Kinich Ahau (deity)

Symbols:Kin, the Maya glyph for sun

Culture: Maya

Kinich Ahau was the Mayan sun god. He traveled across the sky during the day and became a jaguar at night as he traveled through the underworld. He also represented the right of leaders to rule.

Kinich Ahau means "sun-faced lord." Other names for Kinich Ahau include Kinich Ajaw, Ahau Kin, Ah Kin, Ah Kinchil, God G, and Giii. Another possible name was Kinich Ahau Itzamna, but this may have been a separate god. Some also connect him with Kinich-Kakmo, the firebird. The sun was said to become a firebird so that it might descend to earth and consume offerings. Various sources say that Kinich-Kakmo was a macaw.

The Maya believed that numbers also represented gods. The number four was the number assigned to Kinich Ahau.

Kinich Ahau was usually depicted with square eyes and a prominent nose. Sometimes he had a beard shaped like the rays of the sun. He often had a squared-off upper tooth. Kin was the Mayan glyph, or engraved symbol, for the sun. It usually was found somewhere in his portrayal.

In Mythology

Kinich Ahau was a Mesoamerican, specifically Mayan, sun god. He was often associated with the principal Mayan god, Itzamna. Itzamna was the ruler of the heavens and Kinich Ahau was believed to be the Itzamna of the daytime. Mayans believed the sun was the entrance to heaven. The Maya also recognized the importance of the sun as the source of light, heat, and food.

After the sun set, Kinich Ahau was said to become a jaguar that traveled through, or perhaps ruled, the underworld. Sometimes Kinich Ahau was also known as the Jaguar God of the Underworld. He was also called the Night Sun. The jaguar was the most powerful wildcat known to the Mayan people.

Ix Chel, the Mayan moon goddess, was married to Kinich Ahau. Alternatively, some sources say she was married to Itzamna. She was a mother goddess and a goddess of childbirth and healing. She could also bring nourishing rain, or devastating floods. She was sometimes a warrior goddess.

One myth says that the sun and the moon lived on Earth as husband and wife. They were happy together until they moved to the sky and the sun thought the moon was unfaithful. Another version says they were arguing about something else. The sun poked out one of the moon’s eyes so she would be less attractive. An eclipse is a sign that the two are still arguing.

As the sun god, Kinich Ahau was a god of great power and he was the god of warriors and rulers. Rulers were the link between the people and the gods. Leaders of the Maya were believed to be Kinich Ahau’s descendants and some rulers claimed to be earthly manifestations of the god and asserted that his powers were their own.

Before the Mayan glyphs were translated, the names of the gods were completely unknown to scholars. It was decided to simply use an alphabetical system to refer to the gods. Itzamna was God D and Kinich Ahau was God G. A breakthrough in the translation of the glyphs began in the 1950s, and translation continued through the 1980s. However, the meaning of some glyphs is still unknown.

The ancient Mayan city of Palenque worshipped three important gods known as the Palenque Triad. Scholars cannot be sure of the names of these three gods, so they are usually designated with Roman numerals. The most important god was God i, the second most important was God ii, and the last in importance was God iii. Different names have been assigned to the three gods. However, God iii, or Giii, is generally believed to have been Kinich Ahau. He, like the other two gods, was said to have been born in 2360 BCE. Giii was a sun god and a warrior. Each of the three gods had a separate temple. Giii’s temple was known as the Temple of the Sun.

Kinich Ahau was the god of the number four. This may have symbolized the four positions on the horizon of the rising and setting sun at the time of the solstices. The summer and winter solstices are the times when the sun reaches its furthest point from the equator. The number four was also seen in kin, the Maya glyph for sun. It was called a "four-petaled" glyph.

The gods were also linked to cardinal directions. Kinich Ahau was typically associated with east and west, the positions of the rising and setting sun. Sometimes he was identified with the position of the sun at noon, or north.

Origins & Cults

Kinich Ahau was especially worshipped by the Yucatan Maya. Temples, offerings and prayers were dedicated to Kinich Ahau. Ceremonies also included war dances. Rulers gave blood to the gods but it is not known how much blood was sacrificed.

God iii of the Palenque Triad was believed to be Kinich Ahau. Every twenty years a special celebration was held in Palenque. The king dressed the three gods in special clothing and gave them offerings.

Kinich Ahau was depicted in both sculpture and pottery. Masks of Kinich Ahau often decorated pyramids. The masks were usually made of stucco. He was typically seen as a middle-aged man; however, he was also represented in jaguar form.

A carved jade head of Kinich Ahau was discovered in Belize in 1968. It was found in a tomb within a pyramid. Jade was highly valued by the Maya. The head weighs almost ten pounds and is about six inches high. It was carved with stone tools, probably around 600 CE. It is considered to be a great treasure and symbol of Belize. It is reproduced on all Belize currency.

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