Oxlahuntiku- Maya GroupCollective"Lords of the Heavens"
Also known as: Oxlahun Ti Ku
Titles & Epithets
Domains
Description
Thirteen gods ruling thirteen levels of heaven, from the paths of the moon and stars to the supreme domain of Itzamna at the apex. The Books of Chilam Balam tell how the Bolontiku rose from below to overthrow them at the end of each world age, seizing their insignia before creation could begin again.
Mythology & Lore
The Thirteen Above
The Oxlahuntiku, "Thirteen Gods" in Yucatec Maya, preside over the thirteen levels of the heavens. Nine Bolontiku below, thirteen Oxlahuntiku above, the human world balanced between them. Itzamna, the supreme sky deity, rules from the highest celestial level. Below him, the other twelve lords occupy their respective tiers, governing the movements of celestial bodies and the cycles of light and rain. The four Bacabs support this architecture from below, holding up the sky at the cardinal directions, while the great ceiba world tree at the center connects all thirteen levels to the earth.
Each of the Thirteen Lords also governed a day in the sacred calendar, cycling through a thirteen-day sequence that interlocked with the Bolontiku's nine-night cycle. Priests read the overlapping patterns to determine when to plant, when to fight, and when to stay indoors.
The War of the World Ages
The Books of Chilam Balam preserve a tradition of cataclysmic conflict at the transition between world ages. The nine Bolontiku rise from the underworld to overthrow the thirteen Oxlahuntiku. They seize the insignia of the celestial gods and strip them of their power. The existing cosmic order shatters.
This overthrow is not a permanent defeat. Creation proceeds through successive ages, each ending in destruction before renewal. The Oxlahuntiku fall, the world is destroyed, and then a new creation restores order. The heavenly lords resume their celestial thrones, the sky is raised again, and the Bolontiku sink back below. Until the next age ends.