Their tests, however, culminated in a game of Pokatok. Hun Hunahpu and 7 Hunahpu almost outwitted the gods and made it through all nine levels of the underworld. The stone ball court was situated just above the entrance to Xibalba, where the two brothers were summarily summonsed. The mortals and gods were equally obsessed with the game. Pokatok was a particularly fast and violent ball game played with a solid rubber ball, which weighed up to 9 lbs. When the maize god (Hun Hunahpu) and his brother (7 Hunahpu) were playing Pokatok, the gods became annoyed by the noise and were envious of the brothers’ talents. Maize, a symbol of rebirth, was placed in their mouths for nourishment, and jade paid the way for the journey to the underworld. The dead were usually buried with weapons and tools to help them overcome the god’s seemingly insurmountable tests. The supplicant’s tribulations began on route to Xibalba, where they needed to first cross a river of scorpions, a river of blood and a river of pus! Thereafter, they were subjected to impossible tests, such as surviving a house of jaguars, being attacked by deadly, spinning razors, or being subjected to unrelenting fire! For the dead to successfully enter and endure through to the ninth level of Xibalba, they had to overcome many deadly tests and traps set by the gods. The Rulers of Xibalba were extremely proud and sought to humiliate or destroy those of lesser wit. The gods operated in pairs to bring about human suffering and had names which personified their gruesome roles, like Pus Master, Bone Sceptre, Jaundice Master and Blood Gatherer! The gods would occasionally venture to the surface to inflict disease and anguish on the living, when they weren’t relishing in the suffering of the dead. Xibalba served as a court for the dead and housed 12 gods called the Rulers of Xibalba, with two specific gods, Hun-Came (“One Death”) and Vucub-Came (“Seven Death”) governing the underworld. The Popol Vuh describes Xibalba as expansive with rivers, mountains, six houses where the dead were tested, the council place of the Lords and the ball court, where a traditional Maya ball game called Pokatok was played. The underworld was entered through a cave on the Earth’s surface, the first of the nine underworld levels. Only in recent history have adventurers risked their lives to explore the secret passages and caves littered with human remains and concealed temples to reveal a glimpse of the mysteries of the Maya underworld! Where is the Maya Underworld?Īccording to the Popol Vuh, the sacred text of the Maya, Xibalba was situated just below the Earth’s surface, off the west coast of the Yucatan peninsula.
This underwater labyrinth of rivers, in the Yucatan peninsula, was a previously hidden domain. The Maya believed freshwater sinkholes, or cenote, were the sacred portals to Xibalba. Those who entered Xibalba put their wits to the test against the cruel gods, but very few survived.
The Maya could not escape suffering in death and were either subjected to horrific trials in Xibalba, or had to die a violent death to avoid it. The underworld was ruled by the Maya death gods and struck terror in every Maya man, woman and child. Xibalba (pronounced: Shee-bal-ba) is the name the K’iche Maya gave to their underworld and means “ place of fear or fright“.
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