Mayan Alphabet
This was the alphabet historians base the heiroglyphs on. It is known as the Landa Alphabet.
Gods and Goddesses:
Itzamn- The ruler god. No gods were really considered the ruler god, but Itzamn was sometimes thought as a ruler god.
Quetzalcoatl- God of peace. Took shape as a feathered serpent, but appeared to man as a white bearded man.
Chac- God of rain.
Kukulcan- Wind God. A priest once took the same name, and became a hero.
Kinich Ahau- God of the Sun.
Yaxche- the tree of the Heavens.
Xibalba- The Underworld.
Yum Cimil- God of Death, and Ruler of the Underworld.
Mayan Religion
Religion was very important for the Mayans. The Mayans had many religious festivals honoring many gods, and sometimes heroes of Mayan Culture. Their gods symbolize everything from weather, harvest, birth, death, and war. The temples were large stone paramids, stacked like giant steps. The temples were dedicated to either one or a few gods. The Mayans also had pilgrimage spots much like Middle Ages Europe. Some spots were Izamel and Cozumel. A common thing in Mayan religion is that priests would take on the name of a god in honor of that diety. Some famous heroes who took on names of gods are Itzamn and Kukulcan. One important thing about Mayan religion is the relative mildness of the religion. The sacrifices were rare untill the end of the classical age. In fact, after the classical age the civilization slowly fell.
Mayan Language
In the Mayan culture, there are about 30 known different languages still spoke today by some. The top two languages are Yucatecan and Cholan. No city has the same language as another. The Yucatecan language has a few main branches:Yucatec, Itza, Mopan, and Lacadon. The Cholan has Chol, Chontal, Chorti, Cholti. Another language with some importance is the Tzetalan language. The Mayans mostly wrote in heiroglyphs, which historians believe they were written in Cholan rather than Yucatecan. We can not prove it for none of these languages are spoken or written today.
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