The Maya believed in a vast series of Gods, who could either help or hurt them, with the most important deity being Itzamná, the creator God and the God of fire. They believed that the Gods lived everywhere and believed in a heaven, an earth and an underworld.
Another principal belief of the Mayan religion was that the rulers were descendants of the Gods, messengers between the Gods and the people, and were semi-divine themselves. Their blood was seen as the ultimate sacrifice.
Due to this divine status given to rulers, they were buried in ornate tombs with many offerings to the Gods laid beside them. Nobles were also buried in tombs, however not quite as ornate as the Kings, and the poorer people buried their dead under the floor of their own home to make it easier for them to know what was going on.
The Mayan people believed that the thin crust of the earth was the separation between the real world and the spiritual world. There was a heaven, the home of the Gods, an earth, the home of the people and an underworld, the place of demons. If the Mayan people did not worship in the right way, the demons would be released and attack them. This was one of their biggest fears. However, most Maya, including the rulers, went to this underworld as heaven was only for people who had been sacrificed or died in childbirth.
The Mayan women would never look in a mirror, as their was the belief that the demons could come through the mirror and pull you into the underworld. The men however, would look in mirrors as an act of courage.
Another principal belief of the Mayan religion was that the rulers were descendants of the Gods, messengers between the Gods and the people, and were semi-divine themselves. Their blood was seen as the ultimate sacrifice.
Due to this divine status given to rulers, they were buried in ornate tombs with many offerings to the Gods laid beside them. Nobles were also buried in tombs, however not quite as ornate as the Kings, and the poorer people buried their dead under the floor of their own home to make it easier for them to know what was going on.
The Mayan people believed that the thin crust of the earth was the separation between the real world and the spiritual world. There was a heaven, the home of the Gods, an earth, the home of the people and an underworld, the place of demons. If the Mayan people did not worship in the right way, the demons would be released and attack them. This was one of their biggest fears. However, most Maya, including the rulers, went to this underworld as heaven was only for people who had been sacrificed or died in childbirth.
The Mayan women would never look in a mirror, as their was the belief that the demons could come through the mirror and pull you into the underworld. The men however, would look in mirrors as an act of courage.