Halach uinik or halach uinic ( Yucatec Maya :'real man') was the name given to the supreme ruler, overlord or chief, as they were called in the colonial period of a Maya kuchkabal .
25-410: Most kuchkabal were run by a halach uinik, who ruled on behalf of one of the gods of their pantheon , constituting a theocracy. The succession occurred in the same family, with power passing from parent to child, under the law of primogeniture. The halach uinik concentrated all religious, military and civil power in one person. They chose officials from among the members of the theocracy who helped in
50-665: A Catholic missionary to more easily introduce one-god concept into the Maya culture. One of the Maya Hero Twins . One of the thirteen creator gods who helped create humanity. One of the thirteen creator gods who helped to create humanity. "One-Maize", a reading of the name glyph of the Classic Period Tonsured Maize God A now-obsolete reading of the name glyph of the Classic Period Tonsured Maize God "One-Leg", one of three lightning gods together called "Heart of
75-509: A baby lightning god ( god K ), and GIII the jaguar god of fire , also patron of the number seven. A feathered snake god and creator. The depiction of the feathered serpent deity is present in other cultures of Mesoamerica. Gukumatz of the Kʼicheʼ Maya is closely related to the god Kukulkan of Yucatán and to Quetzalcoatl of the Aztec. God of the seas, oceans, wind, and storms. Patron deity of
100-490: A house that was completely dark inside. The second was Rattling House or Cold House, full of bone-chilling cold and rattling hail. The third was Jaguar House, filled with hungry jaguars. The fourth was Bat House, filled with dangerous shrieking bats, and the fifth was Razor House, filled with blades and razors that moved about of their own accord. In another part of the Popol Vuh , a sixth test, Hot House, filled with fires and heat,
125-457: A river filled with scorpions , a river filled with blood, and then a river filled with pus . Beyond these was a crossroads where travellers had to choose from among four roads that spoke in an attempt to confuse and beguile. Upon passing these obstacles, one would come upon the Xibalba council place, where it was expected visitors would greet the seated Lords. Realistic mannequins were seated near
150-411: Is identified. The purpose of these tests was to either kill or humiliate people placed into them if they could not outwit the test. Xibalba was home of a famous ballcourt in which the heroes of the Popol Vuh succumbed to the trickery of the demons in the form of a deadly, bladed ball, as well as the site in which the Maya Hero Twins outwitted the gods and brought about their downfall. According to
175-1000: The Earth associated with death and with twelve gods or powerful rulers known as the Lords of Xibalba. The first among the Maya death gods ruling Xibalba were Hun-Came ("One Death") and Vucub-Came ("Seven Death"), though Hun-Came is the senior of the two. The remaining ten Lords are often referred to as demons and are given commission and domain over various forms of human suffering: to cause sickness, starvation , fear, destitution, pain, and ultimately death. These Lords all work in pairs: Xiquiripat ("Flying Scab") and Cuchumaquic ("Gathered Blood"), who sicken people's blood; Ahalpuh ("Pus Demon") and Ahalgana ("Jaundice Demon"), who cause people's bodies to swell up; Chamiabac ("Bone Staff") and Chamiaholom ("Skull Staff"), who turn dead bodies into skeletons; Ahalmez ("Sweepings Demon") and Ahaltocob ("Stabbing Demon"), who hide in
200-533: The Howler Monkey Gods and patron of the arts. The father of the Maya Hero Twins Ixbalanque and Hun-Ahpu by a virgin. Beheaded in Xibalba, the underworld, by the rulers of Xibalba, Hun Came and Vucub Came. "Sole God", identical with Itzamna as the highest Yucatec god; or a more abstract upper god. *Current research now indicates this 'Maya' symbol is not of Maya origin and rather an invention by
225-564: The Lacandon . Bacab of the east. Bacab of the south. "One Howler Monkey", one of two stepbrothers of the Hero Twins , one of the Howler Monkey Gods and patron of the arts. "One-Death", a lord of the underworld (Xibalba) who, along with Vucub-Came "Seven-Death", killed Hun Hunahpu. They were defeated by the latter's sons the Hero Twins. One of the two stepbrothers of the Hero Twins , one of
250-507: The Maya death gods and their helpers. In 16th-century Verapaz , the entrance to Xibalba was traditionally held to be a cave in the vicinity of Cobán , Guatemala . Cave systems in nearby Belize have also been referred to as the entrance to Xibalba. In some Maya areas, the Milky Way is viewed as the road to Xibalba. Xibalba is described in the Popol Vuh as a court below the surface of
275-503: The Popol Vuh , the denizens of Xibalba at one point enjoyed the worship of the people on the surface of the Earth who offered human sacrifice to the gods of death. Over the span of time covered in the Popol Vuh , the gods of Xibalba are tricked and finally humiliated into accepting lesser offerings from above by the Maya Twins, who got superpowers after they were burnt and their ashes thrown into
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#1732869659989300-494: The Popol Vuh . Chief among these was the council place of the Lords, the five or six houses that served as the first tests of Xibalba, and the Xibalban ballcourt . Also mentioned are the homes of the Lords, gardens, and other structures indicating that Xibalba was at least a great city. Xibalba seems to be rife with tests, trials, and traps for anyone who came into the city. Even the roads to Xibalba were filled with obstacles: first
