Awilix
Encyclopedia
Awilix was a goddess (or possibly a god) of the Postclassic
K'iche' Maya
, who had a large kingdom
in the highlands
of Guatemala
. She was the patron deity of the Nija'ib' noble lineage at the K'iche' capital Q'umarkaj, with a large temple in the city. Awilix was a Moon goddess
and a goddess of night, although some studies refer to the deity as male. Awilix was probably derived from the Classic period
lowland Maya moon goddess
or from C'abawil Ix, the Moon goddess of the Chontal Maya.
, the queen of the night. She was associated with the Underworld
, sickness and death and was a patron of the Mesoamerican ballgame
. Her calendrical day was probably ik ("moon") in the 20-day cycle
of the Maya calendar
.
The eagle was the totem animal of the Nija'ib', and it is presumed that the bird was associated with the lunar aspect of the goddess, with the jaguar
associated with her night aspect. Awilix was one of the three principal deities of the K'iche', together with Tohil
and Jacawitz
, and the trinity of gods was sometimes referred to collectively as Tohil, the most important of the three. Alternate origins have been suggested for the origin of the name of the goddess, it has been suggested that awilix derives from kwilix/wilix in the Q'eqchi' Maya language, which means "swallow
" (the bird). It has also been suggested that the Nija'ib' migrated from the area around the Pico de Orizaba
mountain in central Mexico
. This area was formerly known as Awilizapan in the Nahuatl
language of the Aztecs, and it may be that the Nija'ib' derived the name of their goddess from their place of origin.
Awilix is mentioned throughout the K'iche' epic Popul Vuh and is also mentioned in the important K'iche' document known as the Título de los Señores de Totonicapán. Ixbalanque, one of the Maya Hero Twins
of the Popul Vuh, was the incarnation
of Awilix.
Awilix.
According to a drawing made by Rivera y Maestre in the early 19th century, the temple of Awilix was not as tall as the temple of Tohil. This structure was apparently the second most important temple in Q'umarkaj. Originally this temple was formed of a large rectangular platform supporting a smaller platform and a temple structure on the east side. A wide stairway climbed the west side of the temple, it was flanked on the lower level by two large talud-tablero panels. The exterior stonework of the building has been completely stripped away. There were four principal phases of construction and there is evidence that the temple had been repaired various times prior to the Conquest. The floor under the third phase of construction had been painted dark green. Archaeological investigations found fragments of incense burners underneath the first building phase.
The temple is similar in form to a temple mound on the west side of the first plaza in Iximche
, the postclassic capital of the Kaqchikel Maya.
Structure 4 at Zaculeu
, the capital of the Mam
Maya, is a temple-palace combination situated on the southeast side of one of the main plazas and was likely to have been a temple of Awilix. This temple-palace is K'iche' in style and has been identified with the Nija'ib' lineage of the K'iche', being very similar to the Temple of Awilix at Q'umarkaj. The structure consists of a central pyramidal base flanked by two attached range structures. The pyramidal base is topped by a shrine containing three rooms, the final room of the three is circular. The temple has three steep stairways flanked by balustrades. The main stairway ascends directly from the plaza, those on either side are perpendicular
to the main stairway. The balustrade of each stairway terminates at the top in a vertical panel. The temple facade is in good condition although the roof of the temple is missing. The range structures are unequal in size and each contains a single long room atop a low platform. The facade of each of these rooms once possessed a row of columns although only stumps remain in situ.
revere rival syncretised
forms of the goddess, who are said to be the lovers of the town's patron saint Santiago (St. James).
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...
