The Mayans inhabited Central America in the centuries before the Conquest of America, developing a highly evolved civilization.In it, religious beliefs played an essential role that we will talk about in the next article.In About History we talk to you now of the Mayan Religion .
The Mayan religion :
The religion of the Mayan culture was characterized basically for the passing of life around infinite cycles of the universe .that way, it will be possible to be noticed that the Mayan religion finds its roots in time, being this diagrammed by means of diverse systems of calendars based on different patterns, dividing the life cycles of the Mayan culture .
The Mayas believed that the world had been created five times and destroyed four times , this being the basis of the Mesoamerican religious culture that spread from the year 900 onwards, later adopted by the Toltecas.
The Mayan gods were in their the vast majority reptiles , presenting two different aspects that symbolized their benevolence and evil.
As for life after death, this was a point of great importance within religion , given that the Mayans held that there was a complex post-mortum life, in which paradise was only reserved for those who had been sacrificed, killed or killed during the childhood.All other people were sent to xibal or hell, which was ruled by the Gods of Death.
The Mayans built numerous temples around which the cities rose.In the temples the priests gave doctrine, who were considered of the high social classes within the Mayan culture.
The Mayan calendars:
Towards the center was the tzolkin (sacred calendar), which consisted of 260 days .It was based on two circles, of which one was composed of 16 numbered days, and the other for 20 named days.These two circles were repeated every 260 days.
On the other hand, they also possessed the tun , a calendar c eremonial, composed of 360 days and 5 additional days of bad luck .Another of the most used calendars was the so-called katun , which was diagrammed by 20 tuns .They also used a 584-day Venus calendar , a lunar half-calendar and cycles of the celestial gods.
Together, all of these Calendar systems made the Maya a meticulously calculating culture, reaching extremely complex results, thanks to the deep astronomical studies that were controlled under religious rituals.
Mayan ceremonies:
Unlike many other cultures, religious ceremonies they had a wide variety of activities , all of them related to the offerings and devotion to their divinities. This is how they could v er sports competitions, theatrical shows, dances and sacrifices.
The Mayans held that the gods needed food to work in their favor and among the most precious offerings, were the sacrifices humans.This used to be blood offerings produced by the cutting of various parts of the human body, usually of priests.Usually, the tongue, lips or ears were used to be sacrificed and the more blood shed, the greater the The will of the gods, the size of the offering being also directly proportional to the position of the sacrificial hierarchy, even some ceremonies demanded the living heart of the sacrificed, being then burned to entertain the gods.
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