Middleworld
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Middleworld is a term used to describe the Earth, or world of men, by the Ancient Maya. The Maya believed that their universe was made up of three separate worlds: the Underworld (also known as Xibalba), the Middleworld, and the Skyworld. All three were joined by the World Tree, a giant ceiba tree which served as the central pole holding the worlds together. The nine levels of the Underworld were represented by the roots, Middleworld by the trunk, and the thirteen heavens of the Skyworld by the branches. This concept is similar to the beliefs held by many ancient cultures, including the Norse, who thought that they inhabited a middle-earth. The Maya also believed that their pyramid temples were sites at which these worlds could be transversed. Maya kings, by undergoing ritual and trance, could open portals which would allow the gods - inhabitants of the sky and under worlds, to communicate with Middleworld.
[edit] Middleworld in pop culture
Just as the ancient term Middle-Earth gained popular recognition following the release of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, Middleworld has become a familiar reference in popular culture as the result of a series of young adult fantasy novels called The Jaguar Stones Trilogy. The books follow the adventures of 14-year-old Max Murphy, a modern teenager who finds himself caught up in the world of the Ancient Maya. The first book in the series, entitled Middleworld, sees Max traveling to the tiny South American country of San Xavier, where his parents, both archeologists, have disappeared while excavating a pyramid temple deep in the Maya jungle. On his journey, he discoveres the legend of the jaguar stones—a collection of five ancient artifacts which supposedly allowed the Maya kings to summon great power. Activing conduits between the world of men and the worlds of the gods, the jaguar stones grant their bearers the ability to save or destroy Middleworld. When the lost stones fall into the wrong hands, Max finds himself on a quest to save not just his parents, but all of Middleworld itself.
