MAYAN RELIGION

The Maya believed in a pantheon of gods not just one god but many. Most gods had both Good and
Evil traits. The favour of the gods was needed for good crop harvests, weather etc.
Priests would study the sky (using astronomy) and use their religious calendar (the 260-day Tzolkin) to
predict whether things might go well or badly. Sometimes they decided they would need a favour from
one particular god. That might mean giving blood from a small animal. A bigger favour would need a
bigger sacrifice blood-letting by the King or Queen, perhaps. Or maybe even the sacrifice of a human
life.
The Maya believed that the world was divided into three planes earth, heaven and the underworld
(Xibalba). The souls of the dead lived in Xibalba, along with some of the gods.
The Maya believed that the universe was flat and square. They used colours to represent the four
cardinal directions north (white), east (red), south (yellow), west (black). The Bakabs -the four sons of
the Earth Monster Itzamna were believed to support the four corners of the universe. Hence the
Bakabs of Muluc, Kan, Cauac, and Ix.
http://www.mayan2012kids.com/the-maya/mayan-religion/