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Maya Religion Explained

ReligionForBreakfast・22 minutes read

Bishop James Usher and the ancient Maya had different creation dates, the Classic Maya religion revolved around multiple gods, ancestor veneration, and intricate calendar systems. The Maya calendar, rituals, and societal practices were complex, debunking misconceptions about their beliefs, disappearance, and 2012 predictions.

Insights

  • The Classic Maya civilization, originating around 2000 BC in Guatemala, worshipped multiple gods tied to natural phenomena, with rulers performing god impersonation ceremonies and emphasizing ancestor veneration.
  • Maya religious beliefs were intricately linked to their calendar systems, including the Long Count calendar marking time since creation in 3114 BC, with the 2012 significance being misinterpreted as a doomsday event, showcasing the complexity and depth of their cultural practices beyond Hollywood portrayals.

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Recent questions

  • Who pinpointed the first day of creation to October 23, 4004 BC?

    Bishop James Usher

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Summary

00:00

"Maya Religion and Calendar in Classic Period"

  • Bishop James Usher pinpointed the first day of creation to October 23, 4004 BC, while the ancient Maya believed the dawn of the human era was on August 14th, 3114 BC.
  • The term "Maya" refers to various ethnic groups from regions around Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador, sharing languages and cultural traditions.
  • The Classic Maya originated from the Kuchumatan mountains in southwestern Guatemala around 2000 BC and spread across the Maya region.
  • The Classic Maya existed during the Classic Period from 250 to 900 CE in the southern lowlands, interacting with other Mesoamerican groups like the Aztecs and Teotihuacan.
  • Classic Maya religion involved worshiping multiple gods, with each god associated with natural phenomena and depicted in mythic narratives.
  • Maya rulers underwent god impersonation ceremonies, wearing masks and regalia of gods, reenacting mythical scenes, and comparing themselves to characters in myths.
  • Classic Maya gods were supernatural patrons to communities, housed in temples, fed offerings, and carried into war for divine protection.
  • Ancestor veneration was crucial for the Classic Maya, with dead relatives buried within households or under stepped pyramids in large cities like Tikal.
  • Classic Maya religious beliefs were intertwined with the calendar, including a 260-day ritual cycle and a 365-day solar cycle divided into 18 months of 20 days each.
  • The Long Count calendar system was used by the Classic Maya to mark the passage of time, with the belief that the gods created the earth on August 14th, 3114 BC.

14:42

Maya Calendar, Rituals, and Society Explained

  • The Maya calendar is still debated due to its alignment with our own calendar, using the 584286 correlation or the GMT plus one advocated by scholars Simon Martin and Joel Skidmore.
  • Time for the Maya was divided into days, months (weenique), years (hob), and larger periods like the katun and bak tun, with the long count measuring time since date zero, leading to the creation date of 3114 BC.
  • The year 2012 was significant as it marked the end of the 13th baktun since the creation date, but there is no evidence that the Maya believed it to be a doomsday or predicted any specific event.
  • Maya rulers celebrated important dates in the long count calendar, dedicating stone monuments during period endings with rituals involving offerings of incense and cloth, focusing on cycles and calendars to make sense of daily life.
  • The Maya practiced ritualized violence and killing, with bloodletting being a common form of sacrifice, where rulers would pierce themselves and offer blood as depicted in archaeological evidence.
  • Human sacrifice among the Maya was not on a massive scale as depicted in movies like Apocalypto, with captives from warfare being the likely victims, often subjected to public display and humiliation.
  • Classic Maya religion involved gods, ancestors, and calendar rites, dispelling misconceptions about their disappearance, empire affiliation, predictions of the end of the world in 2012, and the scale of their ritual violence, all embedded within their dynamic society during the classic period.
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