South Bacab: The Maya Sky-Bearer of the South

Quick answer: The Bacabs were four gods who, in Maya belief, held up the sky at the four corners of the world. Each stood at one of the cardinal directions and was linked with a colour, and the Bacab of the south was associated with yellow.

The four sky-bearers

In the colonial accounts of Yucatán, the Bacabs were brothers stationed at the four directions to support the heavens. The Maya associated each direction with a colour: red for east, white for north, black for west and yellow for south. The same colour-direction scheme appears in Maya books and rituals.

The Bacabs and the year

Bishop Diego de Landa describes how each year of the calendar was placed under one of the Bacabs, according to the day sign that named it, and how the New Year ceremonies honoured the Bacab of that year. The Bacabs were therefore central to the ritual calendar as well as to the shape of the world.

Modern portfolios

Modern sources sometimes give the south Bacab a long list of powers, such as rain, healing or divination. Those lists go well beyond the colonial evidence, which ties the Bacab of the south to his direction, his colour and his place in the year rites.

The South Bacab in jewellery

A Bacab design references the Maya cosmos, its four directions and its sacred colours. See also the Maya fire-walking ritual.

See the AURYN design, or read our guide to the twenty Maya day signs.

Frequently asked questions

Who were the Bacabs in Maya belief?

Colonial Yucatec sources describe four Bacabs associated with the four directions and the support of the sky. They also appear in New Year rites and in the colour-direction system of Maya ritual thought.

What colour was associated with the south Bacab?

Yellow was associated with the south. The same directional scheme links east with red, north with white and west with black.

Did the south Bacab have powers such as healing or divination?

Modern lists sometimes assign broad portfolios of powers to individual Bacabs, but those claims go beyond the colonial evidence used here. The better-documented associations are direction, colour and the Bacabs’ role in calendrical rites.