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Being religous people, the Mayans consider death as something to be feared and revered. They are afraid that their god would get angry with them and judgment means a lot to them, causing them to be scared of the world beyond, although they believed in a heaven-like afterlife. If they have a dead, they treat it with great respect by mourning extensively, keeping the person's memory alive as well as telling others about the person's accomplishment in life. Nevertheless the means of burial modified over time, the single thing that didn't was the intricate manner in which they would accomplish it.
Heaven And Hell According To The Mayans
The Mayans also believed that specific deaths were nobler compared to the others. Individuals who gave themselves for sacrifices, died on the battleground, or perished as a result of having a baby were believed to have perished nobly and believed to have been taken directly to heaven to take pleasure from the afterlife.
Those who enjoyed their lives in greed and also crime, nonetheless, were damned to suffer for all eternity in the Xilbalba, the Mayan's version of underworld. For the people that didn't belong to the two of these categories, it was considered that they left on a journey, with heaven as their end goal, and might receive a second life on earth by means of rebirth. Those of vital family tree, nonetheless, were made into deities that watched over their surviving families as well as the descendants that followed.
Long Lost 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.
Nearly all of the bodies were buried with maize in the mouths, simply because their family wished them to have food for their trip into the other world. For the dead's journey to the after life, jade or stone beads are the currency which is commonly placed in their mouths. Stuff including whistles along with small carvings of deities and animals also were located as a burial offering, as they simply were expected to aid the departed find their way to the spirit world. The color of rebirth and death for the Mayans is red, and most of the time painted on the bodies themselves and on the walls of the tomb.
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 way a body was buried was influenced by social status. Usually, commoners are buried near or under their homes. People of high-rank frequently were laid to rest in family crypts, however it wasn't unusual for them to be entombed under the home too. Just the city's most significant ruler had the resources, man-power, as well as ability to construct sophisticated tombs inside of ceremonial buildings, like a pyramid.
Heaven And Hell According To The Mayans
The Mayans also believed that specific deaths were nobler compared to the others. Individuals who gave themselves for sacrifices, died on the battleground, or perished as a result of having a baby were believed to have perished nobly and believed to have been taken directly to heaven to take pleasure from the afterlife.
Those who enjoyed their lives in greed and also crime, nonetheless, were damned to suffer for all eternity in the Xilbalba, the Mayan's version of underworld. For the people that didn't belong to the two of these categories, it was considered that they left on a journey, with heaven as their end goal, and might receive a second life on earth by means of rebirth. Those of vital family tree, nonetheless, were made into deities that watched over their surviving families as well as the descendants that followed.
Long Lost 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.
Nearly all of the bodies were buried with maize in the mouths, simply because their family wished them to have food for their trip into the other world. For the dead's journey to the after life, jade or stone beads are the currency which is commonly placed in their mouths. Stuff including whistles along with small carvings of deities and animals also were located as a burial offering, as they simply were expected to aid the departed find their way to the spirit world. The color of rebirth and death for the Mayans is red, and most of the time painted on the bodies themselves and on the walls of the tomb.
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 way a body was buried was influenced by social status. Usually, commoners are buried near or under their homes. People of high-rank frequently were laid to rest in family crypts, however it wasn't unusual for them to be entombed under the home too. Just the city's most significant ruler had the resources, man-power, as well as ability to construct sophisticated tombs inside of ceremonial buildings, like a pyramid.
About the Author:
Original article can be found at The Mayan Ritual: Death and Its Ceremonies article on Onejungle.com. More articles on Mayan Ruins can be found at the Mayan Ruins Articles.
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