mayans belief in the earth
The Mayans believe that Mother Earth was a gigantic monster. It was an alligator, toad, and a turtle combined. Above her was a sky with a layer for each planet and spheres of movement for the sun and the moon. Below her was the underworld where heavenly bodies passed when out of sight. All around her were the spirits of rain and thunder. The deities of the food plants and animals attended her. All nature was alive and it was constantly dying and being reborn (Burland 1771). The Mayans are American Indian people who lived in southern Mexico (Miller "Maya" Grolier). The Yucatan was the center of the Mayan civilization from about the 1st century B.C. ("Yucantan" Grolier). They flourished in Mexico and central America from 250 to 1600 A.D. ("History of Agriculture" Grolier). Their ancestors had crossed the Bering land Bridge from Asia (Miller "Maya" Grolier). Honduras was once a part of the Mayan Empire. It had flourished between 250 and 950 A.D. (Seligson "Honduras" Grolier). The Mayans also had lived in Mexican states: Yucantan and Chiapas, British Honduras, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador (Burland 1770) By 1200 B.C., they had dominated trade routes. The trade routes extended from the modern Mexico
The Greeks had believed there was nothing, that the world began with Chaos, which is similar to the Mayan belief that there was no Earth, no sun and no moon. The only existence was the house of Gucumatz, which is Heaven where the father and mother of all creatures lived. The other is the house of the Ahauab de Xibalba, which is Hell. In Hell, Hun Came and Vucub Caquix, Lords of Hell lived (Eufraccio Internet). There are some Mayan gods that have similar functions with the Greek gods. Hunab Ku is the god of gods, as Zeus is the god of gods. He also is a creator. Nacon is the god of war, as Aries is the god of war. Ah Kinchil is the sun god, as Apollo is the sun god. Kinich Kakmo is also a sun god whom the Macaw symbolizes. Ahmakiq is the god of agriculture, as Demeter is the goddess of agriculture. The Mayans worshiped peace deities (Matthews 45). They also worshiped a creator who lived beyond the sky, and believed it was male and female. Mayans also believed that males were more important (Burland 1771). They explain this with the fact that man came first (Thompson Internet). They also believe in satisfying the creators and fear death. The Mayans had similar beliefs of creation and similar and not similar gods with the Greeks, had a belief in a Heaven and a Hell, four attempts at making humans and three different worlds made. The Mayans had many gods: Ah Puch, a god of death; Akhushtal, the goddess of childbirth; Cit Bolon Tum and Ahau Chamahez, the gods of medicine; Kan-u-Uayeyab, the god who guarded cities; Kukucan, the wind god; Ekahau, the god of travelers and merchants (The Mythical Encyclopedia Internet); Ixtab, the goddess of the noose and the gallows. The Mayans believed that if a person committed suicide by a noose, he or she would go to her paradise. And Izamna is the sun and sky god, he rules over the night. They also call him "God D." His title is "lord of knowledge." He was the founder of Mayan culture. He taught them script, healing, and the use of calenders and brought them his people maize,
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1404
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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