List of Maya gods and supernatural beings
This is a list of Maya gods and supernatural beings. For more information see Maya religion and Maya mythology.
A
- Ac Yanto
- Considered responsible for the creation of European immigrants and their products. He appeared in the latter days of Maya civilization. His brother is the creator god Hachacyum and his name means 'our helper.'
- Acan
- The god of wine. His name means 'groan.'
- Acat
- The god of tattoo artists.
- Ah Bolom Tzacab
- Meaning "the lead-nosed god," he was a god of agriculture, thunder and rain. He was depicted with a leaf in his nose. Alternative names: Ah Bolon Dz'acab, God K
- Ah Cancum
- A god of hunting.
- Ah Chun Caan
- The patron deity of the city of T'ho, modern Mérida, Yucatán.
- Ah Chuy Kak
- A god of war.
- Ah Ciliz
- A god of solar eclipses.
- Ah Cun Can
- A god of war.
- Ah Cuxtal
- A god of childbirth.
- Ah Hulneb
- Associated with the island of Cozumel, he was a god of war. Ah Hulneb means "he the spear thrower."
- Ah Kin
- Meaning "he of the sun," he was a solar deity and controlled disease and drought.
- Ah Kumix Uinicob
- Minor water gods.
- Ah Mun
- A maize god.
- Ah Muzencab
- The gods of bees.
- Ah Patnar Uinicob
- Minor water gods.
- Ah Peku
- The god of thunder.
- Ah Puch
- The god of Death
- Ah Tabai
- The god of the hunt.
- Ah Uincir Dz'acab
- A god of healing and medicine.
- Ah Uuc Ticab
- A chthonic god of the Earth.
- Ahau Chamahez
- A god of medicine and good health.
- Ahau-Kin
- Meaning "lord of the sun face," he was a sun god and moon god; he had two manifestations. At night, he became a jaguar god and lord of the underworld.
- Ahmakiq
- An agriculture god who protected crops from the wind.
- Ahulane
- A war god, also called the archer. The island Cozumel was the location of Ahulane's shrine.
- Ajbit
- One of the thirteen creator gods who helped construct humanity from maize.
- Ajtzak
- One of the thirteen creator gods who helped construct humanity from maize.
- Akhushtal
- The goddess of childbirth.
- Akna
- Meaning "mother," she was a goddess of fertility and childbirth.
- Alaghom Naom
- A goddess of wisdom, consciousness, education and the intellect. Also known as Alaghom Naom Tzentel and the Mother of Mind.
- Alom
- A sky god and one of the creator deities who participated in the last two attempts at creating humanity.
B
- Backlum Chaam
- The god of masculine sexual prowess.
- Balam
- Any of a group of jaguar gods who protected people and communities against threats.
- Balam-Agab
- Meaning "night jaguar," he was the second of the men created from maize after the Great Flood sent by Hurakan. He married Choimha.
- Bitol
- A sky god and one of the creator deities who participated in the last two attempts at creating humanity.
- Bolontiku
- A group of underworld gods.
- Buluc Chabtan
- Sometimes referred to as "God F," he was a war god who received human sacrifices.
C
- Cabaguil
- A sky god.
- Cabrakan
- A god of mountains and earthquakes. He was a son of Vucub Caquix and Chimalmat. He had six children, though only the name of one survives: Chalybir.
- Cacoch
- A creator god.
- Cakulha
- A lightning god, an underling of Yaluk. His brother was Coyopa.
- Camaxtli
- A god of hunting, war, fate and fire (which he invented). He was one of the four creator gods, who made the Earth. The Chichimec considered him their tribal deity.
- Camazotz
- Bat god, tries to kill the Hero Twins in the Popol Vuh.
- Camulatz
- A bird that ate the heads of the first men.
- Can Tzicnal
- Bacab of the north, is assigned the color white, and the Muluc years, son of Itzamna and Ixchel.
- Cay
- A water deity.
- Chaac
- The god of Rain and Thunder
- Chac Uayab Xoc
- A fish god and the patron deity of fishermen. He blessed their catches, yet also ate them if they drowned.
- Chalybir
- The son of Cabrakan. He is only mentioned once in the surviving literature, in the epic "On the Shores of the Dead".
- Chamer
- A god of death, particularly popular in Guatemala. He was married to Ixtab.
- Chaob
- The four wind gods.
- Chibirias
- A goddess of the earth.
- Chiccan
- A group of four rain gods who live in lakes and make rain clouds from the water in those lakes. Each of the rain gods was associated with a cardinal direction, similar to the Bacabs. Chiccan was also the name of a day in the Tzolkin cycle of the maya calendar.
- Chirakan
- A fertility goddess.
- Cit-Bolon-Tum
- A boar-headed god of medicine and healing.
- Chimalmat
- A giant who, by Vucub Caquix, was the mother of Cabrakan and Zipacna.
- Cizin
- A god of death who lived in Metnal.
