Editing Tohil

{{Short description|Deity}}
{{Maya civilization}}
'''Tohil''' ({{IPA|myn|toˈχil|IPA}}, also spelled '''Tojil''') is the Maya [[List of fire gods|god of fire]]. He is a [[deity]] of the [[Kʼicheʼ people|Kʼicheʼ]] [[Maya civilization|Maya]] in the [[Mesoamerican chronology|Late Postclassic]] period of [[Mesoamerica]].

At the time of the [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish Conquest]], Tohil was the patron god of the Kʼicheʼ.<ref>Miller & Taube 1993, 2003, p.170.</ref> He was included in the Tolteca pantheon that was influenced in the highlands Maya culture in the Postclassic Period. Tohil's principal function was that of a [[Fire worship|fire deity]] and he was also both a [[War deity| war god]], [[Solar deity|sun god]] and the god of rain.<ref>Christenson 2003, 2007, p.79.n.152. Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.718. Orellana 1981, p.160.</ref> Tohil was also associated with mountains and he was a god of [[Maya warfare|war]], [[Sacrifice in Maya culture|sacrifice]] and sustenance.<ref>Carmack 2001a, p.358. Carmack 2001b, p.124. Sachse & Christenson 2005, p.15.</ref> In the Kʼicheʼ epic [[Popul Vuh]], after the first people were created, they gathered at the [[Maya mythology|mythical]] [[Tōllān|Tollan]] or [[Tula (Mesoamerican site)|Tula]], the Place of the Seven Caves, to receive their [[Kʼicheʼ language|language]] and their [[List of Maya gods and supernatural beings|gods]]. The Kʼicheʼ, and others, there received Tohil.<ref>Read & González 2000, p.90.</ref> Tohil demanded blood sacrifice from the Kʼicheʼ and so they [[bloodletting in Mesoamerica|offered their own blood]] and also that of [[human sacrifice|sacrificed]]  captives taken in battle. In the Popul Vuh this consumption of blood by Tohil is likened to the [[suckling]] of an infant by its mother.<ref>Miller & Taube 1993, 2003, p.170.</ref>

Tohil was originally part of the Tolteca pantheon and was introduced in Postclassic Maya culture. He has been compared to the same god [[Qʼuqʼumatz]], and shared attributes of the [[Feathered Serpent (deity)|feathered serpent]] with that deity,<ref>Fox 1987, 2008, p.60.</ref> but they later diverged and each deity came to have a separate priesthood.<ref>Orellana 1981, p.159.</ref> Sculptures of a human face emerging between the jaws of a serpent were common from the end of the Classic Period through to the Late Postclassic and may represent Qʼuqʼumatz in the act of carrying [[Maya Hero Twins|Hunahpu]], the youthful avatar of the sun god Tohil, across the sky.<ref>Fox 1987, 2008, pp.60, 249.</ref> The god's association with [[Human sacrifice in Maya culture|human sacrifice]] meant that Tohil was one of the first deities that the [[Spanish people|Spanish]] clergy tried to eradicate after the [[Spanish conquest of Guatemala| conquest of Guatemala]].<ref>Orellana 1981, p.173.</ref>

Indeed, it's known that the Kaqchikel tribe was against the human sacrifice demanded by Tohil to bring them fire. For this reason they stole the fire from the deity — Kaqchikel means “fire thieves.” This is the principal cause of enmity between the K'iche and Kaqchikel peoples.

