Yopaat was an important

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...

storm god A weather god or goddess, also frequently known as a storm god or goddess, is a deity in mythology associated with weather phenomena such as thunder, snow, lightning, rain, wind, storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Should they only be in charge of ...

in the

southern Maya area The Southern Maya Area (SMA) is a part of the Maya Region of Mesoamerica, long believed important to the rise of Maya civilization, the period that is also known as Preclassic Maya. It lies within a broad arc or cantilevered rectangle from Chiapa ...

that included the

cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Copán Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization in the Copán Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. This ancient Maya city mirrors the beauty of the physical landscape in which it flourished—a fert ...

and

Quiriguá Quiriguá () is an ancient Maya archaeological site in the department of Izabal in south-eastern Guatemala. It is a medium-sized site covering approximately along the lower Motagua River, with the ceremonial center about from the north bank ...

during the Classic period of

Mesoamerican chronology Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian, prehispanic Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian (first human habitation until 3500 BCE); the Archaic (before 2600 BCE), the Preclassic or Formative (2500 BC ...

(c. 250–900 AD). Yopaat was closely related to

Chaac Chaac (also spelled Chac or, in Classic Mayan, Chaahk ) is the name of the Maya god of rain, thunder, and lighting. With his lightning axe, Chaac strikes the clouds, causing them to produce thunder and rain. Chaac corresponds to Tlaloc among ...

, the Maya

rain god There are many different gods of rain in different religions: African African mythology * Anẓar, god of rain in Berber mythology. * Achek, wife of the rain god Deng in Dinka mythology * Mangwe, a water spirit known as "the flooder" in the be ...

.Gutiérrez González 2012, p. 1061. Yopaat is depicted as bearing a flint weapon that represents a

thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hell ...

.Bassie-Sweet and Hopkins 2015, p. 127. Yopaat was held responsible for especially violent lightning storms, that were believed to cause earthquakes. He was often represented with a snake in place of one leg, demonstrating a close relationship with

Kʼawiil Kʼawiil, in the Post-Classic codices corresponding to God K, is a Maya deity identified with lightning, serpents, fertility and maize. He is characterized by a zoomorphic head, with large eyes, long, upturned snout and attenuated serpent foot. A ...

, another Maya deity with similar attributes.Pallán Gayol 2008, p. 26. The deity was most important during the Late Classic period (c. 600–900 AD). Although his worship was concentrated in the

Motagua Valley The Motagua River () is a river in Guatemala. It rises in the western highlands of Guatemala where it is also called Río Grande, and runs in an easterly direction to the Gulf of Honduras. The final few kilometres of the river form part of the G ...

, glyphic inscriptions of the name occur as far away as

Palenque Palenque (; Yucatec Maya language, Yucatec Maya: ), also anciently known in the Itza Language as Lakamhaʼ ("Big Water or Big Waters"), was a Maya city City-state, state in southern Mexico that perished in the 8th century. The Palenque ruins dat ...

Yaxchilán Yaxchilan () is an ancient Maya city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. In the Late Classic Period Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya states along the course of the Usumacinta River, with Piedr ...

and

Toniná Tonina (or Toniná in Spanish orthography) is a pre-Columbian archaeological site and ruined city of the Maya civilization located in what is now the Mexican state of Chiapas, some 13 km (8.1 mi) east of the town of Ocosingo. The sit ...

.Gutiérrez González 2012, p. 1062. Decipherment of a hieroglyphic text found at Palenque has resulted in the suggestion that Yopaat was associated with mist that forms before rainfall.Gutiérrez González 2012, p. 1063. The name of the deity was frequently used as a part of the names of the kings of the Quiriguá dynasty, and it is likely that Yopaat was the patron god of the city, which was subject to abundant rainfall and frequent floods.Gutiérrez González 2012, p. 1066.

Etymology

The name Yopaat is formed from two elements – ''yop'' and ''aat'', literally ''leaf-penis''. This name has been tentatively linked to mythic imagery at San Bartolo, Petén, and with other deities in wider

Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. W ...

that feature an oversized leaf hanging from their abdomens.

Iconography

Maya art Ancient Maya art is the visual arts of the Maya civilization, an eastern and south-eastern Mesoamerican culture made up of a great number of small kingdoms in present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. Many regional artistic traditions ex ...

, Yopaat is depicted using his thunderbolt weapon to crack the shell of the mythic turtle, an action that gives rise to the resurrection of the maize god.Looper 2003, pp. 4–5. Representations of Yopaat are almost identical to representations of Chaac, except his weapon, and curved dotted elements on his head. These dotted elements may represent clouds or mist,Stuart 6 March 2013. or may be sparks. He also has stony markings on his body.

Notes

References

*Bassie-Sweet, Karen; and Nicholas A. Hopkins (2015)
Ancient Thunderbolt and Meteor Deities
in K. Bassie-Sweet, ed. ''The Chʼol Maya of Chiapas'' (Norman, Oklahoma, US: University of Oklahoma Press). 123–144. . *Gutiérrez González, María Eugenia (2012) B. Arroyo, L. Paiz, and H. Mejía, eds.
Yopaat, un dios Maya de la Tormenta en Quiriguá
" opaat, a Maya storm god at Quiriguá''Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala'' (in Spanish) (Guatemala City, Guatemala: Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Instituto de Antropología e Historia, and Asociación Tikal). XXV (2011):1061–1073. . *Looper, Matthew (2003) ''Lightning Warrior: Maya Art and Kingship at Quirigua'' (Austin, Texas, US: University of Texas Press). . *Pallán Gayol, Carlos (2008)
The Many Faces of Chaahk: Exploring the Role of a Complex and Fluid Entity within Myth, Religion and Politics
Academia.edu. *Stuart, David (6 March 2013)
Leaf Glyphs: Spellings with yo and YOP
'. Maya Decipherment: Ideas on Ancient Maya Writing and Iconography (decipherment.wordpress.com). Austin, Texas, US: University of Texas. Retrieved on 18 March 2016.

Etymology

Iconography

Notes

References

Further reading