The Maya are very well known for their huge religious ceremonies. Religion played such a large role in

the

Maya existence.

The Maya believed in blood sacrifice and bloodletting. Kings would perform bloodletting rites for every stage in life, every important political or religious event and significant calendar cycle endings. For the

ancient

Maya beginnings and endings were an

occasion for a ceremony. The most sacred blood is from the ear and tongue. By piercing their ears the Maya were opening them to hear the gods revelations. In cutting the tongue, it is said that

they could speak what they had heard. The Maya Religion also practiced human

S

acrifice. In some Maya

rituals

people were killed by having their arms and legs tied

while a priest cut the person's chest open and tore out their heart as an offering. This is shown on ancient

objects such as pictorial texts, Known as codices.

 

The Maya performed rituals in order to satisfy the gods and guarantee some order to the world. Different rituals and ceremonies corresponded to different practices such as marriage, divination and baptism. These are rites related to the cycles of the year, cycles of time and ceremonies of sacrifices for the gods. A variety of drugs and Alcoholic beverages were used in these ceremonies. Drunkenness was connected with the wide-spread practice of divination, a ritual act designed to allow direct communication with certain supernatural forces, such as that an individual could see into the future. A drunken state was supposed to give one the insight to interpret the reasons for illness, misfortune and adverse weather etc.