Maximón
Encyclopedia
Folk saint
Folk saints are dead people or other spiritually powerful entities venerated as saints but not officially canonized. Since they are saints of the "folk", or the populus, they are also called popular saints...
venerated in various forms by Maya people of several towns in the highlands
Highland (geography)
The term highland or upland is used to denote any mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau. Generally speaking, the term upland tends to be used for ranges of hills, typically up to 500-600m, and highland for ranges of low mountains.The Scottish Highlands refers to the mountainous...
of Western 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...
.
The origins of his cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
are not very well understood by outsiders to the different Mayan religions, but Maximón is believed to be a form of the pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
Maya god Mam
Mam
Mam or MAM may refer to:* Mam language, a Mayan language spoken in Guatemala* Mam people, an indigenous Maya people in Guatemala* Mam , a reverential term for certain aged Maya deities.* Mam, Azerbaijan, a village...
, blended with influences from Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. Maximón may also be called San Simón. The legend has it that one day while the village men were off working in the fields, Maximón slept with all of their wives. When they returned, they became so enraged they cut off his arms and legs (this is why most effigies of Maximón are short, often without arms). Somehow he became a god following this, perhaps he was possessed by the god prior. Later, with the introduction of Christianity, Maximón's effigy replaced one of Judas Iscariot in Christian Holy Week carnival rituals.
Where Maximón is venerated, he is represented by an effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
which resides in a different house each year, being moved in a procession during Holy Week
Holy Week
Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter...
. During the rest of the year, devotees visit Maximón in his chosen residence, where his shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
is usually attended by two people from the representing Cofradia
Cofradia
Cofradia is a town in northwestern Honduras, in the Naco Valley, 24 km from the city of San Pedro Sula.- Physical and political geography :The limits of Cofradia are:* To the north, the Sierra del Merendón* To the south, the river Chamelecon...
who keep the shrine in order and pass offerings from visitors to the effigy. Worshippers offer money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
, spirits
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
and cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
s or cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s to gain his favour in exchange for good health, good crops, and marriage counseling, amongst other favours. The effigy invariably has a lit cigarette or cigar in its mouth, and in some places, it will have a hole in its mouth to allow the attendants to give it spirits to drink.
Santiago Atitlán
Santiago Atitlán is a municipality in the Sololá department of Guatemala. The town is situated on Lago de Atitlán, which has an elevation of . The town sits on a bay of Lago Atitlan between two volcanos. Volcan San Pedro rises to west of town; Volcan Toliman rises to southeast of town. Volcan...
he is adorned with many colourful garlands, while in Zunil
Zunil
Zunil is a municipality in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala with a surface area of . Zunil is located from the city of Quetzaltenango, on the bank of the Salamá River. Zunil has an altitude of approximately above mean sea level. The population is about 14,000 people, 100% indigenous...
(where he is known as San Simón) he has a much more intimidating style, with his face obscured by dark sunglasses and a bandanna.
The worship of Maximón treats him not so much as a benevolent deity but rather as a bully whom one does not want to anger. He is also known to be a link between Xibalbá The Underworld and Bitol heart of heaven
Huracan
Huracan , in Mayan understandable as Jun Raqan "one legged", is a K'iche' Mayan god of wind, storm, fire and one of the creator deities who participated in all three attempts at creating humanity...
(Corazón del Cielo). His expensive tastes in alcohol and cigarettes indicate that he is a very human character, very different from the ascetic ideals of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
sainthood. Devotees believe that prayers for revenge, or success at the expense of others, are likely to be granted by Maximón.
An interesting aspect of Maximon in the town of Santiago Atitlan is that of the lure of Maximon's laundry water. During the year preceding Easter week when Maximon's clothing is washed, the waste water is saved and distributed to local shop keepers. These vails of gray, waste water are then sold to locals. The idea is that when sprinkled around the threshold of the shop doorway, the waste water will entice customers into the shop to make a purchase.
See also
- Santa MuerteSanta MuerteSanta Muerte is a sacred figure venerated in Mexico, probably a syncretism between Mesoamerican and Catholic beliefs. The name literally translates to "Holy Death" or "Saint Death." Mexican culture since the pre-Columbian era has maintained a certain reverence towards death, which can be seen in...
Citation for last paragraph: Wiley, Don Unpublished notes from travels in Latin America, 1993 - 2005.
"Vials" is erroneously spelled "Vails"
Further reading
- Christenson
- Mendelson
- Prechtel, Martin, The Toe Bone and the Tooth
- Rosales, Omar W., Elemental Shaman
- Stanzione, Vincent (2003) Rituals of Sacrifice