The Maya Myths

Maya peoples have long dominated southern Mesoamerica, an area stretching from the lowland coast of the Yucatán Peninsula to the highland mountains of southern Guatemala. While never a unified people, they gave rise to a great civilization with a dynamic set of beliefs and stories that varied between groups and retellings. To the Maya these have always been more than fireside tales: their myths formed the foundation of their culture, weaving together their ancestral and primordial pasts into a cohesive and meaningful narrative that resonates to this day.
Here you will find the origin stories of the Maya cosmos, the creation of the sun and moon, and accounts of the relationship between the celestial realm and the underworld. Elsewhere, heroes descend to the ballcourt of the underworld, where severed heads grow like fruit on trees, the ancestors converse with animals, and the Maize god is caught in a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth.
Collectively, these captivating myths and tales reflect the enduring vibrancy of Maya cultures, from the peak of the hieroglyphic tradition in the eighth century CE, through the invasions of the Spanish conquistadors up to the present day.

Mallory Matsumoto is assistant professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research, which draws on text, image and archaeological remains, engages questions of language, material culture and identity in indigenous Maya communities in colonial Mexico and Central America. Her books include Land, Politics, and Memory in Five Nija'ib' K'iche' Títulos: 'The Title and Proof of Our Ancestors'.