Meet the Mayan god Yum Kaax, god of corn

Mayan mythology is one of the richest within Mexican culture. In it appears an interesting name to be evaluated, yum kaax as the god of corn, maximum protector of vegetation and guardian of animals. You know everything about him.

yum kaax

Yum Kaax as Mayan god

If the people wished to take care of their cornfields, they were authorized to invoke Yum Kaax for his protection. This god is responsible for driving away all the dangers that lie in wait for the vegetation or predators willing to devour other species.

Before requesting the protection of their crops, the men paid tribute to Yum Kaax with some of its fruits to make the rite official. The Mayan peoples recognize that he lived in the Yucatan Peninsula, being the son of Itzamná, a god of great powers, and of Ixchel, declared goddess of fertility and love.

He was the highest patron of the first indigenous communities that inhabited North America. This cult passed on to later generations with great respect for his figure. These civilizations saw Yum Kaax as the provider of game animals. For that reason, they commended their good luck to hunt. In the middle of the process they performed songs to facilitate the work.

An extraordinary event that frames Yum Kaax is the return of hunting weapons instantly, that is, if the man has failed to capture an animal through an arrow, said object will return to the archer for a new attempt. The Greek deities also have a lot to say, for this reason it is reasonable to know the great attributes of the God apollo.

Appearance

He is considered a benevolent god who supports the noble causes of men. He represents abundance in all its extension, birth and life. Like many benevolent deities, he is surrounded by rivals who do not support his efforts to support communities in need.

yum kaax

In his most human representation, he has the silhouette of a man of normal build with a hat resting on his head. This object has a shape that alludes to corn, with predominant colors in yellow and blue. Under other contexts he is depicted as the Lord of the Woods, with a pot containing three ears of corn. Physically, he is a handsome god, thanks to abundant hair and perfect facial features, like another deity of his lineage, born of love and fertility.

The story tells that Yum Kaax is a great supporter of love between man and woman, because the origin of the human being refers to a corn seed. However, this deity was subject to the fate of other darker entities such as famine, death and the strong wind that destroys everything in its path.

The above point makes a lot of sense in his dependency on other gods. Being a young deity, she needed the support of other authorities with a historical background to know how to act for humanity. She had the assistance of Chaac, the rain god, because he allowed the drops of water to irrigate all the cornfields until a completely healthy harvest. In addition to this, he drove away all the pests that sickened the plants and the weeds that grew around him.

Confusions with the corn god

Contemporary historians have come to the conclusion that Yum Kaax is not the god of corn, or at least, he has no direct involvement in the proliferation of this food. However, being a guardian of the vegetation, he does support the harvest of corn as well as any other vegetable. Mayan mythology highlights that this deity is able to help hunters and ensure the welfare of wild plants.

Similarly, the Mayans respect this god for being the provider of corn as the primary food in all their cultures. It is easy for men to keep this god happy, because by performing rituals in his honor, hunting and gathering activities will be less complex than usual. In another order of ideas, do you know everything related to norse gods?

yum kaax

For the Mayans it is very important to maintain communication with their gods, to remain happy through their actions and above all, not to offend them. If a god feels displaced by the citizenry he protects, he is capable of attacking them unless they worship through sacrifice. However, realizing that man could come from corn, they put aside human sacrifice, as it was an affront against the origin of humanity.

As he is able to take very good care of wild plants, he is considered the Lord of the Forests, for preserving all the species that lie in the jungles. With the help of some chants, the hunters were doing great in their trade of gathering animals for food.

Relationship with Chaak

The relationship between the gods allowed Yum Kaax to become benevolent to support the noble causes of humans. Considered as the god of rain, he allowed the bliss of all the wild plants that Kaax cared for. The representation of him approximates an old man in the form of a reptile, much like a frog. His nose is quite elongated, with a snout sloping towards the top of his face.

In one of his hands he holds an axe, responsible for causing thunder and lightning in the sky. If in the Mayan towns it stopped raining for a long time, with some rituals they invoked Chaac and Yum Kaax for the future of their crops.

Mayan mythology holds that he is one of the first gods of his creation. He is not the main one, but he does affect the destiny of men for good. With the help of his axe, he is able to sprinkle all the cornfields with rain for his production. Furthermore, he orients to the cardinal points thanks to the four colors he wears: black, white, yellow and red.

The color black or black Chaac represents the north, with the figure of a black crow. White denotes north, with the representation of a white dove. The yellow eagle is the figure of Chaac to orient towards the south; finally, red with the help of a pheasant indicates the east point.

Associated with the order of the cosmos and the universe. With his rain he was able to save many nations from starvation or lack of water to drink. His believers indicate that he lived in caves or cenotes with the presence of water to be in an environment according to his powers. The downpours in the ancient Yucatan Peninsula are historical proof of his management as a deity.


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