The Mayans are highly religious people, for them death was something to be feared and revered. For them, their god's judgment is something to be considered important, which makes them afraid of the world beyond, even while they believed in a heaven-like afterlife. They have a great respect for their dead, they mourn extensively and keep their memory alive by telling the dead's achievements in life. Although the procedure for burial transformed through the years, the thing that didn't was the sophisticated method in which they'd conduct it.
Heaven And Hell According To The Mayans
One of the Mayan's belief is that particular deaths were nobler than the others. People who gave themselves for sacrifices, died on the battleground, or died due to giving birth were thought to have passed away nobly and considered to have been taken right to heaven to savor the afterlife.
Individuals who enjoyed their lives in avarice as well as crime, nevertheless, were damned to suffer for all eternity in the Xilbalba, the underworld or hell version of the Mayan. For those that didn't fall under both of these categories, it was thought that they made a journey, with heaven as their objective, and might get a second life in the world via rebirth. The ones from significant family tree, nevertheless, were made into deities that watched over their surviving family members and also the descendants to come.
Very Old Burials
The dead themselves were buried at places that oriented around access to another world. North and west are the directions of the two heavens which the Mayans believed in; which is the reason why some burial sites are made to point to both or any of those directions. The others were buried in caves as they believe that caves are entrances to the other world. No matter if they were laid to rest in a cave or in a monument, or possibly below the ground, in the case of commoners, very good preparation as well as ritual went into being certain that they would have a good journey to the other side.
Almost all the bodies were buried with maize in the mouths, mainly because their family wished them to have food for their voyage into the other world. Jade or stone beads are the form of currency provided for the journey which is normally placed in their mouths. Things just like whistles and also small carvings of deities and animals also were put in as a burial offering, since they were expected to aid the passed away find their way to the spirit world. For the Mayans, red is the color of death and rebirth which was often painted on the tomb's wall and on the bodies themselves.
The specific burial of the individual generally depended on the era through which they lived and also died. During the past years, the bodies were entombed in flexed position, yet, eventually, they were entombed flat on their backs, similar to the way we bury our dead nowadays. At the same time, cremation turned out to be a very popular approach to bury a person, rather than the intricate sites.
Social Status
The social status has a great influence the way the body is buried. In general, commoners are entombed near or underneath their homes. Men and women of high-rank usually were entombed in family crypts, yet it wasn't rare for them to be buried under the family house also. Merely the city's most prominent ruler had the monies, man-power, plus ability to create intricate tombs within ceremonial buildings, just like a pyramid.
Heaven And Hell According To The Mayans
One of the Mayan's belief is that particular deaths were nobler than the others. People who gave themselves for sacrifices, died on the battleground, or died due to giving birth were thought to have passed away nobly and considered to have been taken right to heaven to savor the afterlife.
Individuals who enjoyed their lives in avarice as well as crime, nevertheless, were damned to suffer for all eternity in the Xilbalba, the underworld or hell version of the Mayan. For those that didn't fall under both of these categories, it was thought that they made a journey, with heaven as their objective, and might get a second life in the world via rebirth. The ones from significant family tree, nevertheless, were made into deities that watched over their surviving family members and also the descendants to come.
Very Old Burials
The dead themselves were buried at places that oriented around access to another world. North and west are the directions of the two heavens which the Mayans believed in; which is the reason why some burial sites are made to point to both or any of those directions. The others were buried in caves as they believe that caves are entrances to the other world. No matter if they were laid to rest in a cave or in a monument, or possibly below the ground, in the case of commoners, very good preparation as well as ritual went into being certain that they would have a good journey to the other side.
Almost all the bodies were buried with maize in the mouths, mainly because their family wished them to have food for their voyage into the other world. Jade or stone beads are the form of currency provided for the journey which is normally placed in their mouths. Things just like whistles and also small carvings of deities and animals also were put in as a burial offering, since they were expected to aid the passed away find their way to the spirit world. For the Mayans, red is the color of death and rebirth which was often painted on the tomb's wall and on the bodies themselves.
The specific burial of the individual generally depended on the era through which they lived and also died. During the past years, the bodies were entombed in flexed position, yet, eventually, they were entombed flat on their backs, similar to the way we bury our dead nowadays. At the same time, cremation turned out to be a very popular approach to bury a person, rather than the intricate sites.
Social Status
The social status has a great influence the way the body is buried. In general, commoners are entombed near or underneath their homes. Men and women of high-rank usually were entombed in family crypts, yet it wasn't rare for them to be buried under the family house also. Merely the city's most prominent ruler had the monies, man-power, plus ability to create intricate tombs within ceremonial buildings, just like a pyramid.
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If you're interested in the ancient Mayan culture, travelling to Palenque or other special Mayan cities look no further than Onejungle Adventures. Lots of great and informative articles can be found at their Mayan ruins section.
