The Maya are the Corn People

The Maya are the corn people, created in the fourth creation from corn and the blood of the gods, according to the Popol Vuh.

Corn, the staple food crop for the ancient Maya and much of the modern world, was developed in the Americas. Corn is ixim  (ish-eem) in the Mayan language K’iche in Guatemala. Corn is maiz in Yucatan, pronounced mah-ees or my-z or mah-eeth, depending upon place spoken. If you say maiz to rhyme with size, notice the similarity to the word Mayan, pronounced my-ahn. The Maya gave us both corn and the word maiz.

The Maya all gave us chocolate, chocolatl in the Aztec language, Nahautl.

If the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations fascinate you, I suggest viewing “Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed” by Professor Edwin Barnhart from The Great Courses.