The Life Cycle

Immediately after birth, Yucatec mothers washed their infants and then fastened them to a cradle, their little heads compressed between two boards in such a way that after two days a permanent fore-and-aft flattening had taken place, which the Maya considered a mark of beauty. As soon as possible, the anxious parents went to consult with a priest so as to learn the destiny of their offspring and the name that the child was to bear until baptism.

The Spanish Fathers were quite astounded that the Maya had a baptismal rite, which took place at an auspicious time when there were a number of children between the ages of three and twelve in the settlement. The ceremony took place in the house of a town elder, in the presence of their parents who had observed various abstinences in honor to the occasion. The children and their fathers remained inside a cord held by four old and venerable men representing the Rain God, while the priest performed various acts of purification and blessed the candidates with incense, tobacco, and holy water. From that time on the older girls, at least, were considered marriageable. A part of such rituals is the héets meek, a ceremony in which babies are placed on the hip, soon ready for walking.