K'iche' Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
, who had a large kingdom
K'iche' Kingdom of Q'umarkaj
The K'iche' Kingdom of Q'umarkaj was a state in the highlands of modern day Guatemala which was founded by the K'iche' Maya in the thirteenth century, and which expanded through the fifteenth century until it was conquered by Spanish and Nahua forces led by Pedro de Alvarado in 1524.The K'iche'...
in the highlands
Guatemalan Highlands
The Guatemalan Highlands is an upland region in southern Guatemala, lying between the Sierra Madre de Chiapas to the south and the Petén lowlands to the north....
of Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. She was the patron deity of the Nija'ib' noble lineage at the K'iche' capital Q'umarkaj, with a large temple in the city. Awilix was a Moon goddess
Lunar deity
In mythology, a lunar deity is a god or goddess associated with or symbolizing the moon. These deities can have a variety of functions and traditions depending upon the culture, but they are often related to or an enemy of the solar deity. Even though they may be related, they are distinct from the...
and a goddess of night, although some studies refer to the deity as male. Awilix was probably derived from the Classic period
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...
lowland Maya moon goddess
Maya moon goddess
The traditional Mayas generally assume the moon to be female, and the moon's phases are accordingly conceived as the stages of a woman's life. The Maya moon goddess wields great influence in many areas. Being in the image of a woman, she is naturally associated with sexuality and procreation,...
or from C'abawil Ix, the Moon goddess of the Chontal Maya.
Etymology and symbolism
Awilix was the goddess of the moonLunar deity
In mythology, a lunar deity is a god or goddess associated with or symbolizing the moon. These deities can have a variety of functions and traditions depending upon the culture, but they are often related to or an enemy of the solar deity. Even though they may be related, they are distinct from the...
, the queen of the night. She was associated with the Underworld
Xibalba
Xibalba , roughly translated as "place of fear", is the name of the underworld in Maya mythology, ruled by the Maya death gods and their helpers. In 16th-century Verapaz, the entrance to Xibalba was traditionally held to be a cave in the vicinity of Cobán, Guatemala. According to some of the...
, sickness and death and was a patron of the Mesoamerican ballgame
Mesoamerican ballgame
The Mesoamerican ballgame or Tlatchtli in Náhuatl was a sport with ritual associations played since 1,000 B.C. by the pre-Columbian peoples of Ancient Mexico and Central America...
. Her calendrical day was probably ik ("moon") in the 20-day cycle
Veintena
A veintena is the Spanish-derived name for a 20-day period used in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican calendars. The division is often casually referred to as a "month", although it is not coordinated with the lunar cycle...
of the Maya calendar
Maya calendar
The Maya calendar is a system of calendars and almanacs used in the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and in many modern Maya communities in highland Guatemala. and in Chiapas....
.
The eagle was the totem animal of the Nija'ib', and it is presumed that the bird was associated with the lunar aspect of the goddess, with the jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
associated with her night aspect. Awilix was one of the three principal deities of the K'iche', together with Tohil
Tohil
Tohil was a deity of the K'iche' Maya in the Late Postclassic period of Mesoamerica. At the time of the Spanish Conquest, Tohil was the patron god of the K'iche'. Tohil's principal function was that of a fire deity and he was also both a sun god and the god of rain. Tohil was also associated with...
and Jacawitz
Jacawitz
Jacawitz was a mountain god of the Postclassic K'iche' Maya of highland Guatemala. He was the patron of the Ajaw K'iche' lineage and was a companion of the sun god Tohil. It is likely that he received human sacrifice...
, and the trinity of gods was sometimes referred to collectively as Tohil, the most important of the three. Alternate origins have been suggested for the origin of the name of the goddess, it has been suggested that awilix derives from kwilix/wilix in the Q'eqchi' Maya language, which means "swallow
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
" (the bird). It has also been suggested that the Nija'ib' migrated from the area around the Pico de Orizaba
Pico de Orizaba
The Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl , is a stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America. It rises above sea level in the eastern end of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, on the border between the states of Veracruz and Puebla...
mountain in central Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. This area was formerly known as Awilizapan in the Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
language of the Aztecs, and it may be that the Nija'ib' derived the name of their goddess from their place of origin.
