"Ixchel"
Dresden Codex
16th Century C.E.
The December 2024 Art In Medicine topic is about the great Maya goddess, Ixchel.
Lucinda Bennett, the Medical Librarian at Ascension St Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, MD, publishes a regular series on Art in Medicine and The Health Humanities.
It's only 1-2 pages with gorgeous images, so it won't take you long to read
... and just might enrich your life.
Ixchel
“Overlooking a great cliff 70 feet above the Caribbean Sea on the
southernmost tip of Isla Mujeres sits a single temple dedicated to the
cult of the great Maya goddess Ixchel. During antiquity, the temple of
Ixchel would have likely been one of many dedicated to the goddess
on the island. But over the millennia, all others succumbed to the
arrival of Europeans, rampant overdevelopment, as well as over a
thousand years of tropical storms.
After Chichén Itzá, Isla Mujeres is thought to have been the
second-most important pilgrimage site in all of the Yucatán Peninsula.
Though Ixchel is one of the most recognizable deities in the Maya
pantheon, much mystery and confusion surrounds her role.” (Yucatan
Magazine)
Despite the relative geographic closeness of Central and South
America to our own country, the traditions and ancient religions of
those civilizations are far less familiar to us than the legends and
mythologies from across the Atlantic and into Europe. It is only in the
20th century that Western scholarship took the Mayan, Aztec, Inca
and Olmec cultures with a degree of academic seriousness. New
technology has enabled archaeologists to locate cities that would rival
any contemporary population center a continent away, and new
understanding of both language and culture sheds light on the manner
in which these peoples viewed the ties between health and faith. For
the Maya, the goddess Ixchel is a prime example.
“One of Mayan mythology’s most important deities is the moon
goddess Ixchel, or Ix Chel (pronounced Ishchel). Ixchel’s powers
include everything governed by the cycles of the moon — water, fertility, harvests, pregnancy — as well as love and sexuality. She is also the patroness of the arts, textiles, painting, medicine and healing. The Maya believe in the duality of the universe. Reflecting this duality, Ixchel is benevolent but can also be powerful and destructive. With her power, she can give life; but she can also take it away. She provides both rain for the
harvests and medicines for healing, but she is also destructive, sending floods, diseases and curses that can affect the
harvests and endanger people’s lives.” (Mexico News)
It is important to remember that what we know of the Mayan civilization comes from a blend of primary sources.
With their written language now deciphered, records can be checked against the writing of the invading forces of
Spain, but some context was still lost during the conquests of the 16th century. We know of Ixchel through translated
documents mapping out the creation story and tales of the Mayan gods, one being the Popol Vuh.
“Popol Vuh, Maya document, an invaluable source of knowledge of ancient Mayan mythology and culture. Written
in K’iche’ (a Mayan language) by a Mayan author or authors between 1554 and 1558, it uses the Latin alphabet with
Spanish orthography. It chronicles the creation of humankind, the actions of the gods, the origin and history of the
K’iche’ people, and the chronology of their kings down to 1550.
The original book was discovered at the beginning of the 18th century by Francisco Ximénez (Jiménez), parish
priest of Chichicastenango in highland Guatemala. He both copied the original K’iche’ text (now lost) and translated
it into Spanish. His work is now in the Newberry Library, Chicago.” (Encyclopedia Britannica)
From texts such as these, we know that the connection
between life and death, health and illness, were essentially
two sides of the same coin. To call on Ixchel as a woman
seeking a healthy pregnancy would also mean
acknowledgement of that same goddess possibly being the
one who brought a destructive natural disaster. Such was
the delicate balance of the world as seen by the Maya.
"Ixchel" Sculpture 20th Century C.E. Source: Mexico New Daily
Modern representations of the goddess, like the statue
pictured here, pull from the historic iconography found in
classical imagery. Snakes, rabbits, rainbows and the phases
of the moon are all associated with this deity who both
gives life and takes life away.
“She is also known as Ixchebelyax, Ix Hunic and Ix
Huinieta. Likewise, she is represented in different ways
when associated with the cycles of the moon. Ixchel could
give life to living beings and nature, she governed the birth of children and had the ability to heal. She is also known as a Goddess who punished and sent floods and storms that caused severe damage. In this destructive phase, she is illustrated with symbols of death and destruction around her, with a snake wrapped around her neck and head and adorned with human bones; her feet were made of menacing claws, and on her skirt she has bones that
formed crosses. In the hieroglyphic texts she is found with two different names, one of them is Chak Chel which is
translated to Spanish as Big Rainbow, and in the Mayan book Chilam Balam her name appears as Ix-Chel which
means Rainbow Woman…This goddess had the month of celebration of her thanks to her invocation of goddess of
medicine.” (Antigua Spanish Academy) The island where Ixchel’s temple is located happens to be near to a modern
theme park. In ancient times pilgrimages were enacted there regarding the health of women and their daughters.
Today, an article by Mexico News reports that starting in 2018 a contemporary festival enacts this tradition,
showcasing the importance of a deity associated with well-being dating back centuries.
“Due to the importance of Ixchel to the Maya — especially to women — the Pueblo del MaÃz theme park has
organized a festival to celebrate the goddess since 2018. There is also a celebration on the island of Cozumel.
The Walk to Ixchel is held each year on the full moon in June, and consists of a 7-km walk across the island, ending
at the effigy of Ixchel, where they leave offerings and sing and dance to the goddess.”
References:
Yucatan Magazine
Mexico News Daily
Encyclopedia Britannica
Antiguena Spanish Academy
Reprinted with the generous permission of Ms. Bennett.
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