Bubba and Squirt’s Mayan Adventure

Bubba and Squirt’s Mayan Adventure

Sherry Ellis

Top Ten List on Mayan Mythology

From Sherry Ellis

I did a lot of research for my book, Bubba and Squirt’s Mayan Adventure. Here are my top ten interesting characters from Mayan Mythology.

1. Kinich Ahua:  The Mayan sun god. A ten-pound jade carving of his head was found at the Temple of Masonry Altars at Altun Ha in Belize. That’s where Bubba and Squirt go in this adventure. I also went there in 1998.  (Pictured Below)
2. Chac: The Mayan god of rain and thunder. This god looks like an old man with reptilian features. Rain pours out of his eyes, and thunder comes from his huge ax. The ancient Mayans sacrificed a lot of people to him. (I’d be crying, too, if people were sacrificed for me!) There’s a carving of his head on a wall at Altun Ha. (Pictured below)
3. Ix Chel: The moon goddess and the goddess of fertility. She’s also the patron of weavers. In Mayan mythology, she’s an important lady. When I visited Cozumel, I saw the ruins of a shrine dedicated to her.
4. It Zamna: The ruler of night and day who can resurrect the dead. He’s depicted as a pleasant, toothless old man.  Supposedly, he taught the Mayan people about calendars and how to grow corn.
5. Cizin:  The god of earthquakes and death. Also known as the “stinky god” because he looks like a skeleton and smokes cigarettes. Apparently, Mayans figured out how to roll tobacco back then.
6. Bacab: This is actually 4 gods who support the sky and represent North, South, East, and West.
7. Yum Kaan: Patron of hunters. Farmers ask him for protection for their crops.
8. Kulkulkan:  A feathered serpent who is the god of earth, wind, and fire. He created humans and lives in the ocean. He is also the god of the resurrection.  
9. Tate Duende:  This is a character from Belize folklore. His name translates to “grandfather goblin” and he is the guardian of the jungle. He has a long beard and wears animal skins and a wide-brimmed hat. The weird thing about him is that he has no thumbs, and his feet are on backwards. But don’t mess with him or hurt anything in the jungle, or he’ll pull off your thumbs and send you somewhere far away! Bubba befriends this character in the book. 
10. Alux:  This is a gnome-like character from Mayan mythology. It’s made with clay and a little blood from its owner. Its job is to protect its owner and his/her possessions. Bubba meets this little character and finds out just how mischievous it is!    

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