Describe the religious life of Maya
The Maya had a bewildering number of gods, with at least 166 named deities. This is partly because each of the gods had many aspects. Some had more than one sex; others could be both young and old; and every god, representing a heavenly body, had a different Underworld face, which appeared when the god "died" in the evening.
Some Maya sources also speak of a single supreme deity, called Itzamna, the inventor of writing, and patron of the arts and sciences. His wife was Ix Chel, the goddess of weaving, medicine and childbirth; she was also the ancient goddess of the Moon. For the Mayans, blood sacrifice was necessary for the survival of both gods and people, sending human energy sky ward and receiving divine power in return.
