GOD D: ITZAMNÁ

Although no single god was worshiped as the supreme deity everywhere in the Maya region throughout the preconquest periods, one god was clearly described as the preeminent deity in the colonial accounts of the Yucatán. This ancient creator god was known as Itzamná, meaning “reptile house” in Yucatec Mayan. Identified by Schellhas as God D, Itzamná is depicted in the codices as an old man whose wrinkled visage is characterized by a toothless lower jaw, sunken cheeks, and a Roman nose. A beaded disk is often depicted upon the brow of Itzamná and is incorporated in the name glyph that identifies him. This disk, which is sometimes inscribed with an akbal sign, denoting darkness or blackness, may represent the polished black surface of an obsidian mirror. The polished black surfaces of such mirrors were important devices that allowed shamans to see past and future events. As an attribute of Itzamná, the obsidian mirror suggests an important function of the god.