Camazotz is the bat god of death in the Mayan pantheon. He has the head and face of a bat and the body of a man. His name literally means bat death, kame meaning bath zotz meaning death. There for he is the bat god of death. He is also the god of night and sacrifice. Camazotz is often depicted with a sacrificial knife in one hand and a human heart in another.
Camazotz beheaded one of the Mayan Hero Twins Hunahpu and Zbalanque. They were challenged to go into the underworld, Xibalba. Xibabla is filled with bat. When they entered the cave, the bats went nuts. The twins decided to hide in their blow gun. Eventually the bats quieted and everything went quiet. Hunahpu stuck his head out to see if the dawn had come and Camazotz decapitated him. His head was to be used as the ball in the God’s next ball game.
Another tale of Camazotz tells of Camazotz helping humankind. Humans wanted fire. They wanted bad. Camazotz acts as messanger between humans and Lord Tohil. He is the patron God of the K’iche’. To gain access to fire, we offered out armpits and waists where humans were opened during a sacrifice.
Unfortunately much of the Mayan beliefs are incomplete so what I can tall you about Camazotz is limited. My knowledge is more toward Celtic and Norse Goddesses and Gods. They are very interesting. What God should I do next? Let me know in the comments below. Til next week…
