Mayan Cosmology

Mayan cosmology is based in the rhombo, a diamond shape which represents the four corners of the universe. Each point is associated with one of the four natural colors of maize (red, white, black, and yellow), which are also connected to the four human races. As my K’iche’ teacher explained it to me, two beings came together to design the earth and give it life: Tza’qol and Bi’tol. They began by trying to build people out of mud, but they fell apart. Next, they tried making people out of wood, but they were soulless. Finally, the creators made people out of maize, and this time they were successful, filling the world with people of many different colors.