MAYA COSMOLOGY

Alongside the development of sciences like astronomy and mathematics, and arts such as architecture, the Maya conceived the origin of the world, the shape of the universe and the deities living in it.

    Their interpretation of the cosmos included a plethora of gods: some benevolent, others malignant; some unattainable, others close at hand. Defining past, present and future, it concerned itself with death, the afterlife and reincarnation.

    Here we find a cosmology in which everything is attributed to divine intervention.

THE SHAPE OF THE UNIVERSE

The Maya cosmovision conceives Earth as flat and the universe as a multi-tiered square surrounded by the body of a crocodile. Within this cosmic square are three levels: the Sky, Caan; the Earth, Cab; and the underworld Xibalba. From the center of the Earth emerges the yaxche, the sacred Maya Ceiba tree. Its branches support the Sky and the trunk rests on the Earth, while its roots reach down to the underworld.

    The four corners and center of the square are considered five cardinal points, each with its own color. The center point of the cosmic square is green and from it grows the yaxche, The North is white, South is yellow, West is black and East is red. The latter is of utmost importance, for this is where the sun rises.

    Each of the cardinal points is supported by a Bacab, the Atlantean gods who also see to it that the stars and all the celestial planets remain in place for eternity.

THE SKY

Chaac
Rain God

The sky is called Caan. For the Maya, this sphere represents peace, goodness and light. Caan is the masculine force who joined with the feminine Earth so that life could be brought forth into the world. Upon death, it is towards Caan that upright humans ascend, climbing the trunk and branches of the great yaxche tree. Men who die in battle and women who die during childbirth also ascend the tree of life.

    Caan is divided into thirteen levels, represented graphically by a pyramid with six steps located in the east, six in the west and a seventh step acting as a pinnacle in the center of the cosmos. The thirteen levels are governed by Oxlahuntiku gods, also considered as a single god. Not all their full names and glyphs known. What has been possible to decipher is that these celestial gods interrelate closely with the inhabitants of the earth as with the gods of the underworld.

    Ruling over the various sky gods—inhabiting the seventh level—is the creative divinity Hunab Ku, who being incorporeal, is one of the few gods lacking an actual graphic representation. When honored, the associated rituals were a standard part of any priest's duties and so sacred that they remained hidden from the average Maya.

    Itzam Na, Hunab Ku's son, and lord the skies, presides over the divine society. He is the god of medicine, earth and fire, as well as the inventor of writing and books. He sends rain down to Earth, making the ground ready for planting. Like many of the Maya gods, Itzam NA is four gods in one. Each of his four manifestations has its own color and orientation, closely resembling the cardinal points: red in the East, white in the West, black in the North and yellow in the South. The ancient Maya evoked him through prayers and ceremonies to request two fundamental favors: rain for good harvests and the prevention of public calamities.

    Sharing the skies with Itzam NA is an array of lesser gods—though of great importance to the Maya—who rule over different aspects of Nature. Kinich Ahau, the Sun God, heads this group and is represented simultaneously as a good-looking youth and as a bent old man with a huge prominent nose. This duality mirrors his behavior towards humankind. The lovely youth acts benevolently, on his daily trip through the thirteen levels of the Sky, and malignantly when traveling through the various regions of the underworld. In his role as the Sun God, he watches over health, music, poetry and writing.

    His companion is Ixchel, goddess of the Moon, fertility, medicine, weaving, rainbows, songs and childbirth. Ixchel also watches over bodies of water, such as lakes, lagoons, natural wells (cenotes), underground rivers and the ocean, thus receiving such names as "Lady of the Sea" or "She Who Dwells in the Middle of the Sinkhole." The marriage between Kinich Ahau and Ixchel is usually a peaceful and happy one; however, whenever they disagree, the whole cosmos resounds with their strife and cosmic changes, such as eclipses, result.

    Noh Ek (Great Star) and Xaman Ek (Star of the North) are two sky deities influencing daily life, though in a lesser way. Noh Ek, the god of planet Venus, is responsible for good hunting while Xaman Ek, god of the Polestar, is a benevolent deity on whom ancient navigators relied on when sailing at night.

    Also dwelling in Caan is Chaac, the Rain God, also associated with the creation of life. He also has a quadruple identity; as Kunku Chaac, the Red God of the West, he causes lightning and rain, the latter being indispensable for a good harvest.

