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1) Maya religious beliefs and practices normally involved blood sacrifice to the gods. They believed in multiple gods and did certain rituals to "offer their blood to the gods." For the offerings they mostly used animals but when they did human sacrifice they used prisoners, slaves, etc. instead of their own people. One of the gods is Ah-Punch, he is the hellish death god of the Maya underworld, he is a putrefying corps with an owls head. Ah-Punch is the lowest and most horrible from the nine hells and has an evil bird of bad tidings(the gods of Maya Mythology). In conclusion, Maya religious beliefs normally involved blood sacrifice to the gods.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/God_A_Ah_Puch_(Kimi).jpg - Ah-Punch
2) The religious beliefs and common cultural practices are different now than then used to be because now they don't do human sacrifice anymore. But both modern day and ancient Mayas have the same calendars and that Maya was the ceremonial center of the world. Modern Mayas are said to believe the mountains were the homes of ancestral deities. Also Mayas today observed a religion composed of ancient Maya ideas, animism and Catholicism. Traditional shams continued to pray for sols of the sick at mountain shrines(Maya civilization Cosmology and religion) . In conclusion, the religious beliefs and common cultural practices are different now than they used to be they don't do human sacrifice anymore.
http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/maya/images/mayre18b.gif - maya religion
3)Myths and folktales took part in the Maya daily lives because they normally used myths and folktales as reference to important life lessons. Also the folktales and myths influenced religion and how they lived their daily lives. One of the myths that teach a life lesson is called "The Jaguar and the Little Skunk" it is about a Jaguar who becomes Mrs. Skunks son Little Skunk's godfather. One day Mr. Jaguar came by to teach Little Skunk how to hunt, Mr. Jaguar gave Little Skunk step to step instructions to hunting and caught a deer. A couple days later the Skunks ran out of meat and Little Skunk decided to try hunting by himself. Later that day when Little Skunk didn't return Mrs. Skunk went looking for, she found him dead far away from home because his claws got stuck in the deer's fur(the Jaguar and the little Skunk).In conclusion, myths and folktales took part in Maya daily life because they normally used myths and folktales as reference to important life lessons.
http://www.folkart.com/folktale/skunk.jpg - the Jaguar and the little skunk
sources:
The Gods of Maya Mythology- http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/mayan-mythology.php
The Jaguar and The Little Skunk- http://www.folkart.com/folktale/tale_3.htm
Maya civilization Cosmology and religion- http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/maya/mmc03eng.shtml
1) Maya religious beliefs and practices normally involved blood sacrifice to the gods. They believed in multiple gods and did certain rituals to "offer their blood to the gods." For the offerings they mostly used animals but when they did human sacrifice they used prisoners, slaves, etc. instead of their own people. One of the gods is Ah-Punch, he is the hellish death god of the Maya underworld, he is a putrefying corps with an owls head. Ah-Punch is the lowest and most horrible from the nine hells and has an evil bird of bad tidings(the gods of Maya Mythology). In conclusion, Maya religious beliefs normally involved blood sacrifice to the gods.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/God_A_Ah_Puch_(Kimi).jpg - Ah-Punch
2) The religious beliefs and common cultural practices are different now than then used to be because now they don't do human sacrifice anymore. But both modern day and ancient Mayas have the same calendars and that Maya was the ceremonial center of the world. Modern Mayas are said to believe the mountains were the homes of ancestral deities. Also Mayas today observed a religion composed of ancient Maya ideas, animism and Catholicism. Traditional shams continued to pray for sols of the sick at mountain shrines(Maya civilization Cosmology and religion) . In conclusion, the religious beliefs and common cultural practices are different now than they used to be they don't do human sacrifice anymore.
http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/maya/images/mayre18b.gif - maya religion
3)Myths and folktales took part in the Maya daily lives because they normally used myths and folktales as reference to important life lessons. Also the folktales and myths influenced religion and how they lived their daily lives. One of the myths that teach a life lesson is called "The Jaguar and the Little Skunk" it is about a Jaguar who becomes Mrs. Skunks son Little Skunk's godfather. One day Mr. Jaguar came by to teach Little Skunk how to hunt, Mr. Jaguar gave Little Skunk step to step instructions to hunting and caught a deer. A couple days later the Skunks ran out of meat and Little Skunk decided to try hunting by himself. Later that day when Little Skunk didn't return Mrs. Skunk went looking for, she found him dead far away from home because his claws got stuck in the deer's fur(the Jaguar and the little Skunk).In conclusion, myths and folktales took part in Maya daily life because they normally used myths and folktales as reference to important life lessons.
http://www.folkart.com/folktale/skunk.jpg - the Jaguar and the little skunk
sources:
The Gods of Maya Mythology- http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/mayan-mythology.php
The Jaguar and The Little Skunk- http://www.folkart.com/folktale/tale_3.htm
Maya civilization Cosmology and religion- http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/maya/mmc03eng.shtml