Please take a minute to visitGeotourism
Challenge 2009 for Sustaining the Future of Destinations,
where you will find the Maya Foundation In Laakeech A.C. nominated entry in
conjunction with the Hacienda Chichen sustainable tourism vision, this unique
project competition is sponsored by National Geographic and Ashoka's
Changemakers.
Check
our
Special Offers and Vacation Packages and truly enjoy visiting Chichen
Itza, Yucatan, Mexico.
The ancient Maya
civilization is the highest cultural legacy of Mesoamerica. The Maya are
believed to originate in the Yucatán around 2600 B.C. They developed the
mathematical position of zero, along with a high understanding of astronomy,
impressive intertwined
calendar systems,
majestic architectural achievements, and a complex hieroglyphic writing
combining phonetic suffixes, prefixes and detailed artistic symbols within its
format.
The Maya understanding and observation of nature were the key stones
of their impressive accomplishments in urban planning, architecture,
religion, astronomy, mathematics, literature, holistic healing
practices, farming methods, and Cosmovision.
Mayan
artisans
were skillful weavers and potters,
archaeologists have found a vast quantity of fine weaves and
beautiful vases, plates, vessels and jainas. Ancient Mayas
were also accomplished healers, artists, scientists and merchants,
clearing routes through jungles and swamps to foster extensive trade
networks with distant cultures. Their main source of fresh water was
from underground
cenotes
(sink-holes). In areas
where such water deposits were not found, the Maya built sizeable
underground reservoirs, called “chultun,” which were use for
storing rainwater.
Archaeologists believe today, that around 300 B.C. the Maya adopted
a hierarchical system of government as part of a complex society
system, where high priests and kings ruled within dynasties. The
civilization became a highly structured system of kingdoms during
the Classic period, A.D. 200-900. Ancient Maya society consisted of
many independent states, each with a noble ruling class, a high rank
warrior class, rural farming communities and large urban sites built
around
ceremonial centers. It started to decline around A.D. 900
with the abandonment of the southern Maya cities. Some of the
Kingdom states still existed when the Spanish Conquest in the early
sixteenth century arrived.
DID YOU KNOW: Ancient Maya had amazing technical skills; they erect
highly decorated ceremonial architecture sites, including impressive
temples, ball courts, pyramids, palaces, and observatories; such
architectural skills are believed to have been built without the use
of wheels and metal tools. Yet, the perfect harmony of their
architectural achievements leaves even the most skillful scientists
of today wondering how this ancient people arrived to such highly
refine knowledge and understanding of our galaxy and the Universe.
Why their cities and temples are rooted in their Cosmo-vision and
how they managed to produce such incredible perfection in their
architecture and mathematical achievements.
2009 MAYAN EQUINOX CEREMONY IN CHICHEN ITZA,
YUCATAN, MEXICO Equinox Purification Ritual at
Hacienda Chichen
Many travelers and
visitors participated in our March
21st, 2009 Mayan mystical and holistic experience celebrated at
Yaxkin Spa's Zumpul-che, a
Mayan Sacred Cave and holistic sweat-bath gear to prepare you to
harmonize your inner-energy with the Cosmic influences of annual Spring
Equinox. A Mayan celebration of union with Mother Earth and the
Cosmos offered by the Mayan Elder Priests and Wiseman (Mayan
Shamans) at the Sacred Ceremonial Site they keep within the Mayan
Jungle Reserve at Hacienda Chichen Resort. Spring 2009 Mayan
Equinox Zumpul-che Ceremony was also celebrated by Mayan Senior
Healers and Shamans to learn about the next 2010 Spring Equinox
celebrations in Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico, please contact us at:
info@yucatanadventure.com.mx
We invite you to read the following
articles in this page:
Maya
history flows in cycles of rise and fall periods, of continuity and
change; guided by a holistic religion that remains the foundation of
their culture even today. The Maya vision of the universe is divided
into multiple levels, above and below a flat Earth held by four
Bacabs, (cardinal directions of north, south, east and west).
The Sacred Tree of Life orCeiba is at the center of a
complex communion of Celestial Gods and underworld, Kibalba,
deities. The ancient Maya pantheon of gods and deities, was
worshipped in multiple sacred ceremonies and offerings included even
human sacrifices. Nobles and Rulers were believed to be descendants
of the gods and their blood was the ideal sacrifice, either through
personal bloodletting or the blood of royal captives.
