Mayan Religion
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The Mayans worshipped many Gods who were each in charge of their own aspect of Mayan life. This kind of religion is called polytheistic. A religion that worships only one god, such as Christianity, is called monotheistic. For instance, there was a God of Rain named Chac, a God of Death named Cizin, and the Supreme God named Hunab Ku. In times of hardship, the Mayans would gather together and pray to the Gods. |
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In addition to these gods, each city-state had it's own patron god. When one city-state defeated another city-state in war, it was seen as the winning city-state's god was more powerful and universally favored than the losing city-state's god. As you can see, religion was very present in everyday life, even in the government. Another part of Mayan religion that was important for the government was sacrifice. They used both animal and human sacrifices to win the favor of the Gods. They would perform these sacrifices on the top of the stone pyramid temples in the center of each city-state.
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Watch this video. What are some differences between your religion and Mayan religion? What part of Mayan religion do you find the most interesting? |
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