Maya Pantheon: Itzamna

The Mayans have fascinated me since, in one art lesson, we had to design our own Maya tattoos. There was something about the shapes used that pulled me into the quest for knowledge, however it’s only now that I have found time to research and search for resources. I thought that it would be apt to begin my search with their creation god, Itzamnà.

Pronounced Eetz-am-NAH he is the most pre-eminent god in their pantheon. The creator of the world, writing, and medicine (however this attribute wasn't adopted until the Post-Classic period), and ruled not through strength or power, but through his own divine knowledge. It is said that Itzamnà taught the Maya how to write, as well as how to use the calendar, and even bestowed knowledge of maize and cacao plants upon them.

The Lost History of Aztec & Maya, pg. 60

Itzamnà is often depicted as an elderly, and learned man with the symbols of night on his headdress or forehead. Because of his connotations with writing and his wise appearance, he is the patron and protector of scribes and priests.

Ix Chel and  Itzamnà are said to have birthed the other gods, as well as the bacabs who hold up the four corners of the sky.

His name has many meanings and interpretations including, but not limited to, ‘dew’, ‘stuff of the clouds’, ‘divination’, and ‘foretell’ in various different languages. He also has many other names as the supreme god of the pantheon; he is often referred to as Kukulcan (who is in turn closely associated with the Aztec god Quetzalcòalt),and Itzam Cab Ain (Iztam Earth Caiman), however archaeologists prefer to refer to him simply as God D. 

Another aspect of the god’s identity comes from the World Tree, (the tree linking all sections of the Maya realms – Sky/Heaven, Earth, Xibalba). Itzam Yeh (the Bird of Heaven) often sits upon the World Tree and is simultaneously a counterpart, and a manifestation of the god himself.

Important portrayals of  Itzamnà can be found at Copan, Palenque, and Piedras Negras in the form of Alter D, House E, and Stela 25 respectively.

My main sources are here and here.