    His vital role in the primarily agricultural Maya society is perhaps why he is the most enduring deity in present Maya religious practices. Today, indigenous Maya communities perform ceremonial offerings and dedications to Chaac, in hopes of a good rainfall and the prevention of drought.

    Finally, there is Kukulcan, the feathered serpent, a dual god representing both the Earth's wish to ascend to the sky, and the sky descending to Earth. Chaos becomes order through Kukulcan, as he represents the merging of opposites.

THE EARTH

Itzam Cab Ain
Earth Crocodile

Earth, the middle world, is the back of a great reptile. Since reptiles are considered divine animals, earth itself constitutes a deity. According to this belief, the Maya live inside a god who provides food, water and all the materials necessary for creating clothing and buildings.

    Of all that the earth produces, there is one plant that the Maya think represents life itself: maiz (corn) According to the Popol Vuh, a sacred book written in the 12th century, the original Gods used maiz to create man, after two attempts with clay and wood failed; as humans are made of maiz, each time we consume it we renew ourselves.

    On Earth live the Tzultacah gods-whose name means mountain plain. Their number is undetermined, though in some regions they are invoked as the Thirteen Tzultacah. Each of these gods lives within the mountain it watches over. Male and female, Tzultacah exist side by side, taking on an almost worldly life: they fall in love, marry, separate, reunite, and the celebrations that take place inside the Earth for these events can be so excessive they cause rivers to overflow and lands to flood.

    The Tzultacah are protective gods, helping humans by watching over their harvests and cattle; and as owners of all game animals, they set prey free to assure men of good hunting. In return, humans worship and offer gifts to the mountains where the gods dwell, including the blood of small sacrificial animals.

    The ancient Maya all shared the same concept of the universe, in the sense that every human action was meant to please the gods and maintain the natural balance of the world. As long as humanity followed this basic premise, the gods would continue to protect the community.

    This code remains in effect today: the belief that goodness, loyalty, abstinence from physical pleasures, respect for nature, and care of children and the cornfields all lead to the thirteen levels of the Sky, where one will enjoy peace and rest. Those not complying are destined for a prolonged stay in the underworld, perhaps in the form of dogs or mules who work incessantly until—after sufficient suffering—their souls are finally allowed back to Earth for another chance.

THE UNDERWORLD

Ek Chuah
God of War

The Underworld is both feared and respected by the Maya. Filled with beings bearing malice towards humans, Xibalba is made up of nine levels of darkness and shaped like an inverted pyramid. Each level has a step: four descending from the West, four ascending to the East and a fifth step sitting over the center of the Underworld.

    All humans must make a dangerous passage through the Underworld on their way up to the Sky. In recognition of the arduous journey, the dead are buried with a new pair of shoes, wood to fend off wild animals and food, usually corn. The voyage takes them across lakes and rivers, crossings that can only be accomplished with the help of a dog as a guide. This belief is strong among the Ttzotzil, Tzeltal and Lacandon tribes of Chiapas, Mexico.

    The nine levels of the Maya Underworld are governed by the Bolon Ti Ku, consisting of nine ruling deities. In the fifth level, deepest of all, resides Ah Puch, God of Death, represented by a skull with it's spine and ribs exposed, always wearing bells. Helping him in his evil endeavors is the Jaguar God, the animal most revered and feared by the Maya.

    The Jaguar also helps the sun complete its nightly journey through the darkness, its spotted fur symbolizing the starry skies. The Lacandon Indians of Chiapas believe that one day the Jaguar will devour the sun, thereby obliterating life on Earth. In the meantime, the Sky and the Underworld continue their perpetual antagonism as the thirteen gods of the Sky combat the nine lords of the Underworld.

    The eternal confrontation between good and evil produces the natural phenomena on Earth. The benevolent gods are responsible for thunder, sunshine and rain; resisting these powers, the malignant gods—desirous of death and destruction—turn to drought, hurricanes and war.

    The need for balance between these forces is a powerful one and humans must do their part to achieve harmony on Earth. The Maya have an important role to play in this cosmic battle. Offerings and sacrifices must be made to appease the malignant gods and to keep the benevolent deities happy, so that they will continue to shower humanity with their gifts.