Lord of the Forest, and a Caution About His Domain

Yum Kaax (Lord of the Forest or Master of the Woods) is a Maya deity of the wild, of the forest, of wild plants, and of the animals hunted within it. His name is Yucatec, and in ethnographic usage he is best understood as a guardian of the bush and of game, a lord to whom hunters owe respect and offerings and who protects the creatures and growth of the uncultivated land.

Popular reference works often label him simply the maize god and equate him with the well-known Maya god of maize; but scholars caution that this is an over-simplification, the great Maize God of Classic Maya art is a distinct and central figure, whereas Yum Kaax as attested is more properly the god of the wild woodland and its animals than of the planted cornfield. The record for him is comparatively thin, which colours the confident identifications sometimes made, so his domain is best stated as the forest and its wild life, with the maize connection noted as uncertain.