Human Sacrifice In Mayan Culture

The connection between the ritual sacrifice and the ballgame is evident in the Mayan language. According to Stern, the Mayan translation for the word ball, quiq, means sap or blood (35). The sap which flows out of the tree can be seen as the implication of the ritual sacrifice of the ballgame. The notion that the ball, of the ballgame, is round can be symbolized and interpreted as the human head. Which implies that death is important for the completion of the ritual. The act of human sacrifice in the ballgame can could be connected to the movement of the cosmos and the death and rebirth of the agricultural season. Scarborough noted in his book, The Mesoamerican Ballgame, that the seasonality of the movements of the cosmological phenomena as the sun, moon, and constellation (1991:320).
Scarborough also explained that the game play is interpreted as the forces of darkness defeat the forces of light, the player on the losing side is sacrifice at the end of the game in order to represent the sun is descending to the underworld (1991:321). This shown the significant connection between the ballgame and the Mayan cosmology. During the summer solstice, the sun mates with the moon to conceived the maize deity, who is the sun reborn (Scarborough 1991:322). This suggest the agricultural fertility important of the sacrificial act of the ball game. Furthermore, this represent and symbolizes the regeneration of the maize cycle. Thus, the player that is sacrificed after the ballgame is significant, in term of it being the key to the continuation of the cosmos and the resurrection of the agricultural season. Series of images found regarding the human sacrifice aspect of the Mayan culture.
Some are found in lecture slides created by Dr. Stanton.
The Popol Vuh Mythical Legend Although there are numerous ways in which the human sacrifice were performed in the Mayan culture, the engagement of human sacrifice along with the ballgame can be further explain in detail via the mythic narrative of Popol Vuh. The association of the underworld, the ballgame, and sacrifice significant can be reveal in this legendary context. In Popol Vuh, the Hero Twins engaged in a ritualistic game with the Lords of the Underworld, which provides the further understanding on the significance of the ballgame and the aspect of human sacrifice. The story begins with the two brothers, one named One Hunahpu and the other named Seven Hunahpu. They were extremely talented at sports. The brothers would bounce the rubber ball all day. One day, while playing with the rubber ball on the way to Xibalba, they disturbed the Lords of the Underworld by playing loudly. The Lords of the Underworlds postulated that the brothers were disrespecting them, and demanded the brothers to be summoned so they could defeat
them. The Lords of the Underworld sent a messenger owl to summon the brothers to compete in the ballgame in Xibalba. The brothers agreed to the challenge and was guided down to the Underworld by the messenger owl. After meeting with the brothers, the Lords of the Underworld just want to sacrifice the them and that would make everything easier. Since the equipment at Xibalba was very powerful. The Lords fooled the brothers and they met their death consequently. The body of Hunahpu was buried. While the head of One Hunahpu was severed from the body and were displayed on the tree by the side of the road, which later bore fruits. One day, the daughter of one of the Lord of the Underworld tried to pick the fruit, the skull of Hunahpu spoke to her and impregnated her. When her father noticed that she was pregnant, she was ordered to be sacrifice. She then fled to the Middleworld, where she sought refuge at the house of One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu. Later she gave birth to twins named Hunahpu and Xbalanque. It seemed that the twins possessed great powers. When the twins grew older, like their father, they continued to play ball. The Lords of the Underworld, again, was upset. The Lord, once again, send messengers to invite the twins to play the ballgame. The twins accepted the invitation, and traveled to the underworld. Unlike their father, the twins were more clever. Instead of using the ball of Xibalba, the twins use their ball. Many days passed and the games played were all tied. The twin always managed to overcome all the obstacles the Lord of the Underworld had arranged for them. One night, when the twins were placed in the House of Bats, Hunahpu extended his head out to determine how long until dawn, Hanahpu's head was severed that instant. The Lords of the Underworld displayed his head at the ball court, and declared that they will use his head at the next ballgame competition. Hunahpu's twin brother, Xbalanque, requested the animals to gather food and bring back to him. He, then, would transform squash as a replacement for his brother's head. This gave Xbalanque an opportunity to recover his brother's head and revive him back to life. The Lords of the Underworld were astonished at the twin's ability to bring back the dead to life, and requested to do the same to them. One Death, was the first Lord of the Underworld to be sacrifice. In the end, the Twin Hero, Hunahpu and Xbalanque defeated the Lords of the Underworld. The Twin Heroes arose to the heavens, and became the Moon and Sun. The role of ritualistic performance, such as the one in Popol Vul, is interdependent to the life of the Mayan people. It is these types of sacrificial that unifies the Mayan community, and illustrate the Mayan culture. It is these types of rituals that provided the political stability, and established a share common interests among the people. The performance of rituals could also serve as a functional relationship between the ruling elites and the common people. The Mayan rulers could make their right of authority known through these types of ritual establishments. Subsequently, the existence of human sacrifice through mythical legend reaffirms the important of ritual performance in operating society. Image of Popul Vuh from Dr. Stanton's power point slides.
Discussion
The role of bloodletting and human sacrifice rituals are undeniably important to the Mayan culture. Especially when it is written, recorded, and translated in the mythical legend of the book Popol Vul. Bloodletting and human sacrifice ensure the aspect of the divine rulership rights to communicate with the ancestors and other Gods. Furthermore, these types of rituals bring unifies the Mayan community with those whom shared the same believes, and keeping the social, political aspect secured. The association of the movements of the cosmos and the resurrection of the agricultural season is presented through the ritual practice and through the ballgame. The functioning of the bloodletting, the sacrifice, and the ballgame are what defined Mayan as a culture, and are what kept the Mayan society flourished.