The Cosmos of the Maya
Enter the world of the ancient Maya, one of the most sophisticated civilizations of the pre-Columbian Americas. Their cosmology spans three realms connected by the World Tree, their calendars tracked cycles of cosmic time, and their gods shaped creation through sacrifice, transformation, and the eternal contest between order and chaos.
Maya civilization flourished for over three thousand years across southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. From the earliest settlements around 2000 BCE through the Classic Period (250-900 CE) and beyond the Spanish conquest, the Maya developed a sophisticated religious system that integrated astronomy, mathematics, writing, and elaborate ritual practices.
The Maya creation story, preserved in the Popol Vuh of the K'iche' Maya, tells of multiple attempts by the gods to create humanity, the Hero Twins' descent into Xibalba (the underworld), and the ultimate triumph of life over death. These myths encode profound truths about sacrifice, rebirth, the agricultural cycle, and humanity's relationship to the divine.
Explore Maya Mythology
The Three Realms
Maya cosmology envisions the universe as divided into three interconnected realms. The heavens (Ka'an) consist of thirteen layers ruled by various celestial deities. The middle world (Kab) is the earthly realm where humans dwell. Below lies Xibalba, the nine-level underworld ruled by the Lords of Death. These realms are connected by the great World Tree (Yaxche' or Wacah Chan), its roots reaching into Xibalba, its trunk in the earthly realm, and its branches touching the heavens.
The Popol Vuh - Book of the People
The Popol Vuh is the most important surviving text of Maya mythology, preserved by the K'iche' Maya of highland Guatemala. It narrates the creation of the world, the adventures of the Hero Twins (Hunahpu and Xbalanque) in their struggle against the Lords of Xibalba, and the history of the K'iche' people. The gods' multiple attempts to create humanity - first from mud (which dissolved), then from wood (which lacked souls), and finally from maize (which succeeded) - reflect the Maya's agricultural identity and their belief in the sacred nature of corn.
Blood and Sacrifice
Like their Mesoamerican neighbors, the Maya practiced blood sacrifice as a means of communicating with the gods and sustaining cosmic order. The gods themselves had sacrificed their blood to create humanity, establishing a reciprocal obligation. Maya rulers performed auto-sacrifice, drawing blood from their tongues, ears, or genitals using stingray spines and obsidian blades. This blood was often dripped onto bark paper and burned, the smoke carrying messages to the divine realm. Human sacrifice, while practiced, was generally less central than among the Aztecs.
Cycles of Time
The Maya developed multiple interlocking calendar systems of remarkable sophistication. The Tzolk'in (260-day sacred calendar) and Haab' (365-day solar calendar) combined to form the 52-year Calendar Round. The Long Count calendar tracked vast periods of time, culminating in the famous end of a major cycle on December 21, 2012 (which marked not the end of the world but the beginning of a new era). These calendars reflected the Maya belief in cyclical time, where events and patterns repeat across ages.