Our current knowledge of Mayan mythology is very limited. However, there are important records that explain how this culture influenced major mystical events throughout the world, and they even presented their own theory about the origin of the universe, according to the Maya , involving the creator gods.
Origin of the Universe according to the Mayans
The Mayan culture is considered by many to be one of the most important and influential in world history, so much so that they had their own vision of what the origin of the universe was.
For this cultural group, before the planet Earth was created, there were only three gods, whose names were: Tepeu, Gucumatz, and Huracán . These gods held significant cultural importance for the Maya, as they possessed their own unique symbolism.
Beginning with the god Tepeu , who was called the God of the Sky; while Gucumatz served as the god of storms. It is said that he was also in charge of teaching humans how to make fire. The last of this first trio was the god Huracán , who in mythology represents the god of air and storms, but also of fire.
According to the Maya, each of these gods played an important role in the creation of the universe. Among the stories that emerged as dogmas regarding the origin of the universe according to the Maya, it is said that the gods Tepeu and Gucumatz wanted to be remembered and worshipped by others, and so they devised the creation of the Earth.
It is said that the first thing that was created on the planet was the animals, but soon after, the gods realized that they did not obey or pay attention to them. Faced with this situation, the gods made the animals fight each other, as punishment for their disobedience.
Later, the gods returned to creation a second time, and this time they included human beings. This new attempt focused on creating humankind, but the gods had no idea how to do it, which is why they opted to make several attempts. To learn more about the Maya, you can read Mayan Legends.
In a first attempt, they designed a man, but he fell apart very quickly. In a second project they included the creation of a man made of wood, but he lacked soul and feelings, so he did not have the ability to worship the Gods, which was the main reason why they were creating him.
Continuing with the stories that stand out in the origin of the universe according to the Mayans, it is said that the god Hurricane caused the occurrence of a great flood, a fact that allowed the gods to get rid of both the men of wood and of animals.
In a third attempt, the gods created four men from maize. These were named Balam-Quitzé, Balam-Agab, Mahucutah, and Iqi-Balam , and with the help of more gods, they multiplied, eventually numbering thirteen. The new creation was recognized as very clever men, so the gods began to plan new actions and strategies.
The god Huracán intervened, obscuring the sun from men's vision. As a new creation project, the gods decided to create women, and thus the first women in the world were born, known as: Tzunihá; Cakix-há; Caha-Paluná; and Chomiha.
According to the origin of the universe according to the Mayans, after the creation of man and woman, they began to interact and reproduce, so they began to have children, who had to honor the gods and worship them. In addition, together they had to beg the sun to rise, because only with its resplendent light, men could see again.
Similarly, in the Mayan origin of the universe, significant mention is made of two great heroes, who were also twin brothers, named Xbalanqué and Hunahpú . These heroes' mission was to fight against the gods of Xibalbá , a place that served as a kind of underworld or hell.
The powerful brothers lived with their cousins and were being raised by their grandmother. It is said that the twins were envied by their cousins. He says that while the twins went hunting with their cousins, they turned into monkeys.
The twins couldn't believe what their eyes were seeing, because it was a fact apparently without any explanation. Returning from the hunt, they told her grandmother what had happened, but she did not believe them and she laughed.
A few days later, during another episode in which the twins were playing with a ball, something that annoyed the gods of Xibalba , and for that reason, they ordered the brothers to go to Xibalba , apparently to play with them.
It was then that the twins left for the underworld, where they became easy prey for the gods, who tried to kill them, without succeeding in their mission. The gods began to play with the twins and were defeated. Upset by the defeat, the gods impose on them to perform a series of challenges and challenges.
The first of these was that the twins had to enter the doors of the well-known house of knives, where they would probably be torn to pieces, according to the plans of the gods. But nevertheless, the heroes manage to dodge all the knives and got out of there unscathed.
Given their failed attempt, they tried a new feat, ordering the twins to enter the house of the jaguars, a place from which they also emerged unharmed, since they had the cunning to throw a bone at the jaguars, to distract them. Another of the traps to which the twins were subjected by the gods was that they were thrown into a bonfire.
The gods got their way by killing Hunahpu and Xbalanque, but they managed to reincarnate as fish, then as poor men, who killed each other and were resurrected. This is how the Mayan story of the origin of the universe tells of the twins defeating the gods of Xibalba, and then transforming into the sun and the moon.
Mythology and the Origin of the Universe
One of the elements that distinguishes and identifies Mayan mythology is its various polytheistic beliefs, that is, they believed in many gods, and that it was being directed by a Mayan civilization from before the Spanish colony.
