|
RELIGION
 Within
the Mayan culture the religion had capital importance, since
perneaba all the aspects of the life. The priests had influence
between elite and the town, since they directed to the ceremonies
and rites to cause the supernatural thing, that were governed
by the different Gods. The Gods incarnated the forces of the
nature, the stars, rain indispensable for the survival and
the death.
This in sculptures, paintings and monuments, the deities arrived
to be represented like fabulous beings, incorporating in them
human forms adorned animals and with vegetal reasons or like
eyeteeth, claws and pens. They conceived the Universe conformed
by three planes: Sky, Earth and Infraworld. In the Sky, that
this I divide in thirteen planes, they inhabited the stars
that were Gods and Itzamná, the God supreme, that provided
life to all cosmos. They thought that the Earth was similar
to a flat plate floating in the water, Vista also like an
enormous crocodile with vegetation on the back.
The Infraworld had nine planes, in most recondite was the
residence of Ah Puch, the deity of the Death, that by regulating
era represented with a human skeleton. Sky, Earth and Infraworld
were divided, as well in four sectors that agreed with the
cardinal points; to each one of them a characteristic color
corresponded to him and in each one ceiba was one, considered
sacred tree, of the same color; whereas in the central part
was great ceiba mother, who tapeworm by the axis of the world.
They thought that the Gods had destroyed and returned to create
to the Universe several times, during which the men had evolved
to be better, until arriving at the world of its time, where
the man it had been done with but of maize and it had the
obligation to honor and to feed the Gods with offerings and
sacrifices park they, as well, they maintained the cosmos
existence.
Offerings of blood
 The
mutilation of the body was used like an average one to request
and to be able to communicate with the Gods. The Mayans practiced
these incisions like an offering to the Gods. These activities
were made by the class elite of the Mayans during the most
important ceremonies like, the monument dedication or the
coronation of a new king. Also they were used to anoint religious
articles. The Mayans were obsessed with the blood, the hers
own and the one that could offer through animals and of their
captives. The bled one was made when cutting a part of the
body or having bored others like the lobes, language and penis.
Ceremonial tools were used as sharp obsidian leaves or thorns.
The exposed blood this way deposited in a container or full
basket of sheets of paper crust. The covered with blood paper
was burned and was indeed that smoke created with the blood,
which believed would elevate their human energy through the
air and until the sky. The smoke was also used like means
so that the priests or the King could penetrate in the world
of the Gods. Within the Castle of Palenque there is a stone
bucket, that is to a side of the steam bath. It was here where
the priests and the Mayans of the high class rinsed themselves,
later to bleed itself.
The Human Sacrifice
 The
practice of the human sacrifice was very common in the Mayan
religion, but not exactly it was originated by the Mayans.
This type of ceremony is closely tie with the warlike influence
of the Toltecas. While some human sacrifice can have existed
before the era of the Toltecas, the sacrifice animal was commonest.
The turkeys, dogs, squirrels, quails and iguanas were considered
the advisable offerings for the Mayan Gods. The human sacrifice
between the Mayan era originally reserved for the kings and
royalty like a way to become one with the Gods. It was perpetrated
later in prisoners, slaves and children. The ilegítimos
children for the occasion could buy themselves orphaned and.
And they threw doncellas virgin in the natural wells to look
for the favors of the other world and as a form of communication
with the Gods before giving to beginning the cycle of seedtime.
The sacrifices like an average one were used to appease the
fury of the Gods and to celebrate special days, occasions
of period principles or end of a time. Some dates really demanded
the human sacrifice to bring the prosperity. The priests participated
in the sacrifices and were helped by four known old men like
Chacs. These men would maintain to the arms and legs of the
victims whereas the chest was opened by another individual
that was Nacom call. Also as assistant were the Chilam, (the
word chilam still is used in Yucatan and it is used to call
to an aid) who was who received the messages of the Gods while
it entered critical moment.
 There
were different forms to make sacrifices. The sacrifice of
the arrow was made in prisoners or captives military, who
were exhibited through the city or town finishing in the main
patio of a sacred temple or another ceremonial center. There,
the naked prisoners were undressed of their clothes being,
until then the prisoner was greased of a blue painting and
the then priest cut with a sagrada obsidian leaf, revealing
therefore the heart and letting the body of the prisoner be
reached in a rain of arrows.
Another common sacrifice was the sacrifice of the heart. This
type of sacrifice took place in the highest point in the ceremonial
seat like the pyramid top. The Priest removed the heart from
the still latiente victim and she showed it then the expectant
population. Later the priest embarraba his own body with the
blood of the victim and sent his body from the end of the
pyramid costs down, where the corpse was dismantled. Another
common form of sacrifice was to throw the victims, normally
the virgin women, in the sacred natural well. The victims
were offered to the Gods to request favors. If the victim
survived the sacrifice after a certain time, they were rescued
and she said that that person had been pardoned by the Gods.
Valuable objects like gold jewelry shop and jade also were
distance in the natural wells like sacrifices to request rain,
venerating to the God Chaac.
to
See more>>
|
