HANNAH GLeGHoRN/SHuTTeRSToCk.CoM
The RemaRkable maya The Maya fashioned one of the most advanced cultures of the Western Hemisphere during the period a .d. 200 to 900. They flourished throughout the Yucatán Peninsula in southeastern Mexico — including today’s Cozumel island — erecting huge, imposing pyramids and temples, creating striking stone sculptures, and achieving a remarkable proficiency in mathematics and astronomy before mysteriously falling into decline. The Maya believed Cozumel to be sacred. A shrine to Ixchel, a moon goddess, invited visitation at least once in a lifetime. She could be a rather testy old crone and was often depicted with crossbones and a serpent. When feeling particularly nasty, Ixchel unleashed calamitous rainstorms and floods on the earth from a large water jug. No wonder common
folk
were
eager to appease the goddess by visiting her shrine. But she also had a bright side — they called her Lady Rainbow — and was worshiped as the protector of weavers and also of women in childbirth. Ixchel’s mate was Itzamná, a mellow moon god who balanced out his spouse’s temper tantrums. —R. N.
TOP: Mayan calendar. ABOVE: Mayan goddess Ixchel as depicted in the Dresden Codex and in Mayan hieroglyphic script. fun AshOrE carnival cruise lines
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