Awilix (Mayan pronunciation:[äwiˈliʃ]) (also spelledAhuilix,Auilix andAvilix) was agoddess (or possibly agod) of thePostclassicKʼicheʼMaya, who had a largekingdom in thehighlands ofGuatemala.[1] She was the patrondeity of the Nijaʼibʼ noble lineage at the Kʼicheʼ capitalQʼumarkaj, with alarge temple in the city. Awilix was aMoon goddess and a goddess of night,[2] although some studies refer to the deity as male.[3] Awilix was probably derived from theClassic period lowlandMaya moon goddess or fromCʼabawil Ix, the Moon goddess of theChontal Maya.[4]
Awilix was thegoddess of the moon, the queen of the night.[5] She was associated with theUnderworld, sickness and death and was a patron of theMesoamerican ballgame.[6] Her calendrical day was probablyik (moon) in the20-day cycle of theMaya calendar.[7]
The eagle was the totem animal of the Nijaʼibʼ, and it is presumed that the bird was associated with the lunar aspect of the goddess, with thejaguar associated with her night aspect.[8] Awilix was one of the three principal deities of the Kʼicheʼ, together withTohil andJacawitz, and the trinity of gods was sometimes referred to collectively as Tohil, the most important of the three.[9] Alternate origins have been suggested for the origin of the name of the goddess, it has been suggested that "awilix" derives fromkwilix orwilix in theQʼeqchiʼ Maya language, which means "swallow" (the bird). It has also been suggested that the Nijaʼibʼ migrated from the area around thePico de Orizaba mountain in centralMexico. This area was formerly known as Awilizapan in theNahuatl language of theAztecs, and it may be that the Nijaʼibʼ derived the name of their goddess from their place of origin.[10]
Awilix is mentioned throughout the Kʼicheʼ epicPopul Vuh and is also mentioned in the important Kʼicheʼ document known as theTítulo de los Señores de Totonicapán.[11] Ixbalanque, one of theMaya Hero Twins of the Popul Vuh, was theincarnation of Awilix.[12]
In Qʼumarkaj the temple of Awilix faced the temple of Tohil across a small plaza. It was on the east side of the plaza with a stairway giving access from the west.[13] Investigations at the temple have revealed that eagle imagery was predominant.[14] The high priest of Awilix was chosen from the Nijaʼibʼ lineage and was called theAjaw Awilix.[15]
According to a drawing made by Rivera y Maestre in the early 19th century, the temple of Awilix was not as tall as the temple of Tohil.[16] This structure was apparently the second most important temple in Qʼumarkaj.[17] Originally this temple was formed of a large rectangular platform supporting a smaller platform and a temple structure on the east side.[18] A wide stairway climbed the west side of the temple, it was flanked on the lower level by two largetalud-tablero panels.[19] The exterior stonework of the building has been completely stripped away.[20] There were four principal phases of construction and there is evidence that the temple had been repaired various times prior to theSpanish conquest.[21] The floor under the third phase of construction had been painted dark green.[22] Archaeological investigations found fragments of incense burners underneath the first building phase.[23]
The temple is similar in form to a temple mound on the west side of the first plaza inIximche, the postclassic capital of theKaqchikel Maya.[24]
Structure 4 atZaculeu, the capital of theMam Maya, is a temple-palace combination situated on the southeast side of one of the main plazas and was likely to have been a temple of Awilix.[25] This temple-palace is Kʼicheʼ in style and has been identified with the Nijaʼibʼ lineage of the Kʼicheʼ, being very similar to the Temple of Awilix at Qʼumarkaj.[26] The structure consists of a central pyramidal base flanked by two attached range structures. The pyramidal base is topped by a shrine containing three rooms, the final room of the three is circular. The temple has three steep stairways flanked bybalustrades. The main stairway ascends directly from the plaza, those on either side areperpendicular to the main stairway. The balustrade of each stairway terminates at the top in a vertical panel. The temple facade is in good condition although the roof of the temple is missing. The range structures are unequal in size and each contains a single long room atop a low platform. The facade of each of these rooms once possessed a row of columns although only stumps remain in situ.[27]
The modern descendants of the Nijaʼibʼ inMomostenango revere rivalsyncretised forms of the goddess, who are said to be the lovers of the town's patron saint Santiago (St. James).[28]
Awilix is featured as an assassin of the Maya pantheon inSmite. She is one of multiple Maya goddesses in the game.