==Attributes==
There is disagreement over the meaning of the name of the deity. It has been interpreted as meaning "[[obsidian]]",<ref>Miller & Taube 1993, 2003, p.170.</ref> as deriving from the word ''toh'' ("rain")<ref>Recinos et al 1954, p.132.</ref> and as meaning "tribute" or "payment".<ref>Sachse & Christenson 2005, p.15.n.11.</ref> Tohil was one of a trinity of gods worshipped by the Kʼicheʼ elite, together with [[Awilix]] and [[Jacawitz]]. The concept of a triad of deities was ancient in [[Maya religion]], dating as far back as the [[Mesoamerican chronology|Late Preclassic]].<ref>Christenson 2003, 2007, p.61.n.65.</ref> The triad of Kʼicheʼ gods were sometimes referred to collectively as Tohil.<ref>Christenson 2003, 2007, p.228.n.646.</ref> Tohil has been equated with the [[Mesoamerican chronology|Classic Period]] [[God K]].<ref>Miller & Taube 1993, 2003, p.170.</ref> The deity also possesses attributes that suggest a link with [[Mixcoatl]], a hunting god of the [[Aztec gods|Aztecs]].<ref>Van Akkeren 1999, p.285.</ref>

Tohil was the patron deity of the Kaweq lineage of the Kʼicheʼ.<ref>Sharer & Traxler 2006, p.718.</ref> He was associated with a sacred deerskin bundle that was said to embody him, and one of his titles was ''Qajawal Kej'' ("Our Lord Deer").<ref>Christenson 2003, 2007, pp.220, 239.n.680. Sachse & Christenson 2005, p.15.</ref> The deity was associated with thunder, lightning and the sunrise.<ref>Fox 1989, p.660.</ref>

==Worship==
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| image1 = Catherwood - Santa Cruz del Quiche - Qumarkaj - Tohil Temple.jpg
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| caption1 = Drawing of the Temple of Tohil at the former Kʼicheʼ capital of [[Qʼumarkaj]], by Frederick Catherwood, published in 1841
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| caption2 = The ruins of the Temple of Tohil as they appeared in 2006.<ref>Miller & Taube 1993, 2003, p.170.</ref>
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The Kaweq lineage of the Kʼicheʼ built a temple to Tohil at their first capital Jacawitz, identified as the archaeological site of [[Chitinamit]]. Jacawitz was overlooked by a shrine to the god placed on a neighbouring peak, this shrine was known as Pa Tohil.<ref>Fox 1989, pp.663-664.</ref> Later the Kʼicheʼ built their main temple to Tohil at [[Qʼumarkaj]], their new capital. They made him offerings on the day ''Toh'', one of the days of their [[Tzolkʼin|20-day]] [[Maya calendar|calendar]] cycle.<ref>Miller & Taube 1993, 2003, p.170.</ref> The Kʼicheʼ performed the Great Dance of Tohil in honour of the deity in the month of ''Tzʼikin Qʼij'', prior to the [[maize]] harvest (which takes place in November).<ref>Christenson 2003, 2007, p.220.n.620.</ref> This dance took place at [[Qʼumarkaj]] and involved a gathering of all the principal lineages subject to the [[Kʼicheʼ Kingdom of Qʼumarkaj]], and as is described in the Kʼicheʼ chronicle ''[[Título de Totonicapán]]'',<ref>Christenson 2003, 2007, p.260.n.775.</ref> they were expected to bring tribute, slaves and sacrifices.<ref>Orellana 1981, p.160.</ref>

The [[Maya priesthood|priests]] of Tohil were known as ''Aj Tohil'' and were selected from the ruling Kaweq lineage of Qʼumarkaj. During their ceremonies to Tohil, the Kʼicheʼ would offer [[Resplendent quetzal|quetzal]] feathers to the god.<ref>Orellana 1981, pp.162-163.</ref> Writing at the end of the 17th century, [[Francisco Ximénez]] described the tradition that upon the temple [[Human sacrifice in Maya culture|human sacrifices]] were tied before the representation of Tohil, where the priest would open the victim's chest and cut out his heart.<ref>Carmack 2001a, pp.356-357.</ref> After sacrifice, the victim's body was probably hurled down the front stairway of the temple where his head would be severed to be placed on a [[Tzompantli|skull rack]] that was located in front of the temple.<ref>Carmack 2001a, p.360.</ref>

