THE MAYAN CIVILIZATION, ONE OF THE MOST FASCINATING CULTURES

The Mystical Side of the Mayan Culture

The Mayans lived integrated into the cycles of nature and considered that there were three worlds: Ka'an (heaven) Kab (earth) and Xibalba (underworld).

For the Maya, the creator of the cosmos was Itzamná, both Lord from heaven, and Lord of the day and night. He was the son of Hunab K'u an invisible deity. The sky was supported by four gods, the “bacabes”, and they were related to the four cardinal points, with a ceiba tree in each one of them, since it was considered the tree of abundance.

The Mayan practice of astronomy was relegated to the ilhuica tlamatilizmatini, or "wise man who studies heaven". By observing the sky the Mayan people recognized an imaginary band located east to west representing a two-headed snake. The most important object in the sky is the sun, which is universally recognized as the prime life-giver on Earth. The priest-astronomers recorded Mayan cosmology in codices.

The most important application of the Mayan mathematical system along with the astronomy knowledge, was in the development of their calendars. The Mayans were obsessed with numerology, and used many "special numbers" to create their two interconnected calendars. The Tzolk'in, a calendar of 260 days divided into 13 numbers and 20 days, was a ritual calendar.

The Mayans had a series of rituals associated with maintaining the order of the cosmos, fertility and welfare. Virtually all acts of daily life such as birth, marriage, and death involved a series of rituals that included dances, sacrifices, self-sacrifice, ball games, etc.

For more information you click here to get the guides for the different destinations of the Mayan world http://www.arduinna.com.mx/pdf/rmy_en.pdf