Ancient civilizations-2

Death

As was noted above, the Classic Maya buried the dead under the floors of their houses. High priests or powerful lords were laid to rest in elaborate underground vaults. The dead were believed to descend to the nine underworlds, called Mitnal in Yucatán and Xibalba by the K’iche’. There is no evidence of a belief among the Maya in a heavenly paradise, such as that which prevailed in central Mexico. The modern Lacandón, however, believe that the dead live forever without work or worry in a land of plenty located somewhere above the earth.