CODICES MAYAS

Codices Mayas Fashion with cause

By Verónica Guerra de Alberti

Sacred Time in the Mayan Tradition

For the Mayan people, time is not just measured — it is lived. August and September are months filled with symbolism, where the connection to nature, the gods, and agricultural cycles is expressed through ancestral ceremonies that remain alive to this day.

One of the most significant in Yucatán is the Ch’a Cháak, a ritual to ask for rain. In this ceremony, entire communities — led by a jmeen, or Mayan priest — gather under sacred thatched shelters to offer food, atole, tamales, and prayers to Chaak, the god of rain. Children sing traditional chants to call upon the rain, in a moving act of faith and tradition that seeks to bless the crops and restore balance with the Earth.

In other regions of the Mayan world, such as Guatemala and Chiapas, August may mark the end of the sacred Chol Q’ij calendar. This gives way to the Wayeb’, a five-day period known as the “nameless days,” dedicated to reflection, purification, and spiritual rest. No major decisions are made during this time. Ceremonial fires are lit to cleanse the energy and prepare for the new cycle.

That new cycle begins with Wajxaqib’ B’atz’ (8 B’atz’), the Mayan Spiritual New Year, usually celebrated in August or September. It is a day of great symbolic power, representing the thread of time, creativity, family, and the continuity of the people. Spiritual guides lead ceremonies with fire, copal, and prayers, asking for wisdom, harmony, and protection for their communities.

Finally, the autumn equinox, around September 22, symbolizes balance between light and darkness. At archaeological sites like Chichén Itzá, sunlight creates unique visual phenomena, reflecting the astronomical precision of this ancient civilization.

These ceremonies are not relics of the past. They are living traditions, celebrated with pride, and they invite us to reconnect with the Earth, time, and the sacred.