Our root, born from ancient times, comes from the moon, water and love

The Mayan culture is fascinating. It has its origins in the Mesoamerican area comprising southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and the western part of Honduras and El Salvador. For more than 4000 years, they have blessed us with important knowledge, culinary recipes, and monumental buildings.

Goddess Ixchel represents our origin. This is how everything arises

Today, their legacy is vividly reflected in their pyramids, the ancestral flavors of their dishes that have been passed from generation to generation, and in the people who walk the lands where they walked.

Mayan mythology is part of the traditions of the Mexican Caribbean lands 

Like many ancient cultures, the Maya were polytheistic and possessed deities for each of the forces that moved them. Areas such as El Meco, Tulum, and Isla Mujeres, are considered crucial historical sites for Mayan mythology due to their proximity to the sea. One of these