Mayan rain god
QUESTION: Mayan rain god - Is the ancient Mayan rain god, Chac, still worshipped?ANSWER:Chac was a frog-like creature with protruding fangs, large round eyes, and a proboscis-like nose. He appeared as four gods, associating with the points on the compass. In addition to rain, Chac ruled over agriculture, fertility, thunder, and lightning. As a benevolent god, he chose to respond to the Mayas’ strict observance of fasting and sexual abstinence.
For a sense of the context of his importance, note that the Yucatan is a water-poor region: the soil does not hold rain well, and rain patterns are often unpredictable to begin with. During a serious drought in 1975, men gathered to speak to the rain god and plan a
Chacchaak ceremony to ask for his favors.
“The men poured some of the blessed water into a bucket of more water, mixed it with ground corn, and passed gourds of the drink to all of us. ‘What is it?’ asked David.
‘Zacá, a holy drink -- a sacred drink for Chaac’ . . . the ceremony continued. As the priest prayed in Maya, young boys sat beneath the altar imitating frogs, ‘Woh, woh, rana, rana.’”
11 Stuart, George E. and Gene S. Stuart. The Mysterious Maya. Washington, D.C., 1977. pp. 147-148, 173.
