Talk:Maya religion

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Contents 1 Religion & Mythology 2 Requested move 3 Data from Maya peoples to integrate here 4 Victims in blue 5 george bush 6 What a mess! 7 This article needs heavy cleanup 8 Merge with Maya shamanism

[edit] Religion & Mythology

The two separate articles, Maya mythology and Maya religion, could perhaps be merged into an overall Maya religion and mythology article. Alternatively, and at the very least, if they are to remain separate then each need to be overhauled so that each primarily addresses their particular aspects- at present both (religion and mythology) are not distinguished within or between the two articles. Also need a good general copyedit, corrections of fact and tone, and of course references.--cjllw | TALK 03:13, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Requested move

All discussion surrounding the requested move should take place at Talk:Maya calendar#Requested move. -- tariqabjotu (joturner) 05:19, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Data from Maya peoples to integrate here

Human sacrifice

The Maya carried out human sacrifice, but on a far smaller scale than that practised by the Aztecs (which has led to criticism of Mel Gibson's portrayal of the Maya in his 2006 film Apocalypto ). The Maya maintained a belief that cenotes or limestone sinkholes were portals to the underworld and sacrificed human beings to please the water god Chaac. The most notable example of this is the "Sacred Cenote" at Chichen Itza where extensive excavations have recovered the remains of 42 individuals, half of them under twenty years old. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Homunq (talk • contribs) 03:59, 14 January 2007 (UTC).

Need numbers

I think this article would be improved if it gave numbers regarding the scale of human sacrifice in both Mayan and Aztec societies, but unfortunately I'm not qualified to do it.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by Kmorford (talk • contribs) 27 January 2007.

estimated numbers vary quite considerably. However agreed that it's worthwhile mentioning the range of scale estimates- along with a substantial rewrite and re-referencing of a lot of the content here.--cjllw | TALK 02:44, 30 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Victims in blue

Apocalypto and apparently real sources show the sacrifice victims painted in blue. What dye did the Maya use? AFAIK, blue dyes prior to the discovery of aniline were limited to indigo and expensive lapislazuli powder. --84.20.17.84 10:51, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

AFAIK Mesoamerican peoples obtained blue colouration in pigments from plants, chiefly añil (Indigofera suffruticosa) leaves, ie a type of indigo plant. Another type of blue (in Nahuatl: Texotli) may have been made from the flowers of certain plants according to the Florentine Codex, possibly identified as Commelina plants.

The particular and unique pigment known as "Maya Blue", which was used by the Maya in pottery, murals, codices and (presumably) the one used for daubing the sacrificial victims, had añil and the clay mineral palygorskite as its main constituents.--cjllw | TALK 07:53, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

accounts of human sacrifice among the aztec normally states that they were covered in chalk, which would make them white not blue. ·Maunus· tlahtōlli 08:33, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Thanks. I added a reference I found in the palygorskite article. I did not find pictures of blue victims in Commons. --84.20.17.84 10:36, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] george bush

this article references george bush. is this junior or senior? and why exactly were preists called to purify where he had been?

Everything Inane 16:55, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

It was George W. Bush. They did this because they regard him as an evil man. BobMak BobMak 20:47, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What a mess!

WELL, AT LEAST i HELPED ADD SOME GOOD STUFF TO THE MODERN SECTION.... --72.252.71.56 15:41, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

I am adding some information gleaned from conversations with Mayan priests in Guatemala, and some images taken at a gathering of Mayan priests in Tikal. The links are to an extended article on Mayan ceremonies (which are the heart of Mayan religious practice) and to downloadable freeware which calcualtes the Mayan calendar and which has a complete explanation of the meanings of the individual naguals. 1 August 2007 BobMak 20:48, 1 August 2007 (UTC)BobMak 20:02, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] This article needs heavy cleanup

I have placed cleanup tags and POV warning on the article which is in a sorry state. It basically has no reliable information at all. The modern section is particularly bad and consists mostly of new age revisionism, POV and inane blather.·Maunus· ·ƛ· 07:35, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Merge with Maya shamanism

I oppose the merge with Maya shamanism for now, since both articles handle different topics, also, shamanism isn't automatically religion. I do agree the articles are a mess. Let's fix it, the Mayans are notable enough for it. Shoombooly (talk) 11:04, 8 June 2008 (UTC)