| This article is part ofa series on the |
| Maya civilization |
|---|
 |
| History |
| Spanish conquest of the Maya |
Jacawitz ([χäkäˈwits]) (also speltJakawitz,Jakawits,Qʼaqʼawits andHacavitz) was a mountaingod of thePostclassicKʼicheʼMaya of highlandGuatemala.[1] He was the patron of the Ajaw Kʼicheʼ lineage and was a companion of the sun godTohil.[2] It is likely that he receivedhuman sacrifice.[3] The wordjacawitz means "mountain" in the lowlandMaya language, and the wordqʼaqʼawitz of the highland Maya means "fire mountain", which suggests that Jacawitz was mainly a fire deity, much like Tohil. In theMam language, the similar wordxqʼaqwitz means "yellow wasp" and the wasp was an important symbol of the deity and its associated lineage.[4] In theCholan languages,jacawitz means "first mountain", linking the god with the first mountain of creation.[5]
In the Kʼicheʼ epicPopul Vuh, the first people gathered at the mythical placeTollan to receive their gods, and Mahucutah, one of the gathered Kʼicheʼ lords, received Jacawitz.[6] The mid-9th century Stela 8 at theTerminal Classic lowland Maya site ofSeibal describes a visitor to the city named Hakawitzil. This is an early spelling of Jacawitz andMayanistsLinda Schele and Peter Mathews have proposed that the event depicted on this stela gave rise to thefoundation legends of the Kʼicheʼ.[7] As well as being mentioned frequently in the Popul Vuh, Jacawitz is also mentioned in the Kʼicheʼ documentTítulo de los Señores de Totonicapán.[8]
Jacawitz was one of a triad of Kʼicheʼ deities, the other two being Tohil and the goddessAwilix, all three were sometimes collectively referred to as Tohil, the principal member of the triad.[9] The concept of a trinity of deities was an ancient one in Maya culture, dating back to thePreclassic period.[10]
The Ahaw Kʼicheʼ were the founding lineage of the Kʼicheʼ Maya, although they later lost power to the Kaweq lineage; as they lost status within the kingdom, so did their patron god.[11] The temple of Jacawitz at the Kʼicheʼ capital ofQʼumarkaj was one of the three tallest buildings in the city, although it faced away from the main plaza.[12] The temple is a large mound south of the plaza, its stonework has been stripped away making its original form uncertain, although a 19th-century plan of the city recorded it as apyramid.[13] This pyramid temple was part of a complex that consisted of a patio enclosed by the temple on the northern side, a palace on the south side and a long building on the east.[14] The Jakawitz temple complex has not yet been investigated archaeologically.[15] The 19th century drawings by Miguel Rivera y Maestre suggest that the temple was a narrow building with four or five terraces.[16]
