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Only three complete Maya texts have survived through the years. The majority of their books were burned by Europeans during their conquest of Mesoamerica. Available knowledge of Maya mythology, as such, is rather limited.
Some gods had different aspects based on four directions. There were thirteen gods of thirteen heavens and nine gods of nine underworlds. Natural elements, stars and planets, numbers, crops, days of the calendar and periods of time all had their own gods.
The Quiché Maya creation story is the Popol Vuh. This has the world created from nothing by the will of the Maya pantheon of gods. Man was made unsuccessfully out of mud and then wood before being made out of maize and being assigned tasks which praised the gods — silversmith, gem cutter, stone carver, potter, etc. Some argue this story adds credence to the belief that the Maya did not believe in art per se; all of their works were for the exaultation of the gods.
After the creation story, the Popol Vuh tells of the adventures of the legendary hero twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, in defeating the lords of Xibalba, the underworld. These two are focal points of Maya mythology and often found depicted in Maya art.
In Maya mythology, Tepeu and Gucumatz (The Maya'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 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, along with animals. Man is created first of mud but falls apart. Other gods are summoned and man is next created of wood but has no soul. Finally man is formed of maizeMaize Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Poales Family: Poaceae Genus Zea Species Zea diploperennis ''Zea luxurians ''Zea mays ssp. huehuetenangensis ''Zea mays ssp. mays ''Zea mays ssp. mexicana '' by even more gods and their work is complete.