Bacab deities

E165626

The Bacab deities are a group of four Maya gods associated with the cardinal directions who were believed to support the sky and play key roles in cosmology and weather.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Maya deities
group of gods
appearsIn Maya cosmological texts
Maya creation myths
associatedWith cardinal directions
lightning
rain
thunder
wind
colorAssociation black
red
white
yellow
cosmicFunction mark the structure of space
participate in the ordering of time
uphold the heavens at the four corners of the world
cosmologicalPosition located at the four corners beneath the sky
culture Maya civilization
directionalAssociation east
north
south
west
functionInRitual invoked for protection from storms
invoked in agricultural rites
invoked in divination
gender male
influenceOn Maya calendrical and ritual geography
languageContext Yucatec Maya
mentionedIn Diego de Landa’s Relación de las cosas de Yucatán
colonial-era Yucatec Maya sources
mythologicalRole bearers of the sky after a flood
survivors of a previous world age
numberOfMembers 4
relatedConcept Maya four corners of the world
Maya world tree
relatedDeityGroup Chaac
surface form: Chaac deities
religion Maya religion
role cosmological deities
support the sky
weather deities
sphereOfInfluence agricultural fertility
cosmic stability
seasonal cycles
timePeriodOfWorship Classic period in Mesoamerica
surface form: Classic Maya period

Postclassic period of Mesoamerica
surface form: Postclassic Maya period

early colonial period
typeOfMythologicalFigure directional bearer
sky-bearer

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Itzamna parentOf Bacab deities
Surya Majapahit (sun emblem) depicts Bacab deities
subject surface form: Surya Majapahit
this entity surface form: Lokapala (guardian deities of directions)
God D pantheon Bacab deities
this entity surface form: Maya pantheon