Among the civilizations of pre-Columbian America, Mayan, Aztec, and Inca cultures, which have reached their greatest prosperity, are usually distinguished. They were formed in areas that were relatively isolated from each other. So, the Mayan residence was the Yucatan Peninsula and present Guatemala, the Aztecs - Mexico, the Incas - Peru.
Nevertheless, according to researchers, for all their differences, the Mayan, Aztec, and Incan cultures have a number of common features. These peoples began to create state systems, social stratification of society took shape. Crafts, fine arts, astronomical knowledge, construction, and agriculture reached a high level. Today's review will provide information about the Mayan religion and culture.
Periodization of history
The history of Mayan culture can be briefly presented in the form of the following three periods:
- I period (from ancient times to 317 years) - the emergence of city-states. Primitive slashing agriculture. Manufacture of cotton fabrics.
- II period (IV-X century), classical, or the period of the Ancient Kingdom, - the growth of cities such as Tulum, Palenque, Chichen Itza. The mysterious departure of their inhabitants at the beginning of the X century.
- III period (X-XVI century) - post-classical, or New Kingdom, - the arrival of conquistadors from Europe. Adoption of new laws and styles in art and in life itself. A mixture of cultures. Fratricidal wars.
It seems that for a more detailed acquaintance with the unusual and interesting culture of the Mayans, one should turn to the studies of specialists. To date, there are many books on archeology, history, and the art of this people. One of these is the “Ancient Mayan Culture” by Kinzhalov Rostislav Vasilievich, Soviet and Russian historian, ethnographer, writer. It was published back in 1971, but does not lose its relevance to this day. According to the author himself, the task of his work is “to give (for the first time in Russian) a general description of the ancient Mayan culture for all its more than two thousand years of development, starting from the earliest stages and ending with the tragic death from the sword of the Spanish conquistadors”. An ethnographer deals with topics such as economy and material culture, their social structure, scientific knowledge, architecture and the fine arts of civilization, literature, dancing, music and, of course, religious beliefs.
Architecture
Next, we will touch on the main aspects of the Mayan culture, briefly describing the architecture, sculpture and painting of ancient civilization.
In architecture, there were two types of structures - residential and ceremonial.
Residential houses were built of stone on platforms, were rectangular with a pointed roof made of straw. In the center was a hearth of stones.
The second type included the high pyramids, which served as the basis for the temple, lifting it to the sky. They were a square with thick walls and were decorated inside with ornaments and inscriptions. Buildings were built in 5, 20, 50 years. Some important events were noted in the altar records.
Sculpture and painting
In the culture of the ancient Mayans, architecture harmoniously combined with sculpture and painting. The main themes of the images were deities, rulers, scenes from public life. A lot of sculptural genres were used: bas-relief, high relief, carving, modeled and round volume.
Maya used various materials, for example, flint, obsidian, jade, wood, bone, shells. From clay were made objects of worship, which were covered with painting. Of great importance was the expression of faces, details of clothing. The Mayan traditions in sculpture and painting were characterized by brightness, energy and realism.
Mayan Cosmology
For a long period, Mayans deified natural phenomena. The first objects of their worship were the Sun, Moon, wind, rain, lightning, forests, mountains, waterfalls, rivers. But over time, they formed a pantheon of gods, corresponding to their cosmological ideas, which were as follows.
The universe consists of 13 worlds in heaven, and 9 - underground. The lords of heaven are hostile to the lords of the underworld. Between the heavens and the underworlds is a flat rectangular earth. After death, the soul will fall into one of the worlds. In paradise, to the sun god, the souls of the warriors who died on the battlefield and women who died during childbirth immediately fall. Most of the dead face a dark kingdom.
World Tree
According to Mayan beliefs, in the center of the Universe is the World Tree, which permeates all the heavenly layers. Near it, on the cardinal points, there are four more trees:
- in the north - white;
- yellow in the south;
- in the west - black;
- in the east - red.
On the trees live the gods of wind, rain and holders of the sky. These deities are also related to the cardinal points and are different in color.
World creator
The Mayan creator of the world is the god Unaba (Hunaba Ku). In a holy book called “Popol-Vuh” it is said that he created all of humanity from corn. He was also called the Great Father (Kukumai). But the Great Mother (Tepeu) also played a large role in turning corn into a person.
First, the first four men were created from corn dough, and then beautiful women were created for them. From these first people small and large tribes went. According to later beliefs, the world was created four times, and three times was destroyed by the Flood.
Good and evil gods
In the religion of the ancient Mayans, the gods were divided into good and evil. The first gave people rain, helped to grow a good corn crop, and contributed to abundance. The second was mainly engaged in destruction. They sent droughts, hurricanes, wars.
There were also deities that had a dual nature. These include four brothers-heroes. At the direction of the Creator, after he created the world, they stood at the four corners of the universe and held the sky on their shoulders. Thus, they did a good deed. But at the beginning of the flood the brothers got scared and fled.
Pantheon of gods
The main in the pantheon of Mayan gods was Itzman - Lord of the world. He was portrayed as an old man with a wrinkled face, a toothless mouth and a huge aquiline nose. At the same time, he acted as the Creator of the world, the God of Day and Night, the founder of priesthood, the inventor of writing.
The god of corn enjoyed special respect, who was given the appearance of a young man. He wore a hat that resembled a corn cob in shape.
Mayans also worshiped the gods of the Sun, rain, valleys, hunters, deer, jaguar gods, the god of death Ah Puig and many others.
Quetzalcoatl, or Kukulkan, who was the god of the wind and planet of Venus, also belonged to the most revered gods.
