What gods did the Maya believe in?
The Maya believed in many different gods, such as Itzamna and Kukulkan.
They pleased their gods with offerings and sacrifices.
Their kings were believed to be chosen by the gods to rule and serve as high priests to perform rituals and ceremonies.
The Maya also believed in a three level cosmos. This included the heavens, the living world and an underworld called Xibalba.
Important words for the Maya civilisation
| Keyword | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ancestor worship | Showing respect and remembering family members who have died. |
| Hieroglyphs | A writing system that uses pictures and symbols instead of letters and words. |
| Offering | An item given to the gods to please them, such as food, an animal or blood. |
| Priest | A special person who performed religious ceremonies for the Maya people. |
| Sacrifice | Giving up something to a god, such as an animal or even a person. |
Watch: What beliefs were important?
Jade Skirt: The gods and spirits are so important to my people, the Maya.
The king is our head priest and he can speak directly to the gods.
With the help of other high-ranking priests, he makes offerings of his own royal blood.
We have many different gods.
Itzamná created human beings. K’inich Ahau is our Sun god and Chaac brings us rain. The Maize god provides some of our favourite things like cacao, and maize of course.
And there is Kukulkan, the fearsome feathered serpent god. Which reminds me…
Kukulkan demands human sacrifices. It is a great honour to be sacrificed. When ordinary people like me die our souls are forever stuck in Xibalba, the underworld.
There are 13 levels of heaven. But those who are sacrificed, or warriors who have fallen in battle, get to go straight to the top level.
Warrior: [COUGHS]
Jade Skirt: I’m sorry.
[CHEERING]
What were the key Maya beliefs?
The Maya believed in many gods, each representing a different part of life.
These gods had to be pleased so Maya communities made regular offerings to them, in the form of animal (and sometimes human) sacrifices.
The Maya worshipped family members who had died. This ancestor worship was similar to what people from the Shang dynasty in China and also the ancient Egyptians did at around the same time (1500BC).
Maya households buried their dead underneath the floors so they could protect the living.
Some Maya gods
What was the cosmos?
The Maya believed the Earth had the form of a giant turtle that floated on an endless ocean and that the sky was held up by four mighty gods called Bacabs.
The sky was made up of 13 levels in the heavens.Those who were sacrificed or who died in battle went to one of the top levels.
Those who died of natural causes went to Xibalba, the shadowy underworld, which had nine levels.
Each level was associated with a colour and a direction; north was white, east was red, south was yellow, and west was black. The mortal (living) world was in between.
How do we know what the Maya believed?
Archaeologists found and used lots of different sources to understand what the Maya believed and how they worshiped their gods.
Special ancient folding books, containing hieroglyphs, a type of writing made from pictures and symbols, gave archaeologists important information on the ancient Maya religion.
Painted pottery and sculptures also gave extra clues for archaeologists to understand more about Maya beliefs.
Think like a historian
Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to each question. You could even write them down on a piece of paper or discuss them with somebody else if you want to.
Why do you think the king, who was also the head priest, was so important to the Maya?
Why do you think the Maya buried their dead under the floors of their homes?
Why do you think the Maya believed each god had just one special job, such as looking after maize or looking after rain?
Perhaps you thought the king was so important to the Maya because they believed he could communicate with the gods. Although other priests also carried out religious ceremonies, the king was a very powerful figure as he was a ruler and a high priest. Maybe you thought that because he made important offerings he was believed to have a role protecting the people and keeping them in the gods’ favour.
Did you think that burying their dead under their homes helped the Maya feel close to their family members, even after they died? Maybe you remembered that they believed the spirits of their ancestors could help protect and guide the living.
You may have thought that having a god with a specific role showed how important something was to the Maya. For example, farming was very important to the Maya. It was so important that they had different gods for different things that would help with farming. The Maya believed different gods were responsible for different, important parts of life.
Quiz - Maya beliefs
Let's find out what you know about ancient Maya beliefs in this quiz.
Grown-ups corner
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