Key Info

- Nocturnal sun who takes his nightly journey through the Underworld

Recent Maya mythology is mainly concerned with Sun's childhood and the conflicts leading up to his actual solar transformation. Although specific imagery is used for the path of the sun (for example, the sun being carried through the underworld on the shoulders of its lord), there are hardly any histories concerning the mature sun deity, save for the southern Lacandons. According to them, Kinich Ahau, the elder brother of the upper god, will put an end to this world by descending from the sky and have his jaguars devour mankind. Little is also known about specific solar rituals, although Kinich Ahau regularly occurs in the Dresden Codex, which is largely concerned with ritual matters.