Blood-letting, offerings of various objects, and other rituals defined the life of the ancient Maya people, who worked to satisfy a reciprocal relationship with their gods.
Whether it was human sacrifice, treasure tossed into sacred sinkholes, or rituals surrounding resource extraction from the land, the ancient Maya had a rich worldview that involved a close reciprocal relationship with their gods.
There isn’t a ton of material evidence for this, as the Maya would often collect the blood on paper or cloth and then burn it—as a result, not much survives today in the archaeological record. While this was done for the gods, Reese-Taylor says that people would also let blood to dedicate to their ancestors.
People would make small offerings to dedicate newly built homes or other buildings in an effort to bring good will. “Lots of things can be ensouled by making offerings—this includes buildings, which is why a lot of buildings, from ordinary houses, to temples, to ball courts, have offerings that help to ensoul them,” Paris says.
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