Beliefs
The Mayan beliefs were straightforward. They believed the world was a flat plain with four corners, each represented by a colour. East was red, west was black, yellow was south and white represented north. In the centre was a fifth vertical coordinate and the colour was blue-green. A giant Ceiba tree grew at the centre, uniting the cosmos. According to Phillip Martin, ‘All of the men, but none of the women, used mirrors. In the ancient Maya world, looking into a mirror was an act of courage. The Maya believed that monsters from the Place of Awe could reach through the mirror, and yank you into the Otherworld.’ (Phillip Martin, 2012). It was believed that the caves and mountains were the transitions between the spiritual world and the physical world.