Mayan Creation Myth intro -
The Maya of Mesoamerica creation story is recounted in the book Popol Vuh.
In Maya mythology, Tepeu and Gucumatz (also known as Kukulkan, and as the Aztec's Quetzalcoatl) are referred to as the Creators, the Makers, and the Forefathers. They were two of the first beings to exist and were said to be as wise as sages. Huracan, or the Heart of Heaven, also existed and is given less personification. He acts more like a storm, of which he is the god. Tepeu and Gucumatz hold a conference and decide that, in order to preserve their legacy, they must create a race of beings who can worship them. Huracan does the actual creating while Tepeu and Gucumatz guide the process. Earth is created, but the gods make several false starts in setting humanity upon the earth. Animals were created first; however, with all of their howling and squawking they did not worship their creators and were thus banished forever to the forest. Man is created first of mud, but they just crumbled and dissolved away. Other gods are summoned and man is next created of wood but has no soul, and they soon forgot their makers, so the gods turned all of their possessions against them and brought a black resinous rain down on their heads. This flood differs from others in that it is not a punishment, but rather a remedy for a faulty creation. Finally man is formed of masa or corn dough by even more gods and their work is complete. As such, the Maya believed that maize was not just the cornerstone of their diet, but they were also made of the same stuff.
MYTH 1
In the beginning there is only sky and sea, personified as a trinity of gods called Heart-of-Sky. They decide that they want someone to praise them. They begin by saying "Earth", which appears on demand from the sea. This is followed by mountains and trees, and Heart-of-Sky establish that "our work is going well". Next for creation are the creatures of the forest: birds, deer, jaguars and snakes. They are told to multiply and scatter, and then to speak and "pray to us". But the animals just squawk and howl. They are consequently humbled and will become servants to whoever will worship Heart-of-Sky. So Heart-of-Sky try to make some more respectful creatures from mud. But the results are not great, and they allow the new race to be washed away.
They call upon their grandparents, who suggest wood as an appropriate medium. But the wooden people are just mindless robots, so Heart-of Sky set about the destruction of this new race by means of a rain-storm. This causes the animals to turn against the wooden people; even their pots and querns rebel, and crush the peoples' faces. The wooden people escape to the forests and are turned into monkeys. Heart-of-Sky then make yet another attempt at creating a suitably respectful race, and finally succeed by fashioning humans out of maize-corn dough.
MYTH 2
The Feathered Serpent first created man from mud. These creatures were a failure; they couldn't see, they dissolved when it rained, etc. So the god broke them up and tried again. "This time he made men out of wood. They were better than the mud-men. They could walk and talk; they had many children, built many houses, but they had no minds nor souls nor hearts. The Feathered Serpent - Quetzalcoatl was disappointed with what he had created, so he sent a great flood to cleanse the earth of his mistake.
MYTH 3
In the beginning was only Tepeu and Gucumatz (another name for Quetzalcoatl). These two sat together and thought, and whatever they thought came into being. They thought earth, and there it was. They thought mountains, and so there were. They thought trees, and sky, and animals etc, and each came into being. But none of these things could praise them, so they formed more advanced beings of clay. But these beings fell apart when they got wet, so they made beings out of wood, but they proved unsatisfactory and caused trouble on the earth. The gods sent a great flood to wipe out these beings, so that they could start over. With the help of Mountain Lion, Coyote, Parrot, and Crow they fashioned four new beings. These four beings performed well and are the ancestors of the Quich.
LDS Religious claim:
LDS members (Mormons) claim that many modern Native Americans are descendants of Israelites who traveled from Israel to America on boats around 600 BCE.
Supporting evidence:
Mayan creation myths have many similarities with the Biblical creation story leading one to infer that their ancestors may have had knowledge of the Biblical creation story as contained on Israelite records.
Parallels to the LDS religion:
1) Concept of 3 independent Gods, who function extremely similar to the LDS concept of the Godhead.
2) The Gods have power to create.
3) Holy Ghost - "He acts more like a storm"
4) We are God's children - "in order to preserve their legacy, they must create a race of beings who can worship them"
5) The order of creation in Genesis - "Animals were created first"
6) Noah's flood - "The gods sent a great flood to wipe out these beings, so that they could start over."
7) The Book of Revelation's reverence to 4 beasts in heaven - "With the help of Mountain Lion, Coyote, Parrot, and Crow they fashioned four new beings.
Scientists claim:
Mankind was derived through a serious of stages in the process of evolution.
LDS Religious claim:
Mankind was derived through the creative power of God.
The Bridge between Science and Religion -
http://www.crystalinks.com/mayancreation.html
