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The god of war appears 33 times in the codices, occupying seventh place,
and is always associated with death. His most repeated characteristic
is a black line that partially encircles his eye and extends downwards
over his cheek. His own head, prefixed by the number 11, forms the hieroglyph
of his name.
He may have been patron of the day Manik, the symbol of which is a grasping
hand, perhaps representing his custom of capturing prisoners in war,
or of taking whatever he wanted. He is sometimes depicted together with
Ah Puch, god of death, in scenes of human sacrifice.
He is also a god of war in his own right, and is shown setting fire
to houses with a torch in one hand, while he demolishes them with a
lance held in the other.
The custom of sacrificing noble prisoners of war has already been mentioned,
and thus this deity seems to combine the idea of a war god with that
of a god of death by violence and human sacrifice.
The companions of the god of war were Ka Ku Pakat, whose function was
to reconnoitre the enemy's positions during an advance; and Pakok Exchun
Kak, associated with the cardinal points, to whom incense was offered
before a battle, and who decided the results of combat.
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Introduction|Itzamna|Chac|Yum
Kax|Ah Puch
Ek Chuah|Ah Katun|Xaman
Ek|Ixchel|Ixtab
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