For
those
J-Men and Ix-Men Maya priests who continue practicing many of
the ancient Maya traditions; the belief “that there is a direct
cosmic influence on human lives” is at the core of their faith. Even
today, these holly-men and high priests pay homage to their gods
through holistic rituals and sacred ceremonies with up most
reverence and faith. Hacienda Chichen supports and sponsors the
Maya wise-men traditions; the owners have donated a portion of their
land to create two active
Sacred Mayan Ceremonial Sites.
Since
the Colonial times, there are Maya healers or “curanderos”
who practice their rituals with a
fusion of Catholic beliefs and Maya faith
to avoid the punishments given by the Spanish Conquest’s intolerance for any
religion but the Catholic. Despite such mixture of religious
terminology, the Maya people still has a deep
connection with their ancestral Cosmovision and understanding of the
Universe.
More about Maya
Gods & Cosmovision.
The Mayan Sacred Tree of Life
is a Kapok tree
generally referred to as "La Ceiba" in Yucatan and Guatemala, a
Spanish common name for the Ceiba pentandra tree; this
tree is also known as the Java cotton or Java kapok.
La Ceiba
is sometimes
referred simply as the Kapok tree in many parts of
the world. This fascinating tropical tree is not only a revered
sacred symbol in Maya mythology but an important element in the
Mayan Cosmovision, even today.
Kapok or Ceiba, is a tropical tree of the order
Malvales
and the family Malvaceae (once separated in the family Bombacaceae) native to Mexico, Central America and the
Caribbean, northern South America, and (as the variety C.
pentandra var. guineensis) to tropical west Africa. Adult
trees produce several hundred 15 cm (6 in) seed pods; each pod
contains many seeds surrounded by a fluffy, cotton-like yellowish
fiber that is a mix of lignin and cellulose.
The fiber obtained from these treesseed pods, is called in
Maya “pochote” and was used by the ancient Mayan for various
life comforts including clothes.
An adult Ceiba tree will
normally grow 60-70 m (200-230 ft) tall and has a very substantial
trunk up to 3 m (10 ft) in diameter with buttresses. The trunk and
many of the larger branches are densely crowded with very large,
robust simple thorns, especially when young. The leaves are compound
of 5 to 9 leaflets, each up to 20 cm (8 in) and palm like.
Maya Wiseman or J-Men celebrate even today a highly respected sacred
ceremony named:
Ya’axche’: this ceremony represents the
connection between Heaven, Earth, Man, and the Underworld for the
Maya. Any Sacred Ceremonial Site will have this ceremony
performed prior to its full service to the Maya community
traditions. In Chichen Itza, such ceremony was celebrated by
the J-Men in 2007 when the
Hacienda Chichen owners donated a
vast portion of their private
Maya Jungle Reserve to the Mayan
Healers and Priests to continue their Spiritual Mayan traditions in
the manner their ancestors taught them. Since then, this sacred site
has served as the grounds of many
Mayan holistic rituals and sacred mystical
ceremonies.
The Ceiba Tree
of Life plays an important central part at each
Mayan Wedding Ceremony and in other
Mayan holistic rituals as well as
in many Mayan mythological legends still belief by the Mayan rural
people to be part of supernatural dark energies in the form of demons
and legendary beings, such as is the case of theIx Tabay or X'Tabay.
In Chichen Itza, Yucatan,
Mexico, Hacienda Chichen has committed to protect the flora
(plants) and fauna (animals) living in its private Maya Jungle
Reserve and Neo-tropical forest where many Ceibas grow tall and
new have been planted to reforest a vast area of land. You
can enjoy reading and observing a few photos of the many
indigenous animals (Yucatan endemic species) living there, such
as: mammals, birds, reptiles (iguanas), butterflies, bees,
spiders, mantis and other insects and creatures.
Mayan mythology portrays the
Gods first creating “Man” out of clay, but this creature was not
satisfying to them, so clay-man dissolved and crumbled away. The
Mayan gods then created a being of wood which had no soul; thus,
this “wood-manly-being” had no recollection of its creators; so the
gods had it burn. Then the Maya Gods and Deities chose to form a
third kind of man, this time from corn and they were pleased;
therefore, ancient Mayas believed, as many do today, to be the son’s
of maize.
Even today, maize or corn
continues to be the cornerstone of the
Maya people's diet
and a
sacred nourishing element for the Gods and humankind. Maya
mythology dictates that the sons’ of maize had to perform sacrifices
to their gods to please them; thus, ancient Mayan created their
city-states and they began blood sacrifices and rituals including
the human sacrifice to their gods. Today, Maya priests do not
perform blood sacrifices to their Gods and deities; instead, their
Mayan sacred ceremonies and rituals
incorporate the sacred natural elements of fire, wind, water, and
earth, plus new maize, wild honey (Bacabssymbolic presence),
báalche, copal, raw sea salt,
essential oils, etc.
