| rdfs:comment | - Jacawitz (also spelt Jakawitz, Jakawits, Q'aq'awits and Hacavitz) was a mountain god of the Postclassic K'iche' Maya of highland Guatemala. He was the patron of the Ajaw K'iche' lineage and was a companion of the sun god Tohil. It is likely that he received human sacrifice. The word jacawitz means "mountain" in the lowland Maya language, and the word q'aq'awitz of the highland Maya means "fire mountain", which suggests that Jacawitz was mainly a fire deity, much like Tohil. In the Mam language, the similar word xq'aqwitz means "yellow wasp" and the wasp was an important symbol of the deity and its associated lineage. In the Cholan languages, jacawitz means "first mountain.", linking the god with the first mountain of creation.
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| abstract | - Jacawitz (also spelt Jakawitz, Jakawits, Q'aq'awits and Hacavitz) was a mountain god of the Postclassic K'iche' Maya of highland Guatemala. He was the patron of the Ajaw K'iche' lineage and was a companion of the sun god Tohil. It is likely that he received human sacrifice. The word jacawitz means "mountain" in the lowland Maya language, and the word q'aq'awitz of the highland Maya means "fire mountain", which suggests that Jacawitz was mainly a fire deity, much like Tohil. In the Mam language, the similar word xq'aqwitz means "yellow wasp" and the wasp was an important symbol of the deity and its associated lineage. In the Cholan languages, jacawitz means "first mountain.", linking the god with the first mountain of creation. In the K'iche' epic Popol Vuh, the first people gathered at the mythical place Tollan to receive their gods, and Mahucutah, one of the gathered K'iche' lords, received Jacawitz. The mid-9th century Stela 8 at the Terminal Classic lowland Maya site of Seibal describes a visitor to the city named Hakawitzil. This is an early spelling of Jacawitz and Mayanists Linda Schele and Peter Mathews have proposed that the event depicted on this stela gave rise to the foundation legends of the K'iche'. As well as being mentioned frequently in the Popol Vuh, Jacawitz is also mentioned in the K'iche' document Título de los Señores de Totonicapán. Jacawitz was one of a triad of K'iche' deities, the other two being Tohil and the goddess Awilix, all three were sometimes collectively referred to as Tohil, the principal member of the triad. The concept of a trinity of deities was an ancient one in Maya culture, dating back to the Preclassic period.
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