Mayan Cultural Values

Throughout history, cultural values have been complexly affected by a large number of things. Most notably, we can see what various societies of the past valued through the stories they told, and the gods they worshipped. The folklore of any society is a window into the way they attempted to understand the world. At the same time, a society’s cultural values would shape the stories they told. Folklore and mythology have shaped and determined the cultural values of societies for many centuries. The profound impact of past explanations for the unknown have had lasting effects on even today’s cultures through the way we value and understand the world around us.

Some of the values of Mesoamerica were shaped by Mayan myth. For example, the story of the gods Hun Hunahpú and Vucub Hunahpú. This pair was tricked into descending to Xibalba (the underworld) after annoying the Xibalban gods with their noisy game-playing. There, they were challenged to a ball game. This was the same game that was played throughout Mesoamerica, where players attempt to get a small rubber ball through a vertical hoop in the court without using their hands. After losing the game, Hun Hunahpú’s head was cut off

(Cartwright). This story gave the

Plays had to go through an audition process in order to decide if they would receive the money they needed in order to prepare for the spring festival of Dionysos Eleuthereus in Dionysia, Greece. This would have been significant to the Greek people because of its religious roots. The festival was held every spring in Dionysus’ honor, and thus the nature of the competition likely raised the stakes for those who entered to compete. The sacrifice of goats was not unheard of, as the goat was one of Dionysus’ sacred animals. The way that Greek Tragedy in theater was not only created but executed was directly affected by the mythology and religious beliefs held by the Greeks during that time