325-507: The "black war chief" was the patron god of warriors and merchants . He was depicted carrying a bag over his shoulder and wearing a Jaguar mantle. He was typically represented with a dangling lower lip, a long nose, sometimes a scorpion’s tail, and particularly in the Madrid codex he is painted all black. The three patron deities of the Palenque kingdom, made up of a sea deity with a shell ear, GII
350-413: The Lords to confuse and humiliate people who greeted them, and the confused would then be invited to sit upon a bench, which was actually a hot cooking surface. The Lords of Xibalba would entertain themselves by humiliating people in this fashion before sending them into one of Xibalba's deadly tests. The city was home to at least six deadly houses filled with trials for visitors. The first was Dark House,
375-652: The Maya of the Classic Period, when he was known as Waxaklahun Ubah Kan (/waʃaklaˈχuːn uːˈɓaχ kän/), the War Serpent, and he has been identified as the Postclassic version of the Vision Serpent of Classic Maya art. Metnal Xibalba ( Mayan pronunciation: [ʃiɓalˈɓa] ), roughly translated as "place of fright", is the name of the underworld (in K'iche' : Mitnal ) in Maya mythology , ruled by
400-632: The Sky", and acting as world creators. God of the weather , wind , storms , and fire . mountain god of the Postclassic Kʼicheʼ Maya Assumed to have been the Classic name of God K (Bolon Dzacab). Title attested for Itzamna, Uaxac Yol, and Amaite Ku; family name; probably not meaning "food", but "powerful". The solar deity. The most commonly depicted god of death. "Feathered Serpent". Although heavily Mexicanised, Kukulkan has his origins among
425-444: The administration of the kuchkabal . They usually designated their family members as heads or batab of the batalib (municipalities) that formed the kuchkabal . These batabob commanded their own soldiers, presided over the local council, implemented justice, and controlled the payment of taxes. In addition to these assignments, they also took care of the fields at the times indicated by the priests or ah k'in . The halach uinic
450-535: The books of Chilam Balam, Lacandon ethnography, the Madrid Codex , the work of Diego de Landa , and the Popol Vuh . Depending on the source, most names are either Yucatec or Kʼicheʼ . The Classic Period names (belonging to the Classic Maya language ) are only rarely known with certainty. The god of wine and intoxication, identified with the drink Balché . The god of tattoos and tattooing. The god of
475-493: The god of wine. He is said to have created the water lily that all other gods sprang from. A bat and death god. The Bacab of the north, associated with the color white, and the Muluc years. Son of Itzamna and Ixchel . God of rain, thunder, and lightning, wields an axe of lightning, brother to Kinich Ahau. A fish god and the patron deity of fishermen . A group of four Chorti rain gods who live in lakes and make rain clouds from
500-525: The last two attempts at creating humanity. A group of nine underworld gods. "Nine Strides", mentioned in the Books of Chilam Balam and in Classic inscriptions; functions unknown. The god of war, violence, sacrifice, and gambling. A god of mountains and earthquakes. He was a son of Vucub Caquix and Chimalmat. Also known as kacoch. Was a male creator god worshipped by the Lacandon people and associated with Acan
525-477: The sky and wood, a creator deity. The god of bees and honey. The goddess of the Moon and the night. The old god of the interior of the earth and of thunder, sky-carrier, sometimes depicted as four Bacabs that each represent the directions. The jaguar god of the underworld. Also any of a group of jaguar gods who protected people and communities. A sky god. One of the creator and destroyer deities who participated in
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#1732869659989550-472: The unswept areas of people's houses and stab them to death; and Xic ("Wing") and Patan ("Packstrap"), who cause people to die coughing up blood while out walking on a road. The remaining residents of Xibalba are thought to have fallen under the dominion of one of these Lords, going about the face of the Earth to carry out their listed duties. Xibalba was a large palace and a number of individual structures or locations within Xibalba are described or mentioned in
575-614: The water in them. As with the Bacabs, each of the rain gods was associated with a cardinal direction . Chiccan was also the name of a day in the Tzolkin cycle of the calendar. A god of medicine and healing A giant who was, by Vucub Caquix, the mother of Cabrakan and Zipacna. The main god of relationships. A god of earthquakes and death who lived in Metnal . Goddess of the bees. An eclipse deity. The god of thunder. Brother of Cakulha. Ek Chuaj,
600-483: Was lord of a Maya city -state. It was a hereditary office which was transmitted to the eldest child, normally to a son. Its main symbol of power was the " manikin scepter ", a ceremonial baton that featured a figurine of K'awiil , the god of life. Several officials were appointed directly to support the halach uinic. They were: a. The Ah Holpop : political-religious delegates to the Halach Uinic. b. The Nacom :
625-515: Was the principal military head of a city-state. c. The Ahuacan : was the high priest. Watched calendars, sacred books and education. He also directed the sacrifices and rites of divination. d. The tupil : the guards were guarding public order and law enforcement. List of Maya gods and supernatural beings This is a list of deities playing a role in the Classic (200–1000 CE), Post-Classic (1000–1539 CE) and Contact Period (1511–1697) of Maya religion . The names are mainly taken from
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