Meet the Mayan Goddess of the Moon: Ixchel

In this article we bring you a lot of information about the Mayan goddess Ixchel, one of the most important female deities in the Mayan culture and that is part of the culture in the Mesoamerican region. The Mayan goddess Ixchel is known as the wife of the God of Wisdom Itzamna. Do not miss the article is very interesting!

IXCHEL

Mayan Goddess Ixchel

In Mayan mythology, the goddess Ixchel is known as the goddess of the moon, since in the Mayan culture she is one of the most important deities due to the power that the star exercises over men, among the most appreciated gifts that the goddess has. Ixchel is the one who governs the cycles of the moon and those of water, she is also the goddess of fertility, harvests, pregnancies, childbirth, love and sexuality.

On her also falls the responsibility of medicine and healers invoke her to seek health in patients, in the same way she is the patron saint of paintings, textiles and workers in this area.

Being the goddess Ixchel, she was married to the great god Itzamná, that is why she is identified as the goddess O, and that is reflected in the codices, in the representations of the Mayan goddess Ixchel she is represented accompanied by a rabbit.

The goddess Ixchel is also known for her malefic invocations, since when she had her negative or angry face, she became a destructive goddess who sent floods, spells and diseases over the earth.

In the Mayan culture, the goddess Ixchel was venerated as the goddess of the moon, since she represented the feminine character of this star, she was also linked to the earth and symbolizes fertility and with the cycles of the moon the Mayan people took advantage of To govern the times of sowing and harvesting, some associate the Mayan goddess Ixchel with the Mayan god Chac, with whom she had the power to dominate climatic changes and water.

IXCHEL

This is why every year a great festivity is celebrated in the name of Princess Ixchel with a ritual that is a dance to her temple as was done in ancient times, this event will be held in the Xcaret park, in Playa del Carmen in Mexico. Canoes are also used on the beaches to pay tribute to her as the goddess of fertility.

Before being Mayan Gods

In the Mayan culture it is said that when the gods were mere mortals, Ixchel was a beautiful princess who stood out from other mortals for her beauty, which made two young people fall in love with her.

According to the Mayan legend, when Itzamna saw Ixchel for the first time, he fell madly in love with her since he was bewitched by her great beauty and the goddess Ixchel was captivated by the charm of the god Itzamna.

But the story tells that a prince had arrived from a very distant land with the mission of paying her a distinction, but when he saw her he was also fascinated by her incredible beauty, that is why these two characters began to court her to see with which of the two he was getting married

For this reason, the older sister of the goddess Ixchel, whose name was Ixtab, was in charge of making the decision, which was that both opponents would fight to the death and the one who survived would be the husband of the goddess Ixchel.

Although her sister Ixtab did not have the knowledge that the goddess Ixchel had already fallen madly in love with the charms of the god Itzamna. When the battle began, everything went in favor of the god Itzamna was going to win the confrontation, but the prince of the distant land managed to defeat him by piercing his sword since he had cheated in some way.

IXCHEL

That is why the god Itzamná died instantly and saddened by what had happened, Ixchel decided to entrust his soul to his sister the goddess Ixtab and committed suicide, for this reason his sister is known as the goddess of Suicide.

That is why his sister, the goddess Ixtab, observed everything that happened during the confrontation and knowing the trap that the prince of the distant land had made made him a curse that no one else knew about him until his name was forgotten.

After having become gods, the souls of the maidens guided the path where the goddess Ixchel met her lover in the highest place in the sky, that is why both became the god of the moon that is Ixchel and Itzamna who became the sun god

Although this legend of Mayan origin will conclude when the god Itzamná in an actor of love will offer the goddess Ixchel the brightness of the moon so that she can light up at night and as a gift he gives her a group of young maidens to keep him company on the nights that are the stars.

The Goddess Ixchel and her Characteristics

The goddess Ixchel also known as the goddess of love, since in the Mayan religion there is the pantheon of the gods, one of the most extensive and important of the cultures that were formed in the Mesoamerican region. All the gods of the Mayan culture were related to astronomy, the universe, nature and the passage of time.

For this reason, the goddess Ixchel is known as the lady of the moon, having control of the different cycles that the natural satellite of the Earth possesses, she is also known as the goddess of sexuality and pregnancy as well as fertility. and the harvests the women entrust to him so that their childbirth is safe and protects the newborns.

There is a sacred book known as Chilam Balam, where the mythology of the Mayan civilization is recounted, since almost all the books on the Mayan civilization were burned by the Spanish when they arrived in America, in this book the name of the goddess Ixchel has as meaning "The Rainbow Woman" while in other manuscripts the goddess is related to painting, the arts, textiles, medicine and healers.