Of particular note is the worship of jaguar gods, who had a very ancient origin, originating in Olmec culture. These gods were associated with the underworld, death, hunting, the cult of warriors. "Red" and "black" jaguars were also associated with the gods of the cardinal points and rain. According to researchers, the jaguar acted as a patrimonial deity of some ruling dynasties.
In addition to the circle of the main deities, in the Mayan religion, a large role was given to local deities, deified ancestors and heroes.
Goddess women
In Maya religion there were also many female deities. Especially among them was the so-called red goddess - Ish-Chebel-Yash. Often, she was portrayed with a snake replacing her headdress, and with her paws, like a predatory beast.
Another goddess of special respect was the goddess of the Rainbow - Ish-Chel. She was the wife of the main god, Itzman, as well as the goddess of the moon, patronizing medicine, procreation and weaving.
Maya Indians had deities unusual for other nations. For example, such was the goddess Ishtab - the patroness of suicides.
Connection with the gods
In order to attract the attention of the gods, the Mayans observed long fasts, which sometimes reached a period of three years. They did not consume meat, pepper, salt, hot chili, and refrained from intimacy. It should be noted that such strictness applied mainly to priests. But the rest sought to imitate them in order to appease the gods.
The Mayans addressed prayers to the gods, which primarily contained requests for lightening life's hardships, getting rid of illnesses, providing a harvest, good luck in hunting and fishing, and successes in military operations.
Communication with the gods was carried out through priests who were immersed in prayers and meditation. And also practiced "sending messengers to the gods", that is, sacrifices, including human ones.
Ritual life
A large role in the Mayan religion was played by such rituals as prophecies, fortune telling and oracles, as well as various ceremonies. The preparation and implementation of each religious ceremony took place in six main stages:
- Prior fasting and abstinence.
- The appointment of a priest who was in a state of divine illumination, a suitable day for the celebration.
- The rite of expelling evil spirits from the place where the festival was supposed to be held.
- Fumigation of idols.
- Saying Prayers.
- The climax is sacrifice.
As a rule, human casualties were infrequent. Mainly limited to animals, birds, fish, fruits, decorations. But there were days when, according to the Maya, it was necessary to sacrifice their tribesmen or captives, so that the gods would prevent trouble or send good luck. This happened during times of heavy defeats or high-profile military victories, epidemics, during periods of drought and famine that followed.
Until the soul flew away
There were several varieties of sacrifice. The most solemn and popular was that during which the heart was breaking out of the victim. It happened as follows.
The victim was covered with azure and laid on the altar from jasper. This was done by four priests, the venerable old man in black robes, smeared with black paint. The top of the altar was round, which contributed to raising the chest. This made it possible to easily and conveniently cut the victim’s chest with a sharp knife and tear out a beating heart. It was considered a bearer of the soul, which was sent to the gods as a messenger with very important requests or instructions.
The heart had to be pulled out as soon as possible in order to bring it closer to the statue of God, while it was still trembling, that is, while the soul had not yet “flown away”. At the same time, the soothsayer priest irrigated the statue of God with the blood of a pulsating heart.
Then the body of the victim was dropped by the priests from the steps of the pyramid. The other priests below were stripping skin from a warm corpse. One of them pulled it over himself and performed a ritual dance in front of thousands of spectators. After that, the body was buried, but if it was the body of a courageous warrior, it was eaten by priests. They believed that thereby the best qualities of the victim were transferred to them.
Cleanliness is important
There was a ritual according to which an innocent young man was chosen as a victim, since for the priests the purity of “soul-blood” was very important. In addition, the exclusion of extraneous influence was necessary. The victim was tied to a pillar in the square, and she was leisurely shot, like a target, from bows or spears. Such savagery had its own explanation. At the beginning of the ritual, it was strictly forbidden to inflict a mortal wound on the victim. She had to die long and painfully from the loss of blood. With this blood the soul “flew” to God.
Along with the described rituals, there was a blood sacrifice that did not require the death of a person. The victim was only made incisions on the forehead, ears, elbows. And also they pierced her nose, cheeks, and genitals.
Great importance was attached to the ritual dance of fiery purification. It was performed in those years, which according to the Mayan calendar were considered the most dangerous and unhappy. This ceremony was held late at night, which gave it solemnity and had a great effect. The flaming coals left over from the big bonfire were scattered around and leveled. The main priest walked at the head of a procession of barefoot Indians, walking along the coals. Some of them were burned, others were burned very badly, and some remained unscathed. This ritual, like many others, was accompanied by music, dancing.
Temples
In Maya religion, great importance was attached to urban centers. The oldest of them formed at the turn of a new era. These were Vashaktun, Kopan, Tikal Volaktun, Balakbal and others. They were religiously secular. For example, about 200 thousand people lived in Kopan. In the VIII century, three churches were erected there, each of which reached a height of 30 meters. In addition, in the very center of the city there were terraces decorated with steles and statues of gods.
Such religious and secular centers were located in other cities. They are inherent in all of Mesoamerica as a whole. Many of the monuments have survived to this day. These include:
- In Palenque: Pyramid of inscriptions, Temple of the Sun, pyramids-tombs.
- In Chichen Itza: Temple of the Jaguars, Temple of the Warriors, Kukulkan Pyramid.
- In Teotihuacan - the "city of the gods": Pyramids of the Sun and Moon.
According to one belief, when a person ceases to be reflected in a mirror, he approaches death. By the end of the 10th century, Maya civilization ceased to be reflected in the mirror. Her sunset came. Many cities left their inhabitants, and they were destroyed. Mayan civilization has faded. Why? There is no exact answer, there are only hypotheses: wars, earthquakes, epidemics, sudden climate change, decreased soil fertility ... However, the true reason is not known to anyone.