Bacabs

Mayans believed that four jaguars, called bacabs, held up the sky. Each had a different color. Click on image for full size ( 22K JPG ) Courtesy of Nova Development Corp. The Maya believed the Earth was flat with four corners. Each corner represented a cardinal direction. Each direction had a color: east-red; north-white; west-black; south-yellow. Green was the center. At each corner, there was a jaguar of a different color that supported the sky. The jaguars were called bacabs. Mayans believed the universe was divided into thirteen layers, each with its own god.

Last modified March 25, 1997 by the Windows Team

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