Maya High Priests and Elder
Maya Holistic Healers (Aj Men, J-Men, J'Men, Ix Men) continue
teaching today many young Mayans their healing arts and spiritual
traditions in an effort to preserve and share their ancestor’s
traditions and wisdom. On September each year, the
KUCH
KAAB Y'EETEL J'MEN MAAYA'OB, A.C.,
an elder Mayan Wiseman association headed by Don Valerio
Canché Yah, celebrates their KA’A MOLAYIL J-MENO’OB YÉETEL TS’AKYAJO’OB MAAYA’OB
or
Annual Mayan Wiseman Symposium
in an effort to keep the Mayan healing
traditions alive and to encourage young adults with the gift of
healing to continue serving their communities. The
Maya
Foundation In Laakeech and
Hacienda Chichen actively sponsor such
activities as part of their commitment to preserve the Mayan
cultural and holistic traditions.
The Spanish Conquest, in the 16th century, destroyed most of the
Maya people and their civilization. War, diseases, and Catholicism
eliminated not only the Maya socio-political system, but their
religion, written records, codex and scripts, along with their
wealth and freedom. Some Mayan people survived; but a most of the
vast civilization records about their Cosmo-vision (deities,
rituals, cosmology) mathematical achievements and history were
burned by the Catholic Inquisition and lost forever.
With time, most Maya spiritual practices of today, including in
Yucatan, incorporate elements of Catholicism. Despite the pressures
of modern world views, economic devastation, the vast Catholic faith
infiltration and political upheavals, many Maya Elders and J-Men
continue their ancient beliefs and sacred rituals in their purest
form invoking their Gods in un-mixed Maya language; these spiritual
ceremonies have been kept with reverence, performed with up most
veneration, and taught with care by the Maya Priests and Elder
Healers of
KUCH KAAB Y'EETEL J-MEN MAAYA'OB, A.C
a non-profit organization under the direction of Don Valerio Canché
Yah; Maya Elders and “safe-keepers” of Maya knowledge and wisdom, they
honor their ancestors’ beliefs, gods, deities, the Maya
Cosmo-vision, and a true
Mayan holistic understanding of life. Their
commitment to safe-keep their ancestors’ cultural heritage enriches
our world and understanding of humankind.
The Ix Tabay or X'TabayMayan Legend -
(Pronounce as "sch-tabai")
is a fallen
ancient Mayan goddess, before Christianity she wasreferred
to as "Ixtab" the goddess of suicide.
The Ix Tabay legend remains in the Maya communities of today
as an "existing and very real deadly spirit of the night. Such
spirit takes the form of an extremely attractive woman,
incredibly sensuous and beautiful, that appears to solitary males
especially during full moon. She always awaits the male near a
Ceiba tree trunk; where she
seats and combs with sensuous delicate strokes her long dark
beautiful hair, so long that it falls beyond her hips. This
sensual being awaits and calls upon the poor male soul, whether he
is drunk or not, old or young she has no preference; her voice is so
inviting, her body so sensual, and her eyes so fascinating that the
men have a hard time resisting her advances; most of them give in to
her seduction, as she moves smiling and joyfully giggling into the
dark forest.
A sensual game of hide and seek is
played for a few minutes by the male and this deceitful dark spirit
with increasing tones of sexuality until the X'Tabay lets him embrace her; at that moment, her sensual game turns into
deadly terror for the
poor male as he tries in vain to free himself from her arms now in
the form of thorny branches and her face full of spines, hate, and a
vivid desire to devour him alive.
Few males have encounter the X'tabay and have lived to tell
their story; most of them are found dead next morning at the trunk
or roots of the
Ceiba tree, wrapped with thorny branches and terror
showing in their distorted faces. The X'Tabay is the Queen
Goddess of Suicide in the Pantheon of
ancient Mayan gods, deities and the
underworld demons. The Maya culture is unique in its inclusion of a
goddess of suicide in its embracing deadly deities and gods.
Back to Top
Alux,
Aluxes or
Aluxo'ob
-
(pronounced " a'lush " singular, "
a'lushes or alush' ob " plural).