The Mayan people were characterized from the outset by their religious customs and traditions, many of which are still in force, while others are part of the founding history of the original peoples.
According to historical records, the Mayan communities in ancient times were victims of the cruelty of the Spanish invaders, who arrived on their lands through expeditions to America, burning them in order to invade their territories.
This is one of the reasons why currently, the information we have about the first Mayans is limited, since it is inferred that any element that could serve as evidence was burned in that Spanish barbarity.
However, there is still a text called the Popol Vuh , which became the most important reference book for understanding some aspects of Mayan mythology, the history of the native peoples, their customs and traditions, among other aspects.
Another aspect that stands out as important within this ancient text is the description that is made in reference to the Origin of the Universe according to the Mayans, how it was related to the creation of the Earth, the existence of the twin gods, and the attempts to create to the first man on Earth.
It is said that although the Popol Vuh is the most important of the texts of Mayan history, there are also other books such as the Chilam Balam, and the Chronicles of Chacxulubchen , which tell stories about this interesting mythology.
The Popol Vuh, the Mayan book
The Popol Vuh is the text that describes the history of the culture and traditions of the original Mayan peoples, which were saved from the barbarity suffered by these peoples as a result of the Spanish invasion during the times of the expeditions to American territory.
An important element that stands out within the narrations of this Mayan book is the description that is made of how the origin of the Universe was according to the Mayans, for which, it begins with the steps that were taken to create the planet Earth, animals and men, among others.
Within the writings of the Mayan book Popol Vuh , it is said that humankind was first created from clay, then from wood, and in a third attempt, the gods used maize. It also states that the gods intended for humans to honor them, make offerings to them, and be obedient.
They were assigned some tasks that had the same objective, such as worshiping the gods, among which was carving stones and cutting precious gems, among other things.
This book also highlights the story of the legendary twin heroes, Hunahpu and Ixbalanque, who, as a result of generating envy in their environment, were forced to face several challenges and even had to defy the gods of Xibalba , which was the Mayan underworld.
In the end, they overcame all difficulties and defeated these gods, receiving as their reward the power to become gods themselves. They restored sight to humankind, who had lost it, and became the moon and the sun. To learn more about Mayan symbolism, you can also check out the article: Mayan Symbols
History of the Origin of the Universe according to the Mayans
The Mayan origin of the universe encompasses details of how the gods conceived the creation of the world and all its elements, including humans and animals. It begins with the story of the existence of two creator gods, Tepeu and Kukulkán, categorized as the makers and the ancestors.
These gods were among the first beings to exist in the Universe. Then the name of the god Huracán , also known as "the heart of the sky," is included, though little is said about him, diminishing his role in the creation process.
It is said that, driven by the desire to preserve their heritage, the gods Tepeu and Kukulkán met and determined that it was necessary to create beings who could honor and worship them. The god Huracán was included in this project and tasked with creating these beings, while Tepeu and Kukulkán oversaw the process.
This is how the Earth and the animals were created, and then they created man. For this there were several attempts; first he was created with clay, then with wood and in a last attempt, a man was created from corn. However, the existence of many legends around Mayan mythology has been given due to the lack of writings and other elements with which all these theories could be verified.
Notable gods in the Origin of the Universe
Within the theory that resulted in the origin of the Universe according to the Mayans, several gods intervened to whom history gives credit for the creation of the Earth, as well as everything on it.
These first gods had the idea of creating, first of all, animals and then man, as has already been pointed out in the development of the article, first with clay, then with wood and also with corn.
Due to the lack of evidence to confirm how the world and the Universe were created, many theories and beliefs have emerged, one of them being the origin of the universe according to the Maya, which is narrated in the Popol Vuh , a description marked by the vision of how the Earth was created according to this culture.
The first 3 creator gods
What is manifested within mythology, regarding the beginnings of the origin of the universe according to the Mayans, three of the first gods were the ones who had the idea of creating new races to populate the planet, with the aim of being venerated.
These first three gods were categorized as creators, and their names were: Tepeu, Kukulkán, and Huracán. Although they are credited with the creation of various elements on Earth, their most prominent creation is that of humankind.
With this assignment, they had to make three attempts, since the first two were unsuccessful, and the characteristics of these men did not meet the expectations of the gods. The first were very weak and disobedient, until they reached the third who was an intelligent man.
Kukulkan : He is known as the Mayan god of storms. He created life on the planet through water and was responsible for teaching humans how to make fire. In the Mayan language, this god is called the "Feathered Serpent."
Tepeu: The Mayan sky god and one of the creator gods, who, along with Kukulkan, directed the process of creating man in his three attempts.
