Cizin

Cizin is a Maya god of death and earthquakes.^[1] He is the most important Maya death god in the Maya culture.^[6] Scholars call him God A.^[7]

Cizin
God of death
Other names	Kisin, Ah Puch, Xibalba,[1] Yum Cimil,[2] Hunhau,[3] Ah Puchah, Au Puch, Cum Hau, Eopuco, Hu Ahau, Tzontemoc,[4] Ahpuch, and Ahal Puch.[5]

To the Yucatán Mayas he was Hun-Came and Vucub-Came.^{[5][clarification needed]} He also has similarities to Mictlāntēcutli.^[8]

Name and etymology

The God Cizin goes by several names like Kisen, Yom Cimil,^[9] Kisin, Ah Puch, Xibalba,^[1][10] Yum Cimil,^[2] Hunhau,^[11] Ah Puchah, Au Puch, Cum Hau, Eopuco, Hu Ahau, Tzontemoc,^[12] Ahpuch, and Ahal Puch.^[5] He was sometimes called Kimi.^[13] Maya today call him Yum Cim or Yum Cimil.^[5]

The name Cizin probably means stench.^[14] Cizin comes from the root "ciz" which means flatulence.^[15] His name is said to mean Stinking One.^{[1][clarification needed]}

Yum Cimil means lord of death while Hun Ahau means one ruler.^[16] Ah Puch means to melt.^[5]

Mythology

He is considered the brother of Nohochacyum^[17] and Bacabs.^[18]

According to Lacandon myth when a person dies Cizin burns the soul on his mouth and his anus. When the soul complains Cizin douses the soul in cold water, causing the soul to complain more leading Cizin to burn them until the soul disintegrates into nothing.^[19][8] Then, it is believed the soul goes to the god Sucunyum, who spits in his hand to clean the soul, so the soul can go where it likes.^[19]

In popular culture

Xibalba is referenced in a scene from the movie The Road to El Dorado when the chief and high priest ask the protagonists to make a sacrifice to Xibalba. Later Conquistador Hernan Cortes is mistaken for the deity by the exiled high priest.

Cizin makes an appearance as a playable god in the 2014 free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena video game Smite as part of the Maya pantheon by the name Ah Puch.^[20]

The 2013 game "9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek" features Cizin as part of its supernatural mystery plot.

Xibalba appears in the film, The Book of Life (2014 film), voiced by Ron Perlman.

Ah-Puch is the main antagonist in the 2018 novel The Storm Runner by J. C. Cervantes, but a supporting protagonist in the sequels.

The 2021 animated mini-series Maya and the Three features Ah Puch as a supporting character, voiced by Rita Moreno.

References

1. "Cizin | Maya god". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
2. Read, Kay Almere; Gonzalez, Jason J. (2002-06-13). Mesoamerican Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs of Mexico and Central America. OUP USA. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-19-514909-8.
3. Quick, P. S. (2015-11-17). All About: Mysterious Maya. Andrews UK Limited. ISBN 978-1-78538-320-5.
4. Abel, Ernest L. (2009-03-20). Death Gods: An Encyclopedia of the Rulers, Evil Spirits, and Geographies of the Dead. ABC-CLIO. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-313-35713-8.
5. Bingham, Ann; Roberts, Jeremy (2010). South and Meso-American Mythology A to Z. Infobase Publishing. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-4381-2958-7.
6. Jordan, Michael (2014-05-14). Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses. Infobase Publishing. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-4381-0985-5.
7. Witschey, Walter Robert Thurmond; Brown, Clifford T. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Mesoamerica. Scarecrow Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-8108-7167-0.
8. Read, Kay Almere; Gonzalez, Jason J. (2002-06-13). Mesoamerican Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs of Mexico and Central America. OUP USA. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-19-514909-8.
9. "The Mayan Pantheon: The Many Gods of the Maya". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
10. Willey, Gordon R. (1965-01-01). Handbook of Middle American Indians, Volumes 2 and 3: Archaeology of Southern Mesoamerica. University of Texas Press. p. 674. ISBN 978-1-4773-0655-0.
11. Quick, P. S. (2015-11-17). All About: Mysterious Maya. Andrews UK Limited. ISBN 978-1-78538-320-5.
12. Abel, Ernest L. (2009-03-20). Death Gods: An Encyclopedia of the Rulers, Evil Spirits, and Geographies of the Dead. ABC-CLIO. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-313-35713-8.
13. Mahoney, Emily (2017-12-15). The Mysterious Maya Civilization. Greenhaven Publishing LLC. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-5345-6185-4.
14. Kampen, Michael Edwin (1981). The Religion of the Maya. BRILL. p. 7. ISBN 978-90-04-06400-3.
15. Taube, Karl A.; Taube, Professor of Anthropology Karl A. (1992). The Major Gods of Ancient Yucatan. Dumbarton Oaks. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-88402-204-6.
16. Faiella, Graham (2005). Mesoamerican Mythology. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-4042-0772-1.
17. "The Mayan Pantheon: The Many Gods of the Maya". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
18. Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (2013-07-04). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. Routledge. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-135-96390-3.
19. Thompson, John Eric Sidney (1990). Maya History and Religion. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 303. ISBN 978-0-8061-2247-2.
20. "Ah Puch | Horrific God of Decay". www.smitegame.com. Retrieved 2021-09-11.