Having believed in so many deities, the polytheistic Mayans became recognized for their pantheon of gods. Deemed as the most powerful and enduring metropolises of the Mayan Kingdom's, and today's most visited relics, the city of Chichen Itza is well recognized for its amazing pyramids and temples, which pay tribute to a lot of these gods, but Chak (the rain god) and Kukulkan (the feathered serpent) are the two Mayan gods represented with special frequency.
Chak - The Mayan's Oldest God And God Of Rain
Chak, the Mayan's god of Rain is among the oldest gods; and masks of Chak's face were made as common adornment in some ancient Maya sites such as Chichen Itza, which are commonly and greatly found on columns and over the doorways of buildings. Commanded a great deal of respect among the Mayans, Chak, the god of storms, of rain, and lighting has thunderbolts that took the form of fearsome serpents. As a matter of fact, the cult of Chak still exists among the small number of surviving indigenous Mayans in South and Central America which was a remarkable challenge of endurance for a god whose religion was by far destroyed hundreds of years past. Human sacrifices were made specifically to curry favour with Chak at Chichen Itza's sacred well. According to the Maya legend, during the ancient times Chak also broke open a rock, inside of which the original seeds of maize were locked, hence made it possible for the Maya to cultivate corn. He was particularly important to the Maya due to the unstable nature of the weather in the Yucatan as well as in neighboring regions. Rivers are not sufficient there and for sustenance most communities depended on cenotes and underground streams. There is great evidence that periods of drought contributed a destructive impact on the growth of Mayan cities, and prolonged droughts may have been the key reason of the Post-Classic decline of the entire civilization.
The Serpent Deity Of The Maya - Kulkulkan
A lot of Mesoamerican cultures are discovered to worship a serpent god; this was Kulkulkan, for the Mayans, and more than a hundred years he went up in popularity being among the most widely-revered of all the different gods in the pantheon of the Maya. This was due in no small part to the rise of Chichen Itza being a significant political and also economic strength in the Yucatan. Kukulkan was portrayed as an enormous snake with gaping jaws and resplendent feathers in Mayan artwork; such depictions in great numbers can be found around the pyramid at El Castillo and the Great Ballcourt at Chichen Itza. On the fall and spring equinoxes, an occasion known as the Descent of the Serpent creates the shadows cast by the sun at the northern stairway in order to combine with the wonderful serpent heads at the bottom of the structure, making the picture of a serpent wriggling its way on the pyramid. Kukulkan was most commonly identified with the War Serpent motif, patron of warriors and successful military conquests during the early Classic period. These associations withered, and Kukulkan came to symbolize the divine right of ruler ship commanded by the city's kings, and by extension, the city itself over its surrounding tributaries as Chichen Itza rose in prominence.
The Mayans regarded the serpents as sacred animals; they reckoned that the stars and planets in the heavens, whose movements they discovered with unfailing accuracy plus interest, were carried on the backs of mythical snakes. They also associated a divine entity called the Vision Serpent to Kulkulkan and was deemed to facilitate communication among the Mayan gods and their rulers. In a comparable way, the popular belief in Kukulkan aided to facilitate conversation as well as trade through the entire Mayan empire. As the center of worship for the cult of Kukulcan and as wealth and importance of Chichen Itza developed, a shared reverence for this particular god eliminated provincial barriers which brought together disparate city states having varied backgrounds in political, religious, and ethnicity, enriching the Itza state as well as joining much of the Yucatan in a trade and communication network.
Chak - The Mayan's Oldest God And God Of Rain
Chak, the Mayan's god of Rain is among the oldest gods; and masks of Chak's face were made as common adornment in some ancient Maya sites such as Chichen Itza, which are commonly and greatly found on columns and over the doorways of buildings. Commanded a great deal of respect among the Mayans, Chak, the god of storms, of rain, and lighting has thunderbolts that took the form of fearsome serpents. As a matter of fact, the cult of Chak still exists among the small number of surviving indigenous Mayans in South and Central America which was a remarkable challenge of endurance for a god whose religion was by far destroyed hundreds of years past. Human sacrifices were made specifically to curry favour with Chak at Chichen Itza's sacred well. According to the Maya legend, during the ancient times Chak also broke open a rock, inside of which the original seeds of maize were locked, hence made it possible for the Maya to cultivate corn. He was particularly important to the Maya due to the unstable nature of the weather in the Yucatan as well as in neighboring regions. Rivers are not sufficient there and for sustenance most communities depended on cenotes and underground streams. There is great evidence that periods of drought contributed a destructive impact on the growth of Mayan cities, and prolonged droughts may have been the key reason of the Post-Classic decline of the entire civilization.
The Serpent Deity Of The Maya - Kulkulkan
A lot of Mesoamerican cultures are discovered to worship a serpent god; this was Kulkulkan, for the Mayans, and more than a hundred years he went up in popularity being among the most widely-revered of all the different gods in the pantheon of the Maya. This was due in no small part to the rise of Chichen Itza being a significant political and also economic strength in the Yucatan. Kukulkan was portrayed as an enormous snake with gaping jaws and resplendent feathers in Mayan artwork; such depictions in great numbers can be found around the pyramid at El Castillo and the Great Ballcourt at Chichen Itza. On the fall and spring equinoxes, an occasion known as the Descent of the Serpent creates the shadows cast by the sun at the northern stairway in order to combine with the wonderful serpent heads at the bottom of the structure, making the picture of a serpent wriggling its way on the pyramid. Kukulkan was most commonly identified with the War Serpent motif, patron of warriors and successful military conquests during the early Classic period. These associations withered, and Kukulkan came to symbolize the divine right of ruler ship commanded by the city's kings, and by extension, the city itself over its surrounding tributaries as Chichen Itza rose in prominence.
The Mayans regarded the serpents as sacred animals; they reckoned that the stars and planets in the heavens, whose movements they discovered with unfailing accuracy plus interest, were carried on the backs of mythical snakes. They also associated a divine entity called the Vision Serpent to Kulkulkan and was deemed to facilitate communication among the Mayan gods and their rulers. In a comparable way, the popular belief in Kukulkan aided to facilitate conversation as well as trade through the entire Mayan empire. As the center of worship for the cult of Kukulcan and as wealth and importance of Chichen Itza developed, a shared reverence for this particular god eliminated provincial barriers which brought together disparate city states having varied backgrounds in political, religious, and ethnicity, enriching the Itza state as well as joining much of the Yucatan in a trade and communication network.
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