Among the most representative figures of the goddess Ixchel we can find her weaving garments with a loom at her waist and it is a very practical tool that the goddess gave to humans and this caused them to relate her to spiders.

In this way, in the Mayan and Mesoamerican culture, it is attributed that its thread was the fabric of life, the umbilical thread that in turn will symbolize the placenta.

In other images and cave figures that exist about the goddess Ixchel, there are two versions of her facets in the first one is known as a beautiful woman accompanied by a rabbit. This first facet of the goddess Ixchel comes from the classic period between 250 and 950 AD, which will represent the moon.

In the other facet of the goddess Ixchel, she is like an old woman who is emptying water into a pitcher and this has many relationships, the first is that it is related to death because a serpent appears that is twisted in the head or bones in cross shape on her skirt.

But at the same time this is related to the strong storms and devastation that leave the Earth desolate and full of corpses. In this way, the goddess Ixchel is known with a dark and very violent personality that can punish humanity by producing floods and strong storms that will cause great damage.

When it is found in this facet, it is represented with a figure of a woman who wears a serpent coiled around her neck and on her head she wears an ornament of human bones and her feet have claw-like shapes that look menacing, very similar to the eagle's claws. .

In the same way, the inhabitants of the Mayan culture unite the goddess Ixchel with the four directions of the universe, which in turn are represented by the colors black, red, yellow and white.

the goddess of the moon

Like many ancient peoples, the Mayans created a great culture of gods and goddesses representing different elements of nature. From this pantheon of gods, the deity Ixchel stands out as the white goddess of the moon.

The Mayan goddess Ixchel had the power to give life to all beings, since she has the responsibility of governing the birth of babies as well as curing people who are affected by health.

As it has the power to rule over the moon and its cycle changes, on the other hand it has the power to punish humanity if it is ignored or ignored by sending great storms that flood the towns, since it can represent the symbols of death.

The goddess Ixchel occupies a very privileged place in the pantheon of Mayan deities, being the wife of the almighty god Itzamna who was the creator of the world and is associated with the star the sun. These gods being married were parents of thirteen children.

The most outstanding children of the goddess Ixchel is Yum Kaax, who is the god of wild plants and animals most relevant to hunters, as well as farmers who want their crops to be free from predators.

Another of the important sons in the Mayan culture of the goddess Ixchel is Ek chuah, who was referred to as the god of cocoa and wars, as well as being the patron of all Mayan merchants. The other children of the goddess Ixchel were among the sacrifices that were made, while the daughters of the goddess were goddesses of the waters, of paradise, and of the night.

Temples Where the Goddess Ixchel is Venerated

As she is one of the most important goddesses of the Mayan culture, in addition to the fact that the Mayans attribute a large number of supernatural abilities to this goddess, several temples were built throughout the Mayan territory in the name of the goddess Ixchel in order to pay tribute to her. and offerings.

The most representative Temple that was built in his name was the one located on Cuzamil Island, currently known as Xcaret. According to myths and legends, believers went to visit the temple to be able to consult with the oracle of the goddess Ixchel.

Those who attended these consultations the most were women who wanted to get pregnant or were already of childbearing age with the aim of invoking the goddess and asking for her favors and graces in order to get pregnant.

“One of the most important beliefs of the Mayan people was that the people who went to their temples and brought offerings to them would enjoy their protection and thanks"

Another important site where the goddess Ixchel was venerated was known as the Isla de las Mujeres, which is located in the Caribbean Sea, very closely in the Yucatan Peninsula. Although it is written in history that this island was discovered by the Spanish when Francisco Hernández de Córdoba's expedition was carried out in the year 1517.

Although the island had already been occupied and they dedicated themselves to the cult of the goddess Ixchel, the feminine offerings were offered there. According to what is told in history, the believers who went to the sanctuary deposited their gifts on the beaches, so when the Spanish arrived on that island they found a large number of offerings made to the goddess Ixchel.

In this way they decided to name the island Ixchel. At present there are many temples and sanctuaries dedicated to the goddess Ixchel, mostly in the Yucatan Peninsula and on the island of Cozumel, although on this island there is an image of the goddess Ixchel, some believers confuse her with the Virgin Mary who It belongs to the Christian religion and on that island both are venerated and the faithful go every year to bring offerings for the favors received.

The Myth of Being the Goddess of Fertility

For the Mayans, it was believed that the goddess Ixchel was the goddess of the moon, and she spent her time wandering throughout the sky and when she was not on the horizon, she lay in the cenotes and another of the most representative myths with the Mayan goddess Ixchel was the one who had to do with fertility.

It is told in this legend that at the beginning of the new fire, women were given the gift of fertility thanks to the god Ixchel, that is why this legend a party was held by women as a Mayan tradition offering them rituals and gifts .

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