14 TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS OF THE MAYANS - HISTORY - 2025

The traditions and customs of the Mayans reflect the significance that one of the most powerful civilizations in Mesoamerica has had until today. A culture that managed to spread for more than 3,000 years, encompassing the territories that today constitute Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador and the entire southeast of Mexico, located in states such as Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Yucatán.

Having created hundreds of dialects and having a globally recognized scientific and astronomical legacy, the Mayans built great religious and political monuments that show their incredible economic and social development.

They made great strides in the fields of writing, mathematics, architecture, and medicine, sustaining a great and rich culture thanks to their dedication to agriculture, commerce, hunting, and fishing.

The Maya served as an example for the various cultures that subsequently emerged in Mesoamerica, leaving behind sophisticated water distribution systems and large crops of corn, tubers, beans, and cotton.

In addition, they created one of the most accurate calendars and made contributions to modern science, such as the creation of the number zero, which is fundamental to the current number system.

Their descriptions of the position of the stars, the sun and the light, together with their beliefs and customs make them a civilization that, despite time, has managed to remain in the cultural roots of all Central America and its interesting traditions and celebrations. they are proof of it.

Mayan customs

As noted, the colonization carried out by the Spanish was not limited to a territorial and political conquest. Thus, the new rulers of the conquered lands began a process of acculturation of the indigenous peoples. It was about imposing the customs, beliefs and traditions of the conquerors to facilitate political control.

In the case of the Mayans, experts highlight the mystical and spiritual character of their customs. Many aspects of his life, from birth to death, were governed by his religious beliefs, something that was reflected in daily life.

- Childbirth in Mayan customs and the Hetzmek ceremony

When it came to having a child, the Mayans followed an established procedure so that everything went well. Thus, the woman's hands were tied to a rope, which, in turn, was tied to a beam. The woman in labor had to squat down with her legs bent.

When the time came, a man had to hug the woman from behind while blowing her head. That murmur, according to their beliefs, helped the child come out.

Once the child was born, one of the most important rituals in the Mayan culture took place: the Hetzmek ceremony. To begin with, the priests made omens about the future of the child, always keeping in mind the day of the tzolkin on which he had come into the world.

Three months later, in the case of girls, or four, in the case of boys, the Hetzmek ceremony began. This consisted of placing them astride the hip of a person of the same sex for the first time, who played a role similar to that of the current godparents.

- Carrying out human sacrifices

For the Mayan culture, sacrifices were necessary to guarantee the proper functioning of the universe, the passing of the seasons, the growth of corn and the passing of time.

Their objective was to protect the life of human beings and in turn keep the existence of the gods alive.

According to their beliefs, human blood is the bond that unites the gods and the human being, hence, with the performance of sacrifices, the gods were fed and the debts that human beings have with them were paid.

And it is that the Mayans believed that they owe their life to the gods, and the way to please them was to offer tobacco, incense, food and their own blood was the way to show it to them.

- Physical appearance

There are several customs that the Mayans followed related to their physical appearance. In many cases, they also had a religious significance.

One of them was the custom of lengthening the skulls. To do this, they placed boards on the children's heads on the fourth day after their birth. One of the boards was placed on the forehead and the other on the back.

Likewise, the Mayans also caused strabismus or squint in their descendants. Mothers hung small balls of resin from their children's hair. The children, attracted by the object, tried to focus on it with their crooked eyes all the time.

Piercing the nose was another of the customs of the Mayans. According to historians, they did it by piercing that area of ​​the face with an amber stone. The reason could be both aesthetic or for some kind of honorary recognition.

Finally, Mayan men and women made small discs of obsidian or jade inlaid with their teeth. In some cases, in addition, their teeth were filed in the shape of a saw.

- Marriage

In the Mayan culture there was the figure of the matchmaker, whom they called atanzahab. Its function was to discover the possible conflicts that could occur in the couple to be able to solve them before getting married.

On the other hand, the bride's parents received a dowry for their daughter. In addition, the groom was obliged to work for his father-in-law for a time. Both aspects, dowry and time of work, were decided by the atanzahab.

Since many marriages were arranged by families, it was very common for the bride and groom to meet for the first time on the wedding day. On many occasions, they did not get to speak to each other until after the ceremony.

- Cenote worship

The cenotes are natural water wells that stand out for their great beauty. Although they can be found in other areas, it is in the so-called Riviera Maya where they can be found in greater numbers. These geomorphological forms resemble small caves, with large underground rivers inside.

The Mayans gave these cenotes a religious character. For them, they were sacred places and, therefore, they used them to perform religious rituals, such as human sacrifices.

According to Mayan beliefs, the cenotes were the door to Xibalbá, a mythical space through which the souls of the deceased travel on their way to paradise. In this way, the cenotes were the entry ways to eternity and the happiness of life after death.

- Death and burial

The Mayans thought that some of their ancestors were going to be reborn as gods. For this reason, funerals and burial sites were of great importance. Spanish chroniclers pointed out that the Mayans remembered their ancestors from hundreds of years ago, which proves they honored their dead.

