As in the Egyptian world, in the Mayan civilization they also had the belief in multiple gods to whom they worshiped depending on the need they had or the date on which they were found. Of all the Mayan deities there were a few who were truly the most revered. Do you want to know their names and characteristics? Well, you are in the perfect place, because in this post we are going to tell you What were the most important Mayan gods? and some very interesting facts about each of them.
Hunab Ku
The Mayan god Hunab Ku He is considered the Father of all Gods. He is the only god that has life and we could see him as the creator of everything, including the creator of the rest of the Mayan gods. The representation of him is the sun, which the Mayans worshiped to worship Hunab Ku.
This Mayan god had another meaning in the Mayan religion, apart from being the creator of everything and, as such, it meant everything and nothing at the same time, assuming this curious and contradictory duality.
Mayan God Chaac
Chaac is the Mayan god of rain and lightning. He is another of the gods preferred by the Mayans, to whom they paid homage in the pantheon. Above all, this god is worshiped in the area of the Yucatan Peninsula, and it is that Chaac is credited with the ability to promote crops, and in this part of the country there is a lot of drought. So the Mayans entrust themselves to Chaac so that it attracts the rain and that with it the harvest is good and there is no lack of food.
The god Chaac is very curious in his representation and his figure is easily recognizable, because he is conceived as an old man who has a reptile’s tongue and an elephant’s trunk.
Mayan god Itzamna
Itzamná is the god of wisdom and the one who had the gift of knowledge. As in the god Hunab Ku, we observe in Itzamná a concept of deity with many faces and duality, because on the one hand, he is seen as the God of the Sun and king of the sky. But he is also the master of the day and, on the other hand, the god of the night.
In addition, Itzamná has a difficult mission, which is to maintain the balance between life and death, for which he will not hesitate to promote chaos if he deems it necessary, since it is from this chaos that creations are born. All creation entails a previous chaos. This is a good teaching also for our days, which shows us that when everything is in chaos, it is because something new is going to arise.
Mayan God Pawahtun
To the Mayan god Pawahtun he is regarded as the “Cosmos Charger”. That is why it is not uncommon for him to be represented with an image in which four men appear holding the four corners of the Universe. Although it is also typical to see Pawahtún as an old man, without teeth and with turtle shell. The latter is not uncommon, if we take into account that for the Mayans the turtle shell is an important element, since it is related to strength and protection. Legend has it that the Sun and the Moon hid inside a turtle shell when the world was being destroyed.
Mayan Goddess Ixchel
The Mayans also worshiped goddesses. For example, they did it with Ixchel, the goddess of love. And since love is a powerful and fruitful feeling, essential for life to emerge, fertility and vegetation are attributed to Ixchel. It is also used in the field of medicine and manual work.
By the way the goddess Ixchel is the wife of the god Itzamná that we saw a moment ago. And she is recognizable because she is represented as an old woman who carries a vessel and empties it on the ground, as a sowing, so that she bears its fruits.
Mayan God Kinich Ahau
Kinich Ahau is the Mayan god of the sun, but he is also worshiped as the patron saint of poetry and music.
Mayan God Yum Kaax
Yum Kaax is the god of corn, and he is considered responsible for good harvests. He is also the god of hunters. The image of him is quite close, as he is depicted as a young man doing earthworks with his own hands.
mayan god kauil
Kauil is the god of fire, which gives him a preponderant role in Mayan mythology, since in this culture it was believed that the person capable of mastering fire also mastered his inner violence, so he was powerful. Fire, however, renews. Furthermore, Kauil was considered father and mother to us humans. And he paid homage to him, how could it be otherwise, by means of large bonfires. You will recognize Kauil because he has a rather long nose and a snake mouth.
Mayan God Ek Chuah
If you are a greedy person, you will not forget this Mayan god, we promise you. Because Ek Chuah is the god of chocolate. It makes our mouths water just to name it, although it doesn’t seem strange to us, because such a delight had to have a god, of course it did.
He was considered the one in charge of promoting and favoring cocoa crops. However, despite his sweet face, Ek Chuah had a more bitter mission, although fundamental for the Mayans, and that is that the god Ek Chuah was the patron saint of war and its mission was to promote war conflicts.
The street vendors had a lot of veneration towards Ek Chuah so that their sales would be good and that their businesses selling cocoa and other foods would be successful.
Mayan God Yum Kimil
Not as friendly as Ek Chuah, the God Yum Kimil he went to the houses of the dying to take them with him to hell. He is represented as a skeleton and the Mayans wanted, as you can imagine, to drive him away at all costs, which they tried to achieve by screaming as loud as their lungs allowed them.