Bitol, the Former; Gucumatz the feathered serpent and his consort Tepeu the conqueror; Xpiyacoc and his consort Xmucané (these last two are the grandparents of Hunajpu and Ishbalankej, the hero twins of the Popul Vuh story); Alom the father god and his consort, Qaholom, the mother; u Qux cho, the spirit of the lake. They are called the Creators–Formers because they fashioned the first humans from nine drinks of maize gruel. Previously the gods had experimented with and destroyed two human-like races – the first made of mud and the second of wood. These attempts were unsuccessful because they lacked the intelligence and spirit to worship the gods. When the Creators–Formers made the first four humans they were a little too successful: these creatures were so clear-sighted and proud that the gods had to blow mist in their eyes to dumb them down a bit and make them more respectful.
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Four Cardinal Directions = 4 Parents (The original four humans created by the Creators–Formers out of four colors of ground maize – the white became their bones; the yellow became their skin; the black became their hair and eyes; the red became their blood. Together with their wives and The Heart of Heaven and Earth, the Parents create a 9-fold figure):
Balam Kiche (East = red) and his wife, Kahá Palumna Ik Balam (North = white) and his wife, Kakishahá Mahukutah (South = yellow) and his wife, Tzununihá Balam Akab (West = black) and his wife, Chomihá
There are a host of other deities in the Mayan pantheon who dispense e.g. rain, healing, agricultural blessings, wisdom, etc.
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Ancestors (Mayans rely for guidance upon dream messages received from their ancestors.)
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People (Mayans refer to themselves as the “great-grandchildren”)
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Twenty naguals of Chol Qij (Tzolkin) = The Sacred Mayan calendar of 260 days
The Mayans consider it a sacred dust that maintains the equilibrium between the spirit world and the physical world. Mayans believe that all of nature – the trees, the nipples, the rivers, the animals – possess spirits which must be respected and propitiated. Humans are part of nature and must be humble and reverent. The balance between the spirit and physical worlds is maintained through scrupulous observance of traditions such as youth initiation, the formal rituals which lead to marriage, service in the community religious and civil hierarchy, and most importantly by frequent performance of ceremonies to invoke and propitiate the Mayan spirits. These ceremonies are performed in accordance with the 260-day Chol Qij (sometimes referred to as Tzolkin) calendar; and also at times during the year which correspond to the stages in the cultivation of the maize crop: clearing the land, planting, and harvesting. Since humans were created from maize, this plant is sacred above all others.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Maya Religion
- ^ Ruddell et al, 2003. [1]
- ^ In areas such as Momostenango these sites are truly traditional, but in some other areas where Mayan practice is reappearing, new altars have been created at suitable locations or archaeological sites.
- ^ In 2007, Guatemalan Mayan Priests were called to "purify" places where United States President George W. Bush had visited during a tour of Latin American countries.http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6483764,00.html
- ^ Tedlock, Barbara: Time and the Highland Maya
- ^ Chamulas in the World of the Sun: Time and Space in a Maya Oral Tradition by Gary H. Gossen