Equivalents to Tohil were worshipped by other groups closely related to the Kʼicheʼ. These included Belehe Toh of the [[Kaqchikel people|Kaqchikels]] and Hun Toh of the [[Rabinal]],<ref>Recinos 1998, p.46.</ref> this last name meaning "One Rain", a calendrical date.<ref>Recinos et al 1954, p.132.</ref> The Kaqchikel and the Rabinal did not merely think their own patrons were ''equivalent'' to Tohil, they claimed that they were the same deity under a different name.<ref>Fox 1989, p.665.</ref> The Kʼicheʼ themselves claimed in the Popul Vuh that their patron Tohil was the same as [[Quetzalcoatl]] of the [[Aztec]]s.<ref>Christenson 2003, 2007, pp.19, 217.</ref>

===Temple of Tohil===
{{main|Qʼumarkaj}}
The Temple of Tohil at Qʼumarkaj was the tallest structure in the city. The rubble core of the building still stands but the stone facing has been looted. The temple was originally a pyramid with stairways on all four sides, the summit shrine faced towards the rising sun in the east. This form of radial pyramid temple was built by the Maya since the Late Preclassic with examples at many archaeological sites such as [[Tikal]], [[Copán]] and [[Chichen Itza]], among others. According to [[John Lloyd Stephens]], who visited the site in the 1830s, the temple base measured {{convert|66|ft|m}} square and it stood {{convert|33|ft|m}} high. At that time the radial stairways were more-or-less intact. The temple was originally covered in painted [[stucco]], with the decoration including the painted image of a [[jaguar]].<ref>Christenson 2003, 2007, pp.268-269.n.821.</ref>

==Modern worship==
Deerskins, the symbol of Tohil, are to this day venerated in many highland Maya communities and are used in dances.<ref>Christenson 2003, 2007, p.244.n.698.</ref> In the modern village of [[Santiago Atitlán]] in the [[Guatemalan highlands]], a traditional Maya priesthood performs rites to a powerful deity addressed as "''King Martin, Lord of the Three Levels, Lord of Rain, Lord of Maize, and Lord of all the Mountains''".<ref>Christenson 2003, 2007, p.220.n.620.</ref> This priest blesses deerskins prior them being worn, with head and antlers attached, during the Dance of Martin on November 11 prior to the maize harvest. King Martin is probably a [[Syncretism#Religious syncretism|blend]] of Tohil and his deerskin bundle with the [[Roman Catholic]] [[Martin of Tours|St Martin of Tours]], whose feast falls on the same day.<ref>Christenson 2003, 2007, p.220.n.620.</ref> In [[Rabinal]], Tohil was merged with [[St Paul]] while still retaining many of his characteristics.<ref>Van Akkeren 1999, p.288.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Kinich Ahau]]
*[[Fire deity|Fire god]]
*[[Xiuhtecuhtli]] Mayan equivalent

