, cyclical, and predicable way; human beings can exploit that cyclical nature by accommodating themselves to those cycles. Religious ceremonies involved dancing, competition, dramatic performances, prayer, and sacrifice. The gods required nourishment from human beings in order to work. The bulk of sacrifice involved some form of human sacrifice. The majority of this human sacrifice was bloodletting, in which a victim, usually a priest, voluntarily pierces a part, or parts, of their body and gives blood to the gods. The parts pierced were usually the tongue, ears, lips, or penis. The higher one’s position in the hierarchy, the more blood they were expected to give. The Mayans did have a ceremony that required the living heart of a victim. The four chacs (elders) would hold the victim down on an altar at the top of the pyramid. The nacon (sacrificial executioner) would then make an incision below the ribcage and pull the heart out. The heart was then burned in order to nourish the gods. The Mayans had many gods. Most of the gods were reptilian and they all had dual aspects, that is, each god had a benevolent aspect and a malevolent aspect. Among the most revered deities were Itzamna and Ix Chel, father and mother of all other gods, and the rain god Chac. KuKulcan was the Mayan name for the feather serpent, god of the ruling caste. The Mayans believed in an elaborate afterlife, but heaven was reserved for those who had been hanged, sacrificed, or died in childbirth. Everyone else went to Xibal, or hell, which was ruled over by the Lords of Death. The Mayans were a complex society. It is hard to imagine that they accomplished so much when they were primary a farm-based society. The interconnectedness of their lives had a great impact on their advancements. They needed to create a calendar in order to plant and harvest, plan for religious ceremonies, and keep track of things. The religion offered them a way to come together in the citi...