- Colel Cab
- A mother and fertility goddess.
- Colop U Uichkin
- A god of the sky.
- Coyopa
- The god of thunder and brother of Cakulha.
- Cum Hau
- A god of death and the underworld.
D
E
- Ekchuah
- Also spelled Ek Chuah, the "black war chief" was the patron god of warriors and merchants, depicted carrying a bag over his shoulder. In art, he was a dark-skinned man with circles around his eyes, a scorpion tail and dangling lower lip. In early modern studies of Maya art and iconography, he was sometimes referred to as God M before his identity was firmly established.
F
G
- Ghanan
- An agricultural and fertility god.
- Gucumatz
- Snake god and creator.
H
- Hacha'kyum
- Worshipped by the Lacandon people, he was their patron deity.
- Hobnil
- Bacab of the east, is assigned the color red and the Kan years, son of Itzamna and Ixchel (later replaced by Chaac).
- Hozanek
- Bacab of the south, is assigned the color yellow and the Cauac years, son of Itzamna and Ixchel.
- Hun Came
- A demonic lord of the underworld Xibalba who, along with Vucub Caquix, killed Hun Hunahpu. They were killed by his sons, the Maya Hero Twins.
- Hun Hunahpu
- The father of the Maya Hero Twins Ixbalanque and Hun-Apu by a virgin. He was beheaded in Xibalba, the underworld, by the rulers of Xibalba, Hun Came and Vucub Caquix. His sons avenged his death.
- Hunab Ku
- The highest god. He rebuilt the world after three Great Floods, which came from the mouth of a sea monster. He is father of Itzamna and husband of Ixazalvoh.
- Was also known as Kinebahan.
- Hunahpu
- One of the Maya Hero Twins.
- Hunahpu-Gutch
- One of the thirteen creator gods who helped construct humanity.
- Huracan
- Storm and fire god, one of the creator deities.
I
- Itzamna
- The founder of the Maya culture, he taught his people to grow maize and cacao, as well as writing, calendars and medicine. With Ixchel, he was the father of the Bacabs. He was associated with snakes and mussels. His father was Kinich Ahau or Hunab Ku. The city of Izamal was sacred to him.
- Itzananohk'u
- The patron god of the Lacandon people.
- Ixbalanque
- One of the Maya Hero Twins.
- Ixchel
- Earth and Moon goddess.
- Ixmucane
- One of the thirteen creator gods who helped construct humanity.
- Ixpiyacoc
- One of the thirteen creator gods who helped construct humanity.
- Ixtab
- Goddess of suicide.
- Ixzaluoh
- A goddess of water and weaving.
J
K
- Kan-u-Uayeyab
- A protector of cities.
- Kan-xib-yui
- A creator god.
- Kianto
- The god of foreign aliens, and the disease they brought with them.
- K'in
- Meaning "Sun" or day, he was a solar deity.
- Kinich Ahau
- A solar deity and father of Itzamna.
- Kinich Kakmo
- A solar deity represented by a macaw.
L
M
N
- Nacon
- A god of war.
- Naum
- The god who invented the mind and consciousness.
- Nohochacyum
- A creator god, he is the most important deity of the Lacandon. His name means "Our True Lord".
O
P
Q
- Qaholom
- one of the second set of creator gods.
R
S
T
- Tecumbalam
- A bird that dearly injured the first men.
- Tepeu
- A sky god and one of the creator deities who participated in all three attempts at creating humanity.
- Tlacolotl
- A god of evildoers and villains.
- Tohil
- Tohil is the Quiché name for Huracan and was their patron deity. There was a great temple to him at their ancient capital of Rotten Cane (Q'umaraq aj or Gumarcaj).
U
V
- Voltan
- An earth and drum god (originally a human hero who was deified), married to Ixchel.
- Vucub Caquix
- A powerful ruling demon in the underworld, Xibalba, and, by Chimalmat, the father of the demonic giants Cabrakan and Zipacna. He and his children were arrogant and the divine twins Hunahpu and Ixbalangue killed Vucub Caquix and Zipacna, along with Vucub Caquix's co-regent in the underworld, Hun Came, as revenge for the beheading of their father Hun Hunahpu.
W
X
- Xaman Ek
- A god of travelers and merchants, who gave offerings to him on the side of roads while traveling.
- Xecotcovach
- A bird which tore the eyes out of the first men.
- Xmucane and Xpiayoc
- A deific creator god couple who helped creat the first humans. They are also the parents of Hun Hunahpu (one hunahpu) and Vucub Hunahpu (seven hunahpu). They were called Grandmother of Day, Grandmother of Light and Bearer twice over, begetter twice over and given the titles midwife and matchmaker.
Y
- Yaluk
- The chief lightning god, and ruled over the lesser ones, such as Cakulha.
- Yum Caax
- The personification of maize and a god of agriculture and nature. Alternative names: Yum Kaax, God E