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
{{refbegin|2}}<!--BEGIN biblio format. -->
*{{cite book |author=Carmack, Robert M.   |author-link=Robert Carmack|year=2001a |title=Kikʼulmatajem le Kʼicheʼaabʼ: Evolución del Reino Kʼicheʼ |location=Guatemala |publisher=Iximulew |isbn=99922-56-22-2 |oclc=253481949|language=es}}
*{{cite book |author=Carmack, Robert M.   |year=2001b |title=Kikʼaslemaal le Kʼicheʼaabʼ: Historia Social de los Kʼicheʼs |location=Guatemala |publisher=Iximulew |isbn=99922-56-19-2 |oclc=47220876|language=es}}
*{{cite web |author=Christenson, Allen J.   |title=Popul Vuh: Sacred Book of the Quiché Maya People |url=http://www.mesoweb.com/publications/Christenson/PopolVuh.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/http://www.mesoweb.com/publications/Christenson/PopolVuh.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-10 |url-status=live |orig-year=2003 |year=2007 |format=[[PDF]] online publication |work=Mesoweb articles |publisher=Mesoweb: An Exploration of Mesoamerican Cultures |access-date=2010-01-23}}
*{{cite book|author=Fox, John W.   |orig-year=1987|year=2008 |title=Maya Postclassic state formation |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge, UK and New York, USA |isbn=978-0-521-10195-0 |oclc=297146853}}
*{{cite journal|author=Fox, John W.   |date=September 1989 |title=On the Rise and Fall of Tuláns and Maya Segmentary States |journal=American Anthropologist |series=New Series |volume=91 |issue=3 |pages=656–681 |publisher=[[Blackwell Publishing]] on behalf of the [[American Anthropological Association]] |location=Oxford, UK and Arlington, Virginia |doi=10.1525/aa.1989.91.3.02a00080}}
*{{cite book |author=Miller, Mary |author-link=Mary Miller (art historian) |author2=Karl Taube |author2-link=Karl Taube |orig-year=1993 |year=2003 |title=An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya |publisher=[[Thames & Hudson]] |location=London |isbn=0-500-27928-4 |oclc=28801551 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780500279281 }}
*{{cite journal|author=Orellana, Sandra L.   |title=Idols and Idolatry in Highland Guatemala |journal=Ethnohistory |volume=28 |issue=2 |date=Spring 1981 |pages=157–177 |publisher=[[Duke University Press]] |doi=10.2307/481116|jstor=481116 }}
*{{cite book |author=Read, Kay Almere   |author2=Jason González |year=2000 |title=Handbook of Mesoamerican Mythology |location=Oxford |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |isbn=1-85109-340-0 |oclc=43879188}}
*{{cite book |author=Recinos, Adrian   |author-link=Adrian Recinos |year=1998 |title=Memorial de Solalá, Anales de los Kaqchikeles; Título de los Señores de Totonicapán |publisher=Piedra Santa |location=Guatemala |isbn=84-8377-006-7 |oclc=25476196|language=es}}
*{{cite web |author=Recinos, Adrian |author2=Delia Goetz |author3=Sylvanus Griswold Morley |title=Popul Vuh, the Book of the People |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/1019117/The-Popol-Vuh-English |publisher=Plantin Press |location=Los Angeles, USA |year=1954 |access-date=2010-01-24 |format=[[PDF]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214020507/http://www.scribd.com/doc/1019117/The-Popol-Vuh-English |archive-date=2009-02-14 }}
*{{cite web |author=Sachse, Frauke   |author2=Allen J. Christenson |title=Tulan and the Other Side of the Sea: Unraveling a Metaphorical Concept from Colonial Guatemalan Highland Sources |url=http://www.mesoweb.com/articles/tulan/Tulan.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/http://www.mesoweb.com/articles/tulan/Tulan.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-10 |url-status=live |format=[[PDF]] online publication |year=2005 |work=Mesoweb articles |publisher=Mesoweb: An Exploration of Mesoamerican Cultures |access-date=2010-01-24}}
*{{cite book |author=Sharer, Robert J. |author-link=Robert Sharer |author2=Loa p. Traxler |year=2006 |title=The Ancient Maya |edition=6th (fully revised) |location=Stanford, CA |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |isbn=0-8047-4817-9 |oclc=57577446 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/ancientmaya0006shar }}
*{{cite journal|author=van Akkeren, Ruud   |year=1999 |title=Sacrifice at the Maize Tree: Rabʼinal Achi in its historical and symbolic context |journal=Ancient Mesoamerica |pages=281–295|volume=10 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |doi=10.1017/s0956536199102104|s2cid=162123502 }}
{{refend}}<!-- END biblio format style -->

{{K'iche' mythology}}

[[Category:Fire gods]]
[[Category:Maya gods]]
[[Category:Solar gods]]
[[Category:War gods]]
[[Category:Thunder gods]]
[[Category:Maya mythology and religion]]
[[Category:Characters from the Popol Vuh]]
[[Category:Feathered serpent deities]]
[[Category:Mountain gods]]
[[Category:Rain deities]]