What did the ancient Maya believe?

The Maya believed in many different gods, such as Itzamna and Kukulkan, who they pleased 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 which included the heavens, the living world and an underworld called Xibalba.

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.

Ancestor worship was a long-standing and important belief. It was also similar to the Shang dynasty in China and also the ancient Egyptians, at around the same time (1500BC).

Maya households buried their dead underneath the floors so they could protect the living.

The dozens of deities (gods) controlled every part of the world. They were closely tied to the calendar and astronomy and their importance changed according to the movement of the stars, moon and sun. This could only be interpreted by the priest.

Itzamna was the creator god. K’inich Ahau was the sun god. The Night Jaguar represented the sun on its journey to the underworld.

The four Chaacs were storm gods, controlling thunder, lightning and the rains. There was a moon goddess, and a maize god.

Kukulkan was a huge serpent covered in feathers who controlled rain.

Priests acted between the human and the supernatural, also known as the ‘chilan’. The priesthood became a closed group who performed the rituals, music, dance and sacrifices.

Priests recorded their rituals in hieroglyphic books which included astronomical cycles, calendars and history.

People believed that the kings were chosen to rule by gods, they thought they had a divine right to rule. The Maya kings became the high priests during the Classic period (AD250-900).

During the post Classic period (AD950-1539) gods and human sacrifice were even more important.

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.

Archaeologists have discovered and used lots of different sources to understand what the Maya believed and how they worshipped their gods.

Maya texts, such as codices – ancient folding books – contained hieroglyphs, a type of writing made from pictures and symbols, which revealed information about Maya beliefs. Historical Spanish records also provided valuable evidence.

Iconography, the pictures and symbols used in art to show ideas and tell stories, also gave further clues. Archaeologists studied painted ceramics and sculptures to learn more about Maya beliefs.

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.

• What can we learn about the daily lives of the Maya by looking at the many different gods they believed in?

• Now that you know the Maya believed in different levels of the cosmos, how do you think the Maya felt about life and death?

• Why do you think using lots of different sources is important for archaeologists and historians to understand the Maya?

Let's find out what you know about ancient Maya beliefs in this quiz.

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