Always a hallmark of paganism was the variety of gods, each of which had its own sphere of influence. Against this background, the number of divine entities in the Maya reached almost two hundred, but if we compare, for example, with the Hindu culture,
then this number is incredibly small: in Hinduism there are thousands of all kinds of gods. Although there are such religious systems where there are not even hundreds of deities.
True, a slightly confusing story is associated with the Mayan gods. Before the Spanish invaders landed on the lands of America, the Maya had about a hundred gods. Each of them was assigned a role in the world order, and all deities were worshiped in their own way. But after the conquest of the continent, some records were created in which it is noted that in the Mayan religion there are much more divine entities. This discrepancy in information is due to several reasons, which are given below.
The first reason is that some deities were dependent on certain situations: at different times they had a specific name. Very often the number of these names for one god reached four. The second reason was associated with the development of the gods as human beings: they grew up, aged and reborn. Therefore, one deity had several entities in the presence. In turn, two different divine characters, with their own nature and history, could be the embodiment of one god. The third reason is that two deities, male and female, merged with each other, personifying a certain divine principle, the unity of opposites. In this case, they were perceived as an integral god. But at the same time they were also separate divine images. And finallyeach god possessed a double - that is, the god in heaven corresponded to a god in the afterlife.
The Maya people depended on the gods for all aspects of their activities. Every manifestation of life, from small things to some serious deeds, required coordination with the deities. That is why there was such a variety of divine entities. The original list of Mayan gods is very wide, so only a few of them are listed below.
Kukulkan was one of the representatives of the highest divine authority. He was all the noblest and wisest. He patronized various crafts and labor in general. He made laws and guided the political aspirations of his people. He was also mentioned as the god who ruled the weather, in particular, rains and wind. Depicted as a serpent with plumage, a jaguar or an eagle. Researchers suggest that this deity carries some features of the god of the Aztecs and Toltecs Quetzalcoatl. Allegedly, Quetzalcoatl became the prototype of Kukulkan, who showed in himself the features inherent in an Aztec deity.
Another god of the highest pantheon is Itzamna. He was considered the main sage and one of the creators of the world. Patronized science and education, and also played the role of the holder of the sky. Usually he had the image of an old man or a heavenly dragon. Ish-Chel was his wife. The goddess was a feminine variation of the god Itzamna. She was in charge of such areas of life as medicine and childbirth. In addition, she was the goddess of fertility, and all Mayan women worshiped her. She was portrayed as a decrepit old woman who had the eyes and teeth of a jaguar. Poisonous snakes wriggled along the length of her hair.
One of the most fearsome and awe-inspiring gods was Ah-Puch. He was the ruler of the very last afterlife, and there were nine of them. That is why he was the most terrible and cruel, for which he was respected more than the rest of the gods of the other world. His appearance reflected his true nature - a creepy skeleton or a man with a skull on his shoulders instead of a head. The body of this deity was covered with scabs.
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Chuck is the deity of weather, lightning and water. He ran these elements together with Kukulcan. Each side of the world corresponded to its specific essence. According to the hypotheses of some researchers, in the distant past, Chuck extended his sphere of influence to forests that needed cutting down for their further use in agriculture. Probably, it is for this reason that his images are associated with fire and axes.
Yum-Kaash is a god who, according to Mayan beliefs, patronized fertility. He was the most peaceful deity, which is why he deserved universal recognition of the common people. His divine image was in the form of a young man with corn for a head or hair in the form of maize leaves, which was the main food of the Maya people. Often, Yum-Kaash was a symbol of resurrection and new life, therefore, the tribal artists painted the departed leaders in the form of this deity. This good-natured god represented a special cycle of wilting and rebirth of nature.