The Mayan lucky charm: testimony to a lost civilization
The Mayans are an ancient people who dominated much of Central America around 2,500 years ago.
The Mayan people have a long history and a fascinating mythology. Their deities are very different from what we know, and the way they worshiped them too. For Westerners, the Mayan lucky charm can sometimes seem a little... confusing.
In fact, this civilization has never been unified. Rather, it was...
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The Mayan lucky charm: testimony to a lost civilization
The Mayans are an ancient people who dominated much of Central America around 2,500 years ago.
The Mayan people have a long history and a fascinating mythology. Their deities are very different from what we know, and the way they worshiped them too. For Westerners, the Mayan lucky charm can sometimes seem a little... confusing.
In fact, this civilization has never been unified. Rather, it was composed of many small states, led by kings, each centered on a capital city with a protective deity of the city. Sometimes a stronger Mayan state dominated weaker ones and one became the vassal of the other. It was therefore a complex game of influence and cultural domination that took place between them.
Some historians compare the gods of Mayan cities to a sporting phenomenon. Everyone lined up behind their captain and when one team dominated the other, this resulted in a modification of the mythology such that a god became the slave of the most powerful. Fun right? Well this complexity in inter-city relations is also found in the Mayan lucky charm.
Interestingly, certain elements characteristic of the Mayan civilization are found in the culture that is found on its territory in other times: the Mexicans.
By looking at the lucky charms in this collection associated with Mexico (we are thinking here in particular of the famous skulls), you will receive certain keys to understanding which you can then apply to Mayan lucky charms.
