However, unlike the Western concept of hell, the Maya underworld is also a symbol of being a primordial source – the roots of the World Tree grow from the underworld. The underworld had nine gradually descending levels occupied and presided over by various Lords of Death. The Roots of a Ceiba Tree at Copán, Honduras, Central America. Maya ancestors could use the same route back along the roots of the World Tree to visit the living on special occasions, since the roots are portals from – and to – the underworld. All souls would have to make this journey, except for children who died in infancy and adults who unexpectedly experienced sudden or violent deaths. This process, according to mythology, was unavoidable. Here, they would be challenged and tested for some time before they could reach a place of eternal rest in the afterlife (although some would have to remain behind for an eternity). All souls come from one of the four cardinal directions, defining not only their characteristics and personality traits, but also their general destiny.Īfter death, souls would journey along the roots of the World Tree to the Maya underworld, known as Xibalba, a place of fear, decay and disease. The physical bodies that human souls reside in allow them to pass through this life here on earth. This is symbolised by the white flowers of the majestic Ceiba tree still found in Central America today. The World Tree allowed human souls to come to be. It is the original source – the Tree of Life. In Maya mythology, everything originally sprouted and emanated from the World Tree. When viewed from above, this ancient pattern – known as a quincunx – forms a cross that has four directional points and a centre point.

The trunk is situated in the centre and has the colour green, or blue-green. Each direction has a colour – east is red, west is black, north is white and south is yellow. It has its roots embedded deep in the underworld, with its trunk straight and sturdy in the earthly realm and its branches high up in the heavens diverging into the four cardinal directions. In Mesoamerican theology, the sacred World Tree stands in the centre of the world, vertically connecting three horizontal levels – namely, the heavens above, the earth in the middle and the underworld below. A Ceiba Tree at Tikal in Petén Department, Guatemala.

Mayan tree of life symbol