| Object Name: | Drawing of Ix Chel and Itzamna from Dresden Codex |
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|---|---|---|
| Creation Date: | 1500 AD | |
| Culture: | Post-Classic Maya | |
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| Left: Ix Chel Right: Itzamna Ix Chel, a Rainbow Deity is also called Goddess I. She is often associated with serpents and destruction, perhaps because of her association with the black war deity. But her identification as Ix Chel, "She of the Rainbow," implies the more benevolent side: healing, childbirth, and divination. Itzamna, her consort and a reptilian deity (also called God D) was the all-pervasive reptilian deity of the ancient Maya. In perhaps its most fundamental aspect, Itzamna was Hunab Ku, the creator of the universe. He is represented as an old man with toothless jaws and sunken cheeks. Itzamna was considered lord of the heavens, and lord of day and night. He is credited with inventing books and writing. | ||
