{"id":52262,"date":"2012-10-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/royalresorts.com\/blog\/chaac-the-mayan-rain-god\/"},"modified":"2021-11-29T20:56:01","modified_gmt":"2021-11-29T20:56:01","slug":"chaac-the-mayan-rain-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.royalresorts.com\/blog\/history\/chaac-the-mayan-rain-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Chaac, the Mayan Rain God"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Photo by: Emmanuel H (Flickr)<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In the Yucat\u00e1n, a limestone landscape with no surface rivers, where cenotes or sinkholes and a labyrinth of underground waterways are the only source of fresh water, and tropical heat bakes the vegetation, it comes as no surprise that the Mayan rain god Chaac<\/strong> or Chac was especially revered in ancient times. Indeed, the distant rumble of thunder, dark clouds on the horizon and the coming of the life-giving rains in May is still a reason to celebrate and for farmers to breathe a sigh of relief after the long dry season.<\/p>\n

Chaac is associated with precious life-giving water, fertility, birth, growth and plenty. Creatures believed to be creatures of Chaac included frogs, toads and turtles. Throughout the Yucat\u00e1n Peninsula, priests worshipped the god in the depths of caves and on the banks of cenotes, and offerings to Chaac and ceramic effigies of the god have been recovered in Balancanche Cave near Chich\u00e9n Itz\u00e1<\/strong> and at other sites in the area.<\/p>\n

Photo by: Bernard D (Flickr)<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

There was a Chaac god for the cardinal points, each with a different color: Sac Xib Chac, White Chac of the North, Chac Xib Chac, Red Chac of the East, Kan Xib Chac, Yellow Chac of the South and Ek Xib Chac, Black Chac of<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

the West, all of which were heralded by lightning and thunder.<\/p>\n

Elaborate friezes featuring curl snouted masks of Chaac with fangs and reptilian eyes adorn the facades of temples in Chich\u00e9n Itz\u00e1 and ancient cities along the Puuc Route in southwest Yucat\u00e1n. Water was scarce in the Puuc Hills and unlike the plain there are no cenotes to tide communities over the dry season, so understandably the benevolence of Chaac was even more important. Chaac masks and the carved likenesses of frogs and turtles crop up at sites throughout the area. At Uxmal<\/strong>, Sayil<\/strong> and Labn\u00e1<\/strong>, the Maya also built chultunes<\/em> or reservoirs to store the precious rainfall during the dry season.<\/p>\n

Another Puuc Route site, Kabah<\/strong> is famous for the Codz Pop, or the Palace of the Masks<\/strong>, a name that does justice to its magnificent fa\u00e7ade consisting of 250 Chaac masks.<\/p>\n

Photo by: M Rondana (Flickr)<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

To this day, Mayan hmen<\/em> or priests perform the Cha Chaac ceremony, a plea to the ancient god to send rainfall to the milpas or cornfields.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chaac, the Mayan rain god, was especially revered in ancient times. 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