Religious and royal symbolism

Classic Maya religion

Living symbols indexed under this named context. This page gathers catalog references; it does not define the whole tradition or erase differences among communities and practitioners.

2 symbols

Mammal · Feline

Jaguar

Panthera onca

The largest cat of the Americas, associated in several Mesoamerican systems with night, caves, rulership, warfare, and shamanic power.

Classic Maya religionNight power, underworld passage, and sacred kingship

2 contextual readings

Crop · Sacred Crop

Maize

Zea mays

A staple American crop understood in several Mesoamerican traditions as sacred sustenance, human substance, agricultural time, and divine generosity.

K’iche’ Maya traditionHuman substance, life, and successful creation

3 contextual readings