Awilix is mentioned throughout the K'iche' epic Popul Vuh and is also mentioned in the important K'iche' document known as the Título de los Señores de Totonicapán. Ixbalanque, one of the Maya Hero Twins
Maya Hero Twins
The Maya Hero Twins are the central figures of a narrative included within the colonial Quiché document called Popol Vuh, and constituting the oldest Maya myth to have been preserved in its entirety. Called Hunahpu and Xbalanque in Quiché, the Twins have also been identified in the art of the...
of the Popul Vuh, was the incarnation
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
of Awilix.
Temples of Awilix
In Q'umarkaj the temple of Awilix faced the temple of Tohil across a small plaza. It was on the east side of the plaza with a stairway giving access from the west. Investigations at the temple have revealed that eagle imagery was predominant. The high priest of Awilix was chosen from the Nija'ib' lineage and was called the AjawAjaw
Ajaw is a political rulership title attested from the epigraphic inscriptions of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, with a meaning variously interpreted as "lord", "ruler", "king" or "leader". It denoted any of the leading class of nobles in a particular polity and was not limited to a single...
Awilix.
According to a drawing made by Rivera y Maestre in the early 19th century, the temple of Awilix was not as tall as the temple of Tohil. This structure was apparently the second most important temple in Q'umarkaj. Originally this temple was formed of a large rectangular platform supporting a smaller platform and a temple structure on the east side. A wide stairway climbed the west side of the temple, it was flanked on the lower level by two large talud-tablero panels. The exterior stonework of the building has been completely stripped away. There were four principal phases of construction and there is evidence that the temple had been repaired various times prior to the Conquest. The floor under the third phase of construction had been painted dark green. Archaeological investigations found fragments of incense burners underneath the first building phase.
The temple is similar in form to a temple mound on the west side of the first plaza in Iximche
Iximche
Iximche is a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican archaeological site in the western highlands of Guatemala. Iximche was the capital of the Late Postclassic Kaqchikel Maya kingdom from 1470 until its abandonment in 1524. The architecture of the site included a number of pyramid-temples, palaces and two...
, the postclassic capital of the Kaqchikel Maya.
Structure 4 at Zaculeu
Zaculeu
Zaculeu or Saqulew is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site in the highlands of western Guatemala, about outside of the modern city of Huehuetenango. Occupation at the site dates back as far as the Early Classic period of Mesoamerican history...
, the capital of the Mam
Mam people
The Mam are a Native American people in the western highlands of Guatemala and in south-western Mexico.Most Mam live in Guatemala, in the departments of Huehuetenango, San Marcos, and Quetzaltenango...
Maya, is a temple-palace combination situated on the southeast side of one of the main plazas and was likely to have been a temple of Awilix. This temple-palace is K'iche' in style and has been identified with the Nija'ib' lineage of the K'iche', being very similar to the Temple of Awilix at Q'umarkaj. The structure consists of a central pyramidal base flanked by two attached range structures. The pyramidal base is topped by a shrine containing three rooms, the final room of the three is circular. The temple has three steep stairways flanked by balustrades. The main stairway ascends directly from the plaza, those on either side are perpendicular
Perpendicular
In geometry, two lines or planes are considered perpendicular to each other if they form congruent adjacent angles . The term may be used as a noun or adjective...
to the main stairway. The balustrade of each stairway terminates at the top in a vertical panel. The temple facade is in good condition although the roof of the temple is missing. The range structures are unequal in size and each contains a single long room atop a low platform. The facade of each of these rooms once possessed a row of columns although only stumps remain in situ.
Modern worship
The modern descendents of the Nija'ib' in MomostenangoMomostenango
Momostenango is a municipality in the Totonicapán department of Guatemala. The municipality is situated in the North-West of Totonicapán, in the Western highlands of Guatemala.-Population:Momostenango's population is predominantly of Maya K'iche' descent...
revere rival syncretised
Syncretism
Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term means "combining", but see below for the origin of the word...
forms of the goddess, who are said to be the lovers of the town's patron saint Santiago (St. James).