TQ Team: C004577



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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