29 Mayan Mythology Trivia Questions with Answers
29 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Mayan Mythology trivia explores the gods, creation stories, calendars, rituals, games, and sacred texts of the Maya civilization. Questions range from the feathered serpent creator deity in the Popol Vuh to the traditional ballgame known as pitz, along with rain gods, prophetic writings, and the mathematics behind the Long Count calendar.
This set suits players who enjoy ancient cultures, mythology, and world history. It works well for game night, pub quizzes, or classroom review, with questions spanning recognizable legends and more specialized details such as the Maya vigesimal, or base-20, counting system.
What is the name of the collection of Maya prophetic texts?
Answer
Chilam Balam
What base system did the Maya use for counting?
Answer
Vigesimal
What tree is considered the Mayan world tree?
Answer
Ceiba
Who was the Mayan god of merchants and cacao?
Answer
Ek Chuaj
Which Mayan god was the god of bees and honey?
Answer
Ah Muzen Cab
Which Mayan god was the god of wind and storm?
Answer
Huracan
What is the Mayan 260-day calendar called?
Answer
Tzolk'in
How many levels are in the Mayan heavens?
Answer
Thirteen
Which Mayan deity was the god of wisdom and writing?
Answer
Itzamna
What was the name of the Mayan god of death?
Answer
Ah Puch
How many levels does the Mayan underworld have?
Answer
Nine
Who was the Mayan sun god?
Answer
Kinich Ahau
Which Maya city features the Temple of Kukulkan?
Answer
Chichen Itza
What is the Mayan underworld called?
Answer
Xibalba
Who were the Hero Twins in Mayan mythology?
Answer
Hunahpu and Xbalanque
What writing system did the ancient Maya use?
Answer
Maya hieroglyphs
What is the name of the Mayan creation epic?
Answer
Popol Vuh
Which feathered serpent god was worshipped by the Maya?
Answer
Kukulkan
Mayan Mythology trivia — quick answers
What are good Mayan Mythology trivia questions?
Good Mayan Mythology trivia questions cover creation stories, gods, sacred books, calendars, rituals, and games. Examples include identifying the feathered serpent deity Kukulkan or Quetzalcoatl, naming the Popol Vuh, recognizing the rain gods called Chacs, and explaining the Maya Long Count. A balanced quiz combines familiar mythology with cultural and historical details.
How hard is Mayan Mythology trivia?
Mayan Mythology trivia is usually moderate to challenging because it combines well-known figures with specialized vocabulary. Players may recognize Kukulkan but find questions about baktuns, prophetic texts, or the Maya base-20 counting system less familiar. The category suits mixed-ability groups when questions include both introductory mythology and deeper history.
What is the Popol Vuh?
The Popol Vuh is a foundational K’iche’ Maya account of creation, the deeds of heroic figures, and the origins of the K’iche’ people. Written down in the colonial period from Indigenous traditions, it includes stories of the Hero Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, and describes successive attempts to create humanity.
What was the Mayan ballgame called?
The Maya played a ritual ballgame commonly called pitz, using a heavy rubber ball on a court bordered by sloping walls. The game had religious and political significance, and scenes in Maya art and inscriptions connect it with conflict, sacrifice, rulership, and stories involving the Hero Twins in the Popol Vuh.
What calendar did the Maya use for 365 days?
The Maya called their 365-day solar calendar the Haab’. It consisted of 18 months, or winals, of 20 days each, followed by a short five-day period called Wayeb’. The Haab’ worked alongside the 260-day Tzolk’in ritual calendar, creating a repeating Calendar Round of approximately 52 Haab’ years.