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Contemporary Maya Religion
Works Cited
Links to Class Wiki's

Another form of sacrifice took the form of decapitation. The sacrifice of captive kings, while uncommon, seems to have called for a special ritual decapitation. This is evident in the sacred book of the Popul Vuh. Within it makes an association between rulers and the maize god who had been decapitated by the gods of the underworld before being reborn as the first Maya king. [6]
{http://mayavasepro.webs.com/Rosetta%20Vase.jpg}
at Tikal. For more information on Maya priests and sacrifice, take a look at Sarah Galicki's Wiki.
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Maya Deities
Mesoamerican religion governed all aspects of Maya life. One major dimension of belief was a focus on devotion to an array of gods or deities associated with specific features of the landscape. The Maya prayed daily to a variety of gods for good fortune and success in everything they did. [7] The Mesoamerican landscape in ancient times was populated by people who took a strong religious stance and build on it, quite literally. To these people the deities weren’t just some mere fantasy but capricious beings who took care of their mortal devotees if reciprocated with offerings, but who could wreck havoc on them if they did not. [4]
earth. [7] For more information on Maya gods and their relation to Maya kings, please refer to Gianna Borawski's Wiki.
There are a number of Maya deities, but here I will focus briefly on 5 main ones:
{http://www.cayaya-birding.com/itzamna.gif}

{http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3033/2842006416_300e0999b2.jpg} © Flickr.com
By Christine Medina
Introduction
Maya Deities
Rituals
Contemporary Maya Religion
Works Cited

Contemporary Maya Religion
The Maya people of today also perform daily rituals to ensure life, health, and sustenance; but they do so in a different way. today the most commonly practiced religion in the region is a mix of Roman Catholicism and ancient Maya beliefs and rituals. [3] Because of the Spanish conquest, the nature gods of the past have been replaced by the worship of santos or saints. Most Maya still believe the sky is the domain of the sun, the moon, and the stars, but the sun is now associated with God or Jesus Christ, and the moon is associated with the Virgin Mary. [3] So the old Maya deities have taken a kind of transformation, but what about the rituals. Divination has changed somewhat in that they are performed by shamans who count seeds and use crystals. [1] Shamans are also traditional healers, bone setters, midwives, and herbalists. [5] When it comes to human sacrifice though that is where we can clearly see a change in practice. Today the only type of sacrifice that prevails is with animals such as chickens. The last recorded Maya human sacrifice occurred in 1868. [3] So even though there has been a change in Maya religious thought since the ancient times, it is clear to see how Maya religious beliefs and practices have shaped everyday life in the past and current. Most importantly is how we still have more the learn about the Classic period when it comes to Maya religious practices. Research has been ongoing now for a period of some 50 years. Archaeologists and anthropologists are beginning to gain critical insight into rites often depicted in ancient Maya art; which can be truly significant in our understanding of who the Maya were and what it means for the culture that has remained there since.
at Tikal. {http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BHexeiAIqXY/TF9438IjdpI/AAAAAAAAA2w/erk8PjghIrc/s1600/maximon%20by%20racoles.jpg} {http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BHexeiAIqXY/TF9438IjdpI/AAAAAAAAA2w/erk8PjghIrc/s1600/maximon%20by%20racoles.jpg} Maximón folk
Next Page: Works Cited

Contemporary Maya Religion
The Maya people of today also perform daily rituals to ensure life, health, and sustenance; but they do so in a different way. today the most commonly practiced religion in the region is a mix of Roman Catholicism and ancient Maya beliefs and rituals. [3] Because of the Spanish conquest, the nature gods of the past have been replaced by the worship of santos or saints. Most Maya still believe the sky is the domain of the sun, the moon, and the stars, but the sun is now associated with God or Jesus Christ, and the moon is associated with the Virgin Mary. [3] So the old Maya deities have taken a kind of transformation, but what about the rituals. Divination has changed somewhat in that they are performed by shamans who count seeds and use crystals. [1] Shamans are also traditional healers, bone setters, midwives, and herbalists. [5] When it comes to human sacrifice though that is where we can clearly see a change in practice. Today the only type of sacrifice that prevails is with animals such as chickens. The last recorded Maya human sacrifice occurred in 1868. [3] So even though there has been a change in Maya religious thought since the ancient times, it is clear to see how Maya religious beliefs and practices have shaped everyday life in the past and current. Most importantly is how we still have more the learn about the Classic period when it comes to Maya religious practices. Research has been ongoing now for a period of some 50 years. Archaeologists and anthropologists are beginning to gain critical insight into rites often depicted in ancient Maya art; which can be truly significant in our understanding of who the Maya were and what it means for the culture that has remained there since.
{http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Mayan_priest_performing_healing.jpg/220px-Mayan_priest_performing_healing.jpg} Maya priest performing a healing ritual at Tikal. {http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_BHexeiAIqXY/TF9438IjdpI/AAAAAAAAA2w/erk8PjghIrc/s1600/maximon%20by%20racoles.jpg} Maximón folk saint venerated
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