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The Mayan civilization flourished in the jungles and tropical forests of southern Mexico and Central America around 2000 BC and definitively declined around 1520 AD when, already in decline, it finally became extinct after the conquest of America.
The Mayan civilization of the New World was characterized as a highly advanced people, politically, economically, socially, and intellectually. The Mayans knew the solar system and the movements of the cosmos in depth, which is why they used a very precise calendar system. Likewise, the Maya developed a hieroglyphic writing system that recorded the history of these peoples. With this, they allowed the reconstruction of the ancient Mayan civilization and provided posterity with precise knowledge of the succession of their rulers.
Pictorial engravings incorporating hieroglyphic writing have told a story that challenges once-held beliefs about the nature of the Maya. The Maya were once considered a fundamentally peaceful civilization, hardly involved in activities such as human sacrifice and blood offerings.
However, modern analyzes reveal that the Maya often fought civil wars, and that a central element of their culture was human sacrifice.
Human sacrifice in Mayan art: codices
Today we know that human sacrifice was a pervasive and woven theme in Maya life. It was so ingrained in some parts of the Maya area, specifically in Yucatán, Chiapas and Guatemala, that its practice continued, albeit in secret, after the Spanish conquest, and prevailed in the colonial period.
The incorporation of human sacrifice into political agendas was what consolidated its existence in the life of the Maya. Evidence for sacrifices as rituals comes mostly from images in Mayan codices, ancient manuscripts made on paper or similar materials. These codices are a valuable source of information on the various ritual and cultural aspects of the Mayan civilization. They also contain glyph-like symbols pertaining to their rituals, deities, sacrifices, lunar phases, calendars, and planetary movements.
slaughter methods
Sacrificial methods mainly depended on who was being offered to the gods and why. Prisoners of war, for example, were routinely eviscerated. But if the sacrifice was related to the ball game, the victim was pushed down the temple stairs or beheaded.
The ball game
One of the ways that human sacrifice was practiced was in the context of the ball game. The sacrifice in the ball game has a deep mythical connotation, and the stories in the Quiché Mayan epic narrative book of the Popol Vuh demonstrate this. The ballgame was played for many reasons, including social functions like conflict mediation, for example. This game was also the basis of a ritualized ceremony and for political purposes to maintain or change power status.
When the ball game was ritually performed, it was accompanied by some specific elements. The symbolic meaning was associated with certain aspects of the pitch. It was believed that the playing field was essentially the threshold from the Center of the World to the Underworld, which is why it was considered a sacred space.
the head as a trophy
Almost all sacrificial tests in the context of ballgames include death, and decapitation is postulated to be an important theme associated with this. The heads may also have played a role in the game’s scoring. Not only were the heads hung on the walls of the field as a symbol of victory and defeat, but during the Preclassic and Classic periods, they could be used as targets or goals to which the balls were thrown.
This connotation between the ball and the head can also be seen in the Popol Vuh, where a decapitated head is used instead of a rubber ball. The act of sacrifice in the ball game can be considered a metaphorical parallel to the movements of the cosmos. For the Maya, this sacrifice ensured the continuation of the cycle of their cosmology. The fertility of agriculture is an issue closely linked to the movements of the cosmos as a direct result of human sacrifice.
Decapitation and removal of the heart
At the Chichén Itzá historic site, several reliefs depict human sacrifices by beheading. These representations belong to the classic period of Mayan art (around 250-950 AD). Before the death ritual, the victim was often tortured, scalped or eviscerated.
Influenced by the Aztecs of the Valley of Mexico, Maya human sacrifices also included ritual slaughter by heart removal. This method was widespread in the Postclassic period (approx. 950-1550 AD). It is believed that they considered the extraction of the still beating heart as the highest religious expression and a great offering to the gods.
The ritual used to take place on top of the pyramid temple or in the courtyard of the temple. The victim had to be naked, with no more clothing than a headdress and painted blue, which was a symbol of sacrifice.
bloodletting ritual
In the Mayan culture, blood was also quite an important symbol. It was believed to contain chu’lel , the life force, and was therefore offered to the gods through the bloodletting ritual. The peoples who practiced this ritual pierced or cut themselves with various tools, such as needles. They also used agave thorns (plant species) or obsidian blades, a volcanic rock.
Different parts of the body, such as the tongue, arms, legs, ears, and cheeks, were cut out and the blood was smeared on cotton, animal feathers, or paper (banana leaf), which was then burned and “delivered.” » to the gods.
Sources
- Tiesler, V. and Cucina, A. (2007). Studies of the Mayan culture. Human sacrifice by heart extraction. An osteotaphonomic assessment of ritual violence among the Classic Maya .
- Vargas, P. (2003). The Mayan Mystery . Magazine of the Regional Headquarters 5 ( 8 ).
