(Ancient & Contemporary)

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1. Identity & Scope

• Names: Maya religion (Classic Maya, Postclassic Maya, modern Maya spirituality).
• Scope: Ancient Maya civilizations of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Mexico (Yucatán, Chiapas); modern descendants continue ceremonies.
• Nature: Polytheistic, cosmological, agricultural, emphasizing cycles of time, maize, ancestor veneration, and sacred kingship.

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2. Historical Context

• Preclassic (2000 BCE–250 CE): Formative rituals, maize deity worship, early calendars.
• Classic (250–900 CE): Elaborate temple cults, dynastic kingship, Long Count calendar.
• Postclassic (900–1500 CE): Centered at Chichen Itza, Mayapan; syncretism with Toltec influences.
• Colonial era: Spanish suppressed rituals but preserved codices and accounts.
• Modern: Maya communities maintain rituals at caves, mountains, crosses; blend with Catholicism.

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3. Sources of Evidence

• Texts: Surviving codices (Dresden, Madrid, Paris); Popol Vuh (K’iche’ Maya creation epic); Chilam Balam books.
• Archaeology: Temples, pyramids, stelae, murals, artifacts.
• Ethnography: Ongoing studies of highland Maya rituals.
• Living practice: Fire ceremonies, day-keeper traditions, pilgrimages.

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4. Pantheon & Supernatural Beings

• Supreme forces: Itzamna (creator, sky god), Hunab Ku (later “One God”).
• Major deities:
  • K’inich Ajaw (sun god).
  • Chaac (rain, lightning).
  • Ix Chel (moon, fertility, midwifery).
  • Maize God (Hun Hunahpu, reborn in cycle of corn).
• Hero Twins (Popol Vuh): Hunahpu & Xbalanque, who defeat the lords of death.
• Spirits: Animal companions (wayob), underworld lords of Xibalba.

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5. Cosmology & Myth

• Creation: Earth formed from primordial sea; several failed creations of humans before maize humans succeeded.
• Cosmos: Three-tiered world — sky, earth, underworld (Xibalba), connected by world tree (ceiba).
• Time: Cyclical; sacred 260-day Tzolk’in and 365-day Haab’ calendars interlocked; Long Count recorded cosmic eras.
• Myth cycles: Popol Vuh describes Hero Twins, maize creation, struggle with death.

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6. Ritual & Practice

• Ancient: Bloodletting, sacrifice, incense offerings, maize rituals, calendar ceremonies, ballgame linked to myth.
• Kingship: Kings performed world-renewal rituals, embodying maize god.
• Divination: Calendar priests interpreted days, omens, prophecies.
• Modern: Fire offerings at shrines, day-keeper rituals, Catholic feast syncretism.

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7. Sacred Space & Material Culture

• Temples/pyramids: Oriented to solstices, equinoxes (Chichén Itzá, Tikal, Copán).
• Caves & mountains: Entrances to Xibalba, used for offerings.
• Objects: Codices, stelae, incense burners, jade, masks.
• Symbols: Ceiba world tree, maize, jaguar, quetzal, serpent.

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8. Religious Specialists & Institutions

• Aj k’in (day-keepers): Priests who maintained calendar and rituals.
• Shamans: Healers, diviners, mediators with spirits.
• Kings: Semi-divine intermediaries, embodied gods in rituals.
• Modern ajq’ijab: Maya spiritual guides still active in highland Guatemala.

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9. Social Function & Law

• Ritual calendar structured agriculture, politics, warfare.
• Kingship legitimized through sacred genealogy and rituals.
• Community feasts and ceremonies reinforced social bonds.
• Moral codes embedded in myths (balance, reciprocity, respect for maize/land).

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10. Death & Afterlife

• Afterlife: Souls journey through Xibalba (underworld), facing trials.
• Elite dead: Reborn as maize gods, honored with temples and ancestor rites.
• Offerings: Food, jade, blood ensured safe passage.
• Reincarnation: Possible return through names and cycles.

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11. Symbolism & Cultural Expression

• Time: Calendar glyphs, Long Count inscriptions.
• Colors/directions: East-red, North-white, West-black, South-yellow, Center-green.
• Animals: Jaguar (night, underworld), serpent (sky, rebirth), quetzal (divine breath).
• Art: Murals, codices, pottery scenes depicting gods, myths, ceremonies.

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12. Contact & Transformation

• Spanish conquest: Codices burned, temples defiled, rituals outlawed.
• Syncretism: Catholic saints equated with Maya deities; rituals hidden in feast days.
• Modern survival: Highland and Yucatec Maya maintain calendar rituals, fire ceremonies, pilgrimage to sacred mountains/caves.
• Global recognition: Maya calendar & astronomy now celebrated worldwide; Popol Vuh studied as a world epic.