Maya peoples have long dominated southern Mesoamerica an area stretching from the lowland
coast of the Yucatán Peninsula to the highland mountains of southern Guatemala. While never a
unified people they gave rise to a great civilization with a dynamic set of beliefs and
stories that varied between groups and retellings. To the Maya these have always been more than
fireside tales: their myths formed the foundation of their culture weaving together their
ancestral and primordial pasts into a cohesive and meaningful narrative that resonates to this
day. Here you will find the origin stories of the Maya cosmos the creation of the sun and moon
and accounts of the relationship between the celestial realm and the underworld. Elsewhere
heroes descend to the ballcourt of the underworld where severed heads grow like fruit on trees
the ancestors converse with animals and the Maize god is caught in a perpetual cycle of death
and rebirth. Collectively these captivating myths and tales reflect the enduring vibrancy of
Maya cultures from the peak of the hieroglyphic tradition in the eighth century CE through
the invasions of the Spanish conquistadors up to the present day.