In addition to the funeral ceremony itself, Mayan families performed rituals at the graves of their ancestors to try to get their help.

The dead were buried accompanied by bread and corn, so that they had enough food to be able to travel the path that would take them to paradise.

Mayan traditions

Some of the traditions of the Mayans have been lost over time and others, for obvious reasons, have been abandoned. However, the spiritual conquest carried out by the Spanish could not eliminate all their festivities. In them, the Mayans have preserved some elements of their ancient religion, although mixed with Christian elements.

- Mayan ball game practice

Ball game court in Uxmal (Yucatán) - Source: HJPD

Also called “Pok a Pok”, for the sound that the ball produced when it was hit against the walls of the courts or the arms and hips of the players.

The Mayans used to play ball, and the existence of different ancient ball courts in the Yucatan Peninsula proves it.

The Mayans considered this game as something divine, where the main objective was to dunk the ball in some stone rings arranged for it.

The game was believed to be a constant struggle between light and darkness, hence the winning team represented the light and its power over darkness. Generally, the losing team was sacrificed and offered to the gods.

- Blood offering ceremonies

According to the mythology of the Mayan culture, the gods had shed their own blood to form the human body. That sacrifice was honored in the blood offerings carried out by the Mayan people.

In addition to using prisoners of war, the Mayan leaders themselves offered their blood in rituals, although without dying.

The blood offering, apart from honoring the gesture of their gods, should allow the Mayans to reach higher levels of consciousness and be able to communicate with their deities. Normally, these types of ceremonies were celebrated during important events, such as a birth, a death or the birthdays of the nobility.

- Sac Ha Ceremony

It continues to be celebrated by farmers every year with the goal of growing corn crops.

Meaning “white water” in Yucatec Mayan, it consisted of making a sacred drink made from ground boiled corn mixed with water from the dew or from the depths of a cave.

This drink was presented on a special altar, being considered a powerful tradition in charge of preserving the balance of the earth.

- Hanal Pixan Festival

Today, the Hanal Pixan festival has merged with the Christian celebration of saints. This mixture has resulted in one of the best-known festivals in all of Mexico: the day of the dead. The goal is to honor all the deceased.

The vision of death that the Mayans had was very natural. For them it was not a tragedy, but something immersed in the nature of people. Furthermore, they believed in an afterlife and that their ancestors should be honored.

In ancient times, the Mayans celebrated this festival in a way very similar to the day of the dead today: with food, music and incense.

- Pa Puul Ceremony

In the Mayan dialect of Yucatan, Pa Puul means "breaking dishes." The festival's objective was to ask for the rains to come and began at dawn, at which time the children collected animals (especially reptiles) and put them in jars. Later, these containers would break, producing a sound similar to thunder.

At present, this festival continues to take place every June 24 in much of the ancient Mayan territory of Mexico.

- Mayan ceremony or xukulem

It is a ceremony to get closer and communicate with Ajaw, the creator and shaper god of the universe.

This ceremony is a liturgical celebration of Mayan spirituality, in which resins, candles and offerings are burned in different sacred places, making a bonfire accompanied with music and dances.

People kneel in front of the fire, because it is believed that depending on the time that the person was kneeling, the more they showed their gratitude to God. The goal was to bow with deep respect to parents and grandparents.

The Mayans performed this ceremony to show gratitude and request requests, healings and withdrawal of bad energies from the god. It was also carried out to ask for divine advice and abundance.

- Ceremony of Wajxaquib'B 'atz "the 8 of the monkey"

Ceremony that takes place every 260 days and that continues to take place among the Quiche Mayan people of Guatemala. The objective is to celebrate the new cycle of the sacred Tzolk'in calendar of the Maya.

During the ceremony, a man or a woman is chosen who will be the counters of the calendar, and who will serve as a spiritual and cultural guide to the community.

This initiation rite was carried out in caves, springs and mountains considered sacred because they are portals that connect heaven with earth and the world of the ancestors.

- Nan Pach dance and gratitude ceremony

It is a famous Mayan ceremony in which nature is thanked for the corn harvest. The night before the celebration, dolls with cob bodies are made that are known under the name of "queens or grandmothers" while prayers are recited.

The next day, they are placed on beautiful altars that are worshiped with music and dance while drinking pinol, a hot drink made from corn.

References

1. Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Corn and calendar traditions. Retrieved from maya.nmai.si.edu
2. Ethnicities Mexico. Mayan customs and traditions. Obtained from etnias.mx
3. Mayan culture. Customs and Traditions of the Mayan Culture. Obtained from culturalmaya.com
4. Countries and their cultures. Maya. Retrieved from everyculture.com
5. Eduplace. The Ancient Maya: Culture and Traditions. Recovered from eduplace.com
6. Jarus, Owen. The Maya: History, Culture & Religion. Retrieved from livescience.com
7. Donn, Lin. Maya Empire for Kids. Retrieved from mayas.mrdonn.org