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Mythos Atlas

Mesoamerican Pantheon

Itzamna

Also known as Itzam Na, God D, Zamna

Illustration of Itzamna, a deity of the Mesoamerican Pantheon
Illustrative imageIllustration of Itzamna. Generated with an AI image model; not a historical artifact. About our images
  • creation
  • sky
  • writing
  • healing
  • agriculture

The supreme creator god of the Maya, lord of the heavens and inventor of writing, calendars, and agriculture. Depicted as a wise, aged figure, Itzamna represents cosmic order and benevolent rulership.

About Itzamna

The Supreme Sky Lord

Itzamna stands at the apex of the Maya pantheon as the lord of the heavens and the supreme creator deity. His name may derive from itz (dew or sap, associated with divine essence) and amna (house), making him "Lord of the Celestial House."

Father of Gods and Civilization

Itzamna is credited with inventing writing, the calendar, medicine, and agriculture. He is depicted as a wise, elderly man with a prominent Roman nose, sunken cheeks, and a single tooth.

The Celestial Caiman

In some traditions, Itzamna takes the form of a great cosmic caiman whose body forms the earth and sky. The stars move across his back, and his jaws represent the eastern and western horizons.

Itzamna and Ix Chel

Itzamna's consort is Ix Chel, the moon goddess. Together they represent the complementary forces of sky and earth, day and night, masculine and feminine.

Origin story

Itzamna emerged in the primordial time before the current creation. He established cosmic order, separating sky from earth, setting the sun and moon on their courses, and teaching humanity the arts of civilization.

Across traditions

Parallel figures

Figures who play a role like Itzamna's in other traditions.

Worship and cult

Temples, festivals, and practices recorded for Itzamna

Old man, creator, and inventor of writing. Priestly more than popular. Codices and inscriptions keep him. Cult is the calendar and the incense of the court, not a single surviving pilgrim road.

Sacred sites

  • Maya temple-pyramids where the creator-priest god is named in inscriptions
  • Writing-houses; he is a patron of scribes

Festivals

  • New-year and calendar rites in the Maya cycle

Family

with
Ix Chel
Itzamna
Questions about Itzamna's family
Who were Itzamna's spouses and consorts?
Spouses and consorts of Itzamna recorded in the atlas: Ix Chel.

Sources and further reading

Source notes

These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.

  • Diego de Landa, Relacion de las cosas de Yucatan

    Catalog date: c. 1566 CE

Appears in

Ancient and classical works featuring this figure.

  • Popol VuhAnonymous K'iche' Maya

    Primordial sky deity representing celestial wisdom and priestly authority (Part I)

About this entry

By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. . Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.

Parallels are editorial comparisons across traditions: a shared role does not, by itself, establish a shared origin.

Family relationships come from the atlas's kinship records. Ancient sources often disagree on divine genealogy.

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Genealogy

Family tree

Itzamna's parents, consorts, children and rivals, as recorded in the atlas.

Open the full tree