The aged Maya creator known to scholars as God D, who taught writing, the calendar, and cacao, then was erased by the script of his Spanish conquerors.
Born
100 BCE
Died
1600 CE
Lived
1,700 years
Dead for
426 yrs
Cause of death
Conquest · Forgotten
Replaced by
Catholicism
The Obituary
Itzamna, the deity scholars label God D, was the supreme creator god of the Maya, lord of the heavens, day, and night, and patron of writing, medicine, and the priesthood. Tradition credited him with inventing the script, books, the calendar that ordered Maya life, and giving humanity cacao. He was usually shown as a benevolent toothless old man, though he could take the form of a celestial bird or a great cosmic reptile. His worship, central to Maya religion, was suppressed during the 16th–17th century Spanish conquest of Yucatan and replaced by Catholicism.
Worth remembering
He was said to have invented writing, books, and the calendar, and to be patron of learning and the priesthood.
Depicted as a benign toothless old man, he could also appear as a celestial bird or cosmic monster.
Gallery
Maya effigy of Itzamna seated on a turtle, Postclassic, MayapanCC0Carved limestone sculpture of the Maya god Itzamna, Late Classic, Museo AmparoSalvador alc · CC BY-SA 3.0
Sources
Itzamna was the Maya creator god, associated with writing and learning Wikipedia
He was credited with inventing writing and the calendar and was patron of priests Encyclopaedia Britannica
Itzamna was the supreme Maya deity, lord of the heavens, day, and night, credited with giving humanity the gift of writing, the calendar, and cacao; he was patron of healers and priests. World History Encyclopedia
A graveyard tradition: leave a stone to show you came, and remembered.
Buried nearby — by shared fate or a neighbouring lifespan.
