In the Late Post-Classic
Maya mythology of the
Popol Vuh
''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people of Guatemala, one of the Maya peoples who also inhabit the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, ...
, Camazotz ( from Mayan ) (alternate spellings Cama-Zotz, Sotz, Zotz) is a
bat spirit at the service of the lords of the underworld. Camazotz means "death bat" in the
Kʼicheʼ language. In
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...
generally, the bat is often associated with night, death, and sacrifice.
Etymology
Camazotz is formed from the
Kʼicheʼ words ''kame'', meaning "death", and ''sotz, meaning "bat".
Mythology
In the ''
Popol Vuh
''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people of Guatemala, one of the Maya peoples who also inhabit the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo, ...
'', Camazotz are the bat-like spirits encountered by the
Maya Hero Twins Hunahpu and Xbalanque during their trials in the underworld of
Xibalba. The twins had to spend the night in the House of Bats, where they squeezed themselves into their own
blowguns in order to defend themselves from the circling bats. Hunahpu stuck his head out of his blowgun to see if the sun had risen and Camazotz immediately snatched off his head and carried it to the
ballcourt to be hung up as the ball to be used by the gods in their next
ballgame.
Classic Period (200–900 CE)
In Classic Maya iconography, the
(leaf-nosed) bat, exhaling unhealthy vapours, is often depicted as a person's
nahual or
way-spirit bringing disease over an enemy. However, the Classic bat spirit is rarely, if ever, part of a narrative context, nor does it appear to play the role assigned to it by the Popol Vuh.
[Brady&Coltman 2016]
See also
*
Leutogimythological Polynesian bat goddess
* The
Minyadesthree sisters in Greek mythology who were turned into bats and owls
*
Nyctimene (mythology)
References
Bibliography
* Brady, James E., and Jeremy D. Coltman, "Bats and the Camazotz: Correcting a Century of Mistaken Identity". ''Latin-American Antiquity'' 27(2) 2016: 227–237. .
*
*
*
*
*
{{Maya
Bats in religion
Characters from the Popol Vuh
Death gods
Evil gods
Mythological mammals
Maya gods
Underworld gods