Key Info

- God of trade and cacao

Brief Bio

Ek Chuah holds various meanings depending upon the contexts in which he is depicted. His principal associations are with trade and cacao use.

As a merchant deity

Ek Chuah is often depicted carrying a pack and a spear, indicating transportation of goods as well as the dangerous life of a merchant. In this context, Ek Chuah is a patron deity of travelers and journeys. During journeys, travelers would stack three stones on top of each other and offer incense to Ek Chuah at night to ensure a safe journey home. It is possible that Ek Chuah and the "Guide of the Merchant," otherwise known as Polaris or the North Star, are related both symbolically and linguistically. "Ek" can be translated as either "black" or "star".

As a patron deity of cacao

Cacao was one of the most important products traded by Maya merchants, and it was often treated as currency. Because Ek Chuah is a patron of cacao, owners of cacao groves would hold ceremonies or special festivals in his honor. One of these was held during Muwan, a month in the haabʼ or Maya solar calendar. The presence of this ceremony suggests that Ek Chuah was an agriculturally symbolic deity within Maya society.