Chaac

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Statue of Chaac
Mayan Glyph of the Day Ik

Chaac (also Chaq or Chaak, spoken: "Cha-ak") was the god of rain, thunder, fertility and agriculture in the Maya world of gods . He is also referred to as God B and roughly corresponds to the Aztec Tláloc . As is common with other Maya gods, Chaac was seen either as one god or as four different deities (for each direction):

  • "Chac Xib Chaac": Red Chaac of the East
  • "Sac Xib Chaac" or "Zac Xib Chaac": White Chaac of the north
  • "Ek Xib Chaac": Black Chaac of the West
  • "Kan Xib Chaac": Yellow Chaac of the South

In this form of the four individual deities he is closely related to the Bacab (the bearers of the four corners of the world and sons of the god Itzamná ).

The rain god Chaac was of great importance due to the frequent dry periods in the Maya region and many sacrifices were made in his honor (e.g. in the cenote of Chichén Itzá ). The masks of the rain god Chaac can be found in large numbers on the buildings and temples of the Maya. He is shown with a trunk-like nose that is bent upwards and two canine teeth that are rolled down. The representations are particularly common on the Yucatán peninsula .

The hieroglyph of his name has an eye, which in the Madrid Codex resembles the shape of a T. It is believed that this element represents tears that trickle from the eye, symbolizing rain and fertility as well. Its symbols include the number six and the day Ik ("wind").

The deity Chaac is not to be confused with the figures in the Chac-Mool style, which were incorrectly named by the American archaeologist Augustus Le Plongeon .

Examples of Chaac representations

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Mythology of the New World. Anness Publishing, UK 2001, ISBN 3-89736-313-5 , (p. 97)