Mayan Religion

The Maya were polytheistic, meaning they worshipped many gods 1 . This included a creator, a sun god, a moon goddess, and a maize (corn) god. The Maya believed that the gods were responsible many things in life and could provide good health and wealth, or cause illness and bad luck. Because of this, the Maya tried to please the gods to get their

help.

The Maya built large, stepped pyramids that served as temples in the center of their cities. At the top of these temples, priests directed ceremonies and rituals believed to ensure good harvests and success in war. Additionally, priests also let people know which days were best for activities such as building houses, weddings, and paying debts.

The Maya believed their gods wanted sacrifices. Usually a sacrifice of crops or animals was enough. However, the gods needed blood to prevent such things as disasters or the end of the world2. Every person offered blood to the gods as a sign of respect by piercing their tongue or skin. They dropped the blood onto a piece of paper and burnt it to show respect.

On special occasions the Maya made the most sacred of blood offerings – a human sacrifice3. These events could be seasonal or tied to festivals or religious rituals. The dedication of a major building project, death of a leader, or birth of an heir also required a human sacrifice to the gods. Many of those killed were prisoners of war or slaves. While still alive, victims would either be decapitated(decapitado/dekapite), or their hearts were cut out of their chests and offered to stone carvings of the gods on the top of the temple. Crowds watched from the large plaza below.

1. Describe the importance of blood to the Mayan Religion.

Blood was important to the Mayan Religion because….

1 Politeísta: adorado muchos dioses2 dioses necesitaban sangre para prevenir cosas como desastres o el fin del mundo.3 En ocasiones especiales los mayas hicieron la más sagrada de las ofrendas de sangre - un sacrificio humano