![]() It is entirely plausible that the two goddesses were in fact two opposite aspects of a single deity, in accordance to the dualistic nature of the Maya gods. While Ix Chel is associated with such aspects as childbirth, pregnancy, and fertility, Chac Chel ruled over death and destruction. To complicate matters further, there is another goddess, ‘Goddess O’, or Chac Chel, the rainbow goddess. This is also the case for ‘Goddess I’, identified as Ix Chel, the moon goddess. (mayavase / Public Domain ) The Maya Moon GoddessesĪhau Kin is not the only Maya deity to be depicted as belonging to two different age groups. God G - Kinich Ahau – Maya god of the sun also the Maya jaguar god. Apart from rulers, Ahau Kin was also associated with jaguars, fire, and decapitation. Nevertheless, he has been represented either as a middle-aged man or an elderly individual. The god is often portrayed with a beard, which may symbolize the rays of the sun. Moreover, depictions of Ahau Kin can be found in many carvings on Maya pyramids. The significance of this deity is evident in the use of his name as a royal title, which indicates the divine status of the king. Public Domain ) The Divine God - Maya Sun God / Maya God of FireĪnother prominent Maya deity was ‘God G’, the Maya sun god, later identified as Ahau Kin or Kinich Ahau. Terra cotta statue of Chak - Maya god of rain also the Maya god of war at San Francisco's deYoung museum. He is sometimes depicted in art as an old man with reptilian / amphibian features and a long, pendulous, curling nose. Chak was the god of lightning and rain and was closely associated with the fertility of the land, hence making him a very important deity. ![]() One of these, for instance, was Schellhas’ ‘God B’, later identified as Chak, who is thought to be one of the oldest gods in the Maya pantheon. It is unclear if the Maya had a supreme deity, but we do know that they worshipped a number of important ones. Did the Maya Worship Just One Supreme Deity? Moreover, it is thanks to the efforts of such scholars that we have some understanding of the Maya religious system. It was only later on, when the Maya writing script was deciphered, that the names of these deities could be identified. As the Maya writing script had yet to be deciphered, and therefore the names of the deities were unknown, Schellhas designated a letter for each of the deities he identified. The scholar credited with the first compilation of the iconography of the Maya deities was Paul Schellhas, whose monograph on the Maya deities found on manuscripts was published in 1910. (Francis Robicsek / Public Domain ) Identification and Understanding Comes to Light In addition, while information about the Aztec pantheon was being assembled as early as the Colonial period, it was only during the early 20 th century that scholarly attention was first drawn to that of the Maya. As a consequence, the names and even nature of the Maya deities changed according to space and time. Each Maya community was free to interpret their religion in the way that best suited them. Instead, the Maya civilization was a patchwork of loosely confederated political entities. Unlike the Aztecs, who were able to integrate their entire cultural sphere into a single state, the Maya were not able to do so. The complexity of the Maya pantheon may in part be attributed to the way Maya society was organized. ![]() Interpretation was in the Eye of the Beholder To date, at least 250 Maya deities have been identified. Maya gods and goddesses were dualistic in nature and were changeable. The deities of the Maya pantheon governed every aspect of nature and human life and were quite complex characters. The equivalent fire deity for the Otomί was Otontecuhtli.The Maya were a polytheistic people who believed in a multitude of gods and goddesses. Xiuhtecuhtli was often identified or equated with the older god of fire Huehueteotl (usually portrayed in stark contrast to the youthful Xiuhtecuhtli as a wrinkled old man with no teeth) who was himself a possible reincarnation of the still older Olmec God I. The name of the god derives from the Nahuatl word for turquoise xihuitl, which also means 'year' suggesting the god also represented time. In Mesoamerican mythology the fundamental element of fire was thought to run through the entire universe and wherever there was fire, so too was Xiuhtecuhtli. His nagual or animal spirit was Xiuhcóatl or the Fire Serpent and his special number was three because in traditional Mesoamerican homes there were three hearths. ![]() He was the 1st Aztec Lord of the Night and 1st of the Lords of the Day. Xiuhtecuhtli was the patron of the day Atl (water) and the trecena period 1 Coatl (Snake). Xiuhtecuhtli or 'Turquoise Lord' was the Aztec god of fire and also closely associated with young warriors and rulers. ![]()
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