Itzamna

In Maya mythology, Itzamna is credited with inventing the hieroglyphic writing system, the Maya calendar, and the practice of medicine. He was considered the patron of scribes and healers, and his name has been translated as 'lizard house' or 'one who does it with iguana.' The Maya believed Itzamna was the first priest who established religious ceremonies and divination practices central to Maya civilization.

In the surviving Maya codices, particularly the Dresden Codex, Itzamna is depicted as an old man with a Roman-style nose, toothless jaw, and sunken cheeks, often wearing a cylindrical headdress. He is sometimes shown as a two-headed caiman or lizard figure, connecting him to the primordial reptilian earth of Maya cosmology. His bird avatar, known as the Principal Bird Deity, appears in Classic Maya art perched atop the world tree.

In Maya mythology, Itzamna is sometimes paired with Ix Chel, the aged goddess of midwifery, medicine, and weaving, as a divine couple. Together they represent complementary principles of creation and cosmic order. However, the exact nature of their relationship varies across different Maya sources, and scholarly interpretations of their pairing remain debated.

Itzamna was generally regarded as a benevolent, grandfatherly figure who brought knowledge and civilization to humanity. Unlike some Maya deities associated with destruction or sacrifice, Itzamna was associated with healing, wisdom, and the ordering of time through the calendar. He was invoked in ceremonies for health and divination, and the day sign Ahau in the Maya calendar was particularly associated with him.