Huracán : He is the Mayan god of wind, storm, and fire, hence his name, "the heart of the sky." Of the three original gods, he was the one who created humanity on the third attempt. It is also said that he caused the flood in response to the wrath unleashed by the gods against the first humans.
This last deity's name means "one-legged" or "lame." According to mythology, Huracán lived among mists above torrential waters. From there, he repeated the word "earth" several times until the Earth emerged from the oceans. It is also said that the god Huracán transformed into what is now the constellation Orion.
The 7 second creator gods
In the same story about the origin of the Universe according to the Mayans, a second phase is mentioned, where other gods intervened who were called the seven second creator gods, a group where the first ones Hurakán, Kukulkán and Tepeu were then joined by: Alom; Bitol; Tzacol; and Qaholom.
Alom : was a Mayan goddess known as the populator, since she was in charge of conceiving children, together with the god Qaholom , who was the one who procreated them.
Bitol : He was named as the lord of the sky and appears as one of the original deities, responsible for shaping things. Although he is not named among the first gods, it is said that he participated in the final attempts to create humankind.
Qaholom : was the Father god, the one in charge of fathering children together with Alom.
Tzacol: was considered the god of the Mayan sky.
The last creator gods or group of the Thirteen
The gods known as the last in the Mayan narrative of the origin of the universe were those who participated in the third attempt to create humanity, which was considered a success. Some of these thirteen deities include: Ajtzak; Chirakata-Ixminasune ; Xlitan; Bitol; and Hunahpu-Gutch.
Ixmucane: She was a creator goddess who belongs to the family tree of the so-called Twin Gods or Hero Twins. She was the mother of Hun-Hunahpu and the grandmother of Hun-Hunahpu and Ixbalanque.
She was known as the goddess of Mayan corn, and who was credited with the preparation of drinks based on white and yellow corn, which gave rise to the men of Corn, for which she is considered the goddess who gives life. Within the Mayan language, her name means "Princess", and she is called as Mother Earth, representing the dawn and the sun.
Other Mayan texts, such as the Chilam Balam and writings from the 16th century, refer to gods called the Bacabs, who are associated with the Mayan rain god, Chac . Invoking the Bacabs was of great importance in ceremonies for divination.
The gods of Xibalbá or the Underworld
Within the narrative about the origin of the Universe according to the Maya, a mention is made of Xibalbá, so called the Mayan underworld or Hell, which, according to mythology, was inhabited by disease and death.
During their journey to the underworld, souls had to face many dangers and challenges. It is also said that it was ruled by demonic Mayan beings, among whom Hun-Camé and Vucub-Camé are named, and was inhabited by four beings: Patán, Quicxic, Quicré, and Quicrixcac.
Other important Mayan gods
In the same way, both in Mayan mythology, other gods are mentioned who are important because they had influence or participation in the events that make up the origin of the Universe according to the Mayans. Among these are:
- Itzamná: Creator God and also of the heavens. He was the ruler of the Universe and in charge of teaching the Mayan language to the peoples.
- Ixchel: She was the Mayan goddess of the Moon and consort of the god Kinich Ahau, Mayan god the Sun.
- Chaac: was a Mayan deity of rain and water. He was also associated with the fertility of the fields, so he was also taken as the god of agriculture.
- ah mun: was the Mayan god of corn. His figure was that of a young man carrying an ear of corn.
- ah muzenkab: was the Mayan god of honey and bees.
- Bolon Dzacab: The Mayan god of fire and lightning. He was linked to the Royal Mayan caste.
- Buluc Chabtan: was the Mayan god of war and human sacrifice.
- Ek Chuah: God of cocoa and trade. The Mayans represented it with the figure of a man carrying a bag on his back.
- Yum Kaax: He was called in Mayan mythology as the "Lord of the forests". Mayan god of agriculture and corn.
- The Bacabs: They were four brother gods in charge of the celestial vault.
- Oh Puch: Also called "The Discarnate". He was the Mayan god of death.
- Xtabay: Mayan goddess and consort of the god Oh puch. Sometimes she was represented as a demon or a kind of goblin, so she was among the evil goddesses, who tricked men, luring them behind the guise of a beautiful woman.
- ixtab: Mayan God related to the future and paradisiacal life. He was the patron god of those who sought suicide by hanging.
- Kakasbal: He was an evil Mayan god. He took various monstrous forms so that his curse would enter the soul of beings.
- Kawil: Mayan god of fire.
If you enjoyed this article and want to learn more about Mayan gods, you can check out other topics on mythology within our blog, such as the Mayan Nahual spiritual being.