The Turtle in Mayan Mythology

At the end of my talk The Yucatan Connection to Atlantis and Lemuria Using Cayce Clues and Mythology on Wednesday at Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. for the Edgar Cayce Forum, a man came up to me and asked me the significance of the turtle in Mayan Mythology.

I knew the turtle had to be significant to the Maya in some way since I remembered seeing a large turtle made of earth and carved stone in one of the Mayan ruins I visited.

Well, it turns out that when the Maya looked at the constellation of stars we presently call Orion, the Hunter, they saw instead a turtle. It represented the original domestic oven.

Carol Chapman

CarolChapman is an author and inspirational speaker. She speaks at weekend retreats,day-long events, and half-day programs. Her seminars are not onlyinformative and transformational but also fun and entertaining. They ofteninclude participatory workshops and visual aids, such as videos andphotographs. She specializes in dream interpretation, reincarnation, andAtlantis, and is the author of When WeWere Gods, Arrival of the Gods in Egypt, and Have Your Heart’s Desire.

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Cat - December 11, 2021

Where can I find this talk and more information about this? I was guided to research this and found this page by searching. Can you advise where I can find more info on the Turtle and its relationship to the Mayan Calendar, Atlantis, and Lemuria?

Thank you,
Cat

Carol Chapman - December 11, 2021

Actually, I didn’t talk about the relationship of the turtle to the Mayan Calendar, Atlantis, and Lemuria. It’s just that a man came up to me after my talk and asked about the turtle, which I hadn’t talked about. I replied to him that I guessed the turtle must be significant to the Maya since I had seen a large carving of it somewhere in a Mayan ruin. Plus, there’s the Turtle House in Uxmal which has carvings of turtles along its roofline. In doing some online research today, I discovered a couple of articles on the Maya and the turtle that you may find interesting. First, there’s the Maya Creation Story at this link: http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/OJTA2dev/ojta/c1c/precursors/stories/mayan_tl.html#:~:text=The%20bright%2C%20active%20star%2Dforming,Alnitak%2C%20Alnilam%2C%20and%20Mintaka.
And also, this article, AK EK’ or Stars, Turtles and Pigs, at http://wakinguponturtleisland.blogspot.com/2007/03/ak-ek-or-stars-turtles-and-pigs.html
Hopefully, there’s something there that will be of help to you.

Dan De Los Monteros - September 16, 2015

I visited Chichen Itza when I was in high school and brought back a small statue I purchased roadside. It shows a Mayan god holding a cup with a turtle on his head. I’ve done some research online and can’t find anything. Do you know which god this is or anything describing his sitting position with the turtle above him?

carolchapman - May 30, 2016

Hi Dan, Here’s something I found about the Turtle God at the Healing-Energy-Info.com website. It says that the Turtle was a calendar god of the Haab calendar for the month corresponding to our June 11th to June 30th. I’ve copied their selection on the turtle with a link so you can explore their excellent website:

Mayan Astrology Signs–Haab Calendar

Kayab: June 11th to June 30th
Meaning: Turtle, Moon Goddess, One God
Mayan Zodiac Symbols Interpretation: Those born in the Kayab sign have a natural affinity for the moon and spiritual endeavors. You most likely find yourself searching for the deeper meaning in everyday occurrences. The turtle is your animal totem. Turtles have deep signfigance as the carriers of ancient wisdoms and the carriers of the earth.

The Turtle in Mayan Mythology

Carol Chapman

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