Human Sacrifice In Mayan Culture

Human sacrifice was considered a maximum expression of religious practices as well as the prayer rituals, which were an essential part of Mayan culture. The people sought help from the gods through divination, horoscopes, prophecies, and more to combat issues like difficulties caused by the devil, rites of puberty, avoiding droughts, marriage, among other activities. Mayans put so much trust in their prayers that they allowed them to dictate everyday life and participated frequently in self, animal, and human sacrifice. Rituals took place at the magnificent Mayan temples, which still stand today. The Mayans commonly asked for gifts such as the gift of life, health, sustenance, and to succeed in things such as hunting, fishing, and trading. In order to appease the gods they would frequently self sacrifice parts of their body. For example, sexual organs would be pierced and the blood would then be offered as a sacrifice. The blood could also be burned after being combined with items like rubber, rope, or stingray spines. Additionally, it was customary to dance as part of the sacrifice. Men and women had dance separately and had different methods of dancing. Songs, ball games (pot -a tok), and dramatization were other entertainment techniques that were offered as sacrifices. At times Mayans

The struggle between the players and the ball can represent the meeting between the twins (of Popol Vuh) and the gods of the underworld. This game has many variants according to time and place. The goal is to make the ball pass through a thin ring standing on one of the walls of the playing field. This game proved how important religion is to daily life and how the culture also had sports and ways of entertainment. Human sacrifice took place before the game and even without the sacrifice the game was so brutal and the ball was so hard that players could receive injuries brutal enough that it led to their