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the Mayas and bees

The Mayas and the stingless bee
For more than 3,000 years, the Maya people of Central America have engaged in beekeeping of the stingless bee (Melipona beccheii) and many of the traditions and rituals associated with it remain to be an important heritage practice today. The stingless bees are also called Xunan-Kab in the Yucatec Mayan language, which translates into “Royal Lady Bee''. This title expresses the nobility of the bees which are believed to be direct descendants from the deities in local culture. Many deities are directly related to the bees themself, and are proof of exactly how important the insects were to the area. An example of these deities is the descending honey god, Ah Muzen Cab, who is also the creator of earth and universe in the fourth cycle of the Yucatec Maya cosmos. A large portion of the Madrid Codex – one of the three remaining Mayan codices – depicts methods of beekeeping and portrays Ah Muzen Cab in an upside-down position and with the wings of a bee.
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Beekeeping today
Beekeepers – called meliponicultors – continue to serve as earthly guardians of the bees but must offer a portion of the harvested honey to their real owners, the deities, in a ceremony called U Hnlil-kab (feast of the bees). The noble and righteous beekeepers perform rituals of gratitude and prayer to the deities as they practice the art. Honey harvest takes place twice a year as part of a religious calendar in which a priest presides over the ritual.

Today, many Maya communities have transitioned to practice beekeeping with the Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera) as for many of them honey production is an important source of income. However, at the same time, some still practice stingless bee beekeeping. The stingless bees are kept in hollow logs called jobones, usually within or close to the villages, while the Western honey bees are kept in boxes away from people. Unfortunately, the Yucatan Peninsula has been facing rapid bee decline, especially of  the stingless bee, due to deforestation, geographic displacement of the indigenous groups and the loss of their historic cultural knowledge.
Honey
Indigenous Mayan medicine is based on the idea of restoring the balance of body temperature by inducing products that are considered hot or cold. Honey from the stingless Melipona is considered to be hot and is therefore used to cure cold diseases such as digestive issues or fever. Because it is also associated with fertility, it is often used by midwives before, after, and during childbirth. Although the ancient Maya also harvested honey from other, non-domesticated bees, only the honey from the stingless bee is regarded hot and can be offered to the deities during rituals or ceremonies.
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© 2023 BEES FOR PEACE
Bees for Peace acknowledges that it is operating primarily on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, in territory covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Why and How
    • Who Is Bees for Peace
    • Achievements
    • Our Bee Community
  • Our Projects and Events
    • Summer Camps
    • Paths of Peace
    • Our Talks
  • Bee Protection Made Easy
    • Bees and Other Pollinators
    • Bee Hotels
    • Pollinator Gardens
    • COVID-19 and Community
  • Finding Value in the Web of Life
    • Bees in Religious and Cultural Traditions >
      • Buddhism and Bees
      • Christianity and Bees
      • The Gurung and Bees
      • Hinduism and Bees
      • Islam and Bees >
        • Unani medicine
      • Judaism and Bees
      • The Kawaiwete and Bees
      • The Mayas and Bees
      • The Ogiek and Bees
      • Bees in Indigenous Cultures
    • Web of Life >
      • Buddhism and Nature
      • Christianity and Nature
      • Hinduism and Nature
      • Islam and Nature
      • Judaism and Nature
      • Sikhism and Nature
      • The Golden Rule
    • Faith and Environmentalism >
      • Bees for Peace Israel
      • Islamic Help
  • Join us!
    • Contact and Privacy
    • Get Involved!