The Maya believed that we live in universe number four. The last universe before us was populated by wooden men, and it was taken over by a giant raven who landed on the big tree at the centre of the universe, and ruled over it. Finally the Hero Twins used a blowgun to shoot the raven off the tree and that was how the universe came to an end, and a new one (ours) started.
They believed the ancient stories of the gods are all displayed as stars in the night sky, they connect the dots and discover stories of the past universes. The drawings on their pots and temples are actual depictions of stellar formations, with accurate positions of the stars and very imaginative stories built around them. The date of the start of our universe is listed on a drawing of the Hero Twins blowing bullets at the giant raven. Today we know that at that date, there REALLY was a meteor shower over the night sky, right at the point where the blowgun is drawn.
The Maya also believed in an omnipotent creature that created everything good in the universe, but none of the bad stuff. They also believe in an evil creature (surprise surprise) that took some of the good creations and turned them into bad things. Took some rabbits and made rats out of them, took some birds and made bats etc. They believed that the universe was a giant platform, and we happen to live on the upper side of it. On the underside there is a whole other world (the underworld) with people living upside down. The underworld is ruled by the bad creature and all his bad creations live there (upside down). From time to time bad creatures burrow into the ground and emerge into our world, but they are disoriented because everything is upside down. That’s why bats in our world stand upside down, to them it feels upright!
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