Mayan rural people,
all over Yucatan and Guatemala, will tell you
stories of their personal encounters with an Alux
or with a group of Aluxes, mythological Mayan
spirits that live in the Mayan jungle, forest and
near milpas where Mayan farmers grow their
crops; Aluxes are invisible wild-energies that
protect the Mayan jungles and love to interact with
humans for they enjoy honey treats and sweet
offerings. These Mayan Alux' ob or Aluxes
gladly take form of small dwarfs, about
knee-high, resembling miniature ancient Maya people
dressed with ancient clothing and attires. These
energetic invisible guardians of the forest, love to
mimic a human spirit; thus, they can mirror the dark
or light essence of a person, communicate in a
manner to frighten a human or to bring joy and
loving protection, all depending on the human's
personal inner-self and respect for
Nature and the Mayan Spiritual
Realm.
Aluxes or
Aluxo' ob may choose to
become a "guardian Mayan angel" to a person or
family, or congregate to help a farmer as much as to
make his life miserable. These supernatural
creatures are pure energy spirits, similar to the
idea of Chi in the Orient; thus, dualistic in
nature. They live in Mayan caves, cenotes,
forest clusters and near towns. Mayan
people bring offering to them before they venture
into the forest or start their milpa farming.
Tradition holds that aluxob are generally invisible
but are able to assume physical form for purposes of
communicating with and frightening humans as well as
to congregate together.
Other cultures'
mythologies include similar entities in their
traditions such as the Celtic Leprechaun or the
Forest Fairies in Europe. Mayan farmers are
known to build mini-huts in their milpas and
offer them to this forest guardians as a token of
gratitude for their helping the farmer yield a
successful maize crop, making rain come to be, or
patrolling the farmer's field at night making sure
no predator or thieves goes unpunished. Aluxes
are known to treat humans with the same energy
that humans treats them, and the treatment is in
"seven years cycles" ! So, they can be helpful
protecting a person or a nightmare to live with them
if a human does not respect their existence, makes
fun of those that belief in them, or brakes an
offering promise to them.
Maya
Scripters employed their own sense of artistic style when depicting
their gods, as shown in the images of
Itzamná
(left above ) and of
Ix Chel(right).
Various Maya scholars speak of a single "Supreme Lord and God" with
a court of gods and deities; yet, a few
others
scholars say it is the God Itzamná,
the inventor of writing and patron of the arts
and sciences, who deserves such titled. Still, Mayan mystics and
holistic healers agree that the Supreme God has a non-spoken or
written name for it is so sacred humans are not to use it in vain;
and that
Itzamná
is
the "lower supreme god" who has the
power to open the
Spirit World Portal to J-Men and Ix-Men, male & female healers
alike.
Itzamná’s
wife, Ix Chel
is the ancient Goddess of the Moon, weaving, medicine, fertility and
childbirth. She is a goddess often depicted pouring water down,
symbol of life, from a clay pot; or, seating in the moon holding a
rabbit Scripter. Some scholars feel she is the First Mother and
assign the role of First Father to
Hun Nal Ye
the Maize God and
Gukumatzthe Plumed or Feathered Serpent.
DID YOU KNOW: The Popol Vuh
speaks of the First Mother Ix Chel and First Father Hun
Nal Ye, as the Creator Couple whose offspring are all the other
gods. She was born six years before the First Father, also known as
Junab K’uj the God of Maize, who is responsible creating the
cosmos and mankind as we know. For
more about Maya Gods...
We hope you find our Online Volunteer Magazine's articles interesting and full
of learning fun. Yucatan Adventure welcomes article, news, travel
contributions, and ideas on how to support the Maya Foundation In Laakeech A.C. efforts to help the Mayan Communities nearby Chichen Itza,
Yucatan, Mexico.
This article is a courtesy of the
following non-profit organizations:
Maya Foundation In Laakeech
A.C.
The Elder Mayan Wiseman Association
KUCH
KAAB Y'EETEL J'MEN MAAYA'OB, A.C.
Helps us Help!
Please take a minute to visitGeotourism
Challenge 2009 for Sustaining the Future of Destinations,
where you will find the Maya Foundation In Laakeech A.C. nominated entry in
conjunction with the Hacienda Chichen sustainable tourism vision, this unique
project competition is sponsored by National Geographic and Ashoka's
Changemakers.
We hope you find our Online Volunteer Magazine's articles interesting and full
of learning fun. Yucatan Adventure welcomes article, news, travel
contributions, and genius ideas on how to support the Maya Foundation In
Laakeech A.C. efforts to help the Mayan Communities nearby Chichen Itza,
Yucatan, Mexico.
.jpg)
Maya
Scripters employed their own sense of artistic style when depicting
their gods, as shown in the images of
