AH PUKUH (awe-poo-coo): God of violent and unnatural death, depicted in Maya art as a bloated, decomposing corpse or a cigar-smoking skeleton. Ah Pukuh rules over Mitnal, the ninth and most terrible layer of XIBALBA, the Maya underworld.
BONE SCEPTER: Carved human femurs (thigh bones) have been found in royal Maya tombs and depicted in the hands of kings. Archaeologists believe that these carved relics were powerful symbols of office, showing the king’s noble descent from a revered ancestor. The femur is the longest and strongest bone in the human body.
HERO TWINS: Brothers Xbalanke (sh-ball-on-kay) and Hunahpu (who-gnaw-poo), are the main characters in the Maya creation story. Challenged to a ball game by the LORDS OF DEATH, they outwit their opponents and make the world a safer place.
IXCHEL (eesh-shell): Traditionally, “Lady Rainbow” has been viewed as one deity with multiple personalities. As the malevolent Goddess of the Old Moon she is shown with a snake headband and a skirt embroidered with crossbones; as the Goddess of the New Moon, she is a beautiful young woman who reclines inside the crescent moon, holding her pet rabbit. Recently, scholars have made the case that she is two separate deities: Chak Chel “Great Rainbow” and Ix Uh “Lady Moon.”
JAGUAR STONES: These five fictional stones embody the five pillars of ancient Maya society: agriculture, astronomy, creativity, military prowess, and kingship.
LORDS OF DEATH: In Maya mythology, there are twelve Lords of Death: One Death, Seven Death, Scab Stripper, Blood Gatherer, Wing, Demon of Pus, Demon of Jaundice, Bone Scepter, Skull Scepter, Demon of Filth, Demon of Woe, and Packstrap. It is their job to inflict sickness, pain, starvation, fear, and death on the citizens of MIDDLEWORLD. Luckily, they’re usually too busy gambling and playing tricks on each other to get much work done.
MIDDLEWORLD: Like many ancient cultures, the Maya believed that humankind inhabited a middle world between heaven and hell. The Maya Middleworld was sandwiched between nine dark and watery layers of XIBALBA and thirteen leafy layers of the heavens.
MORLEY, SYLVANUS GRISWOLD (1883–1948): Thought by some to have inspired the character of Indiana Jones, Morley was a dashing, Harvard-trained archaeologist most famous for his work at Chichen Itza. Secretly, he was also an American spy, hunting for German sub bases on the coasts of Central America.
PADDLER GODS: So called because they are usually pictured ferrying gods around in a dugout canoe. They are both old men. The Jaguar Paddler has jaguar spots, while the Stingray Paddler has a stingray spine through his nose. It has been suggested that they represent night and day.
PITZ: The Mesoamerican ball game was the first team sport in recorded history. The game was played along the lines of tennis, but without rackets or a net—and using only hips, knees, or elbows. The game had great religious significance, and it is believed that the losing team, or a team of captive “stunt doubles,” was sometimes sacrificed.
SAN XAVIER: A fictional country in Central America based on modern-day Belize.
XIBALBA (she-ball-buh): Maya name for the underworld, meaning “well of fear.” Like its Norse equivalent, the Maya underworld was a bone-chilling place of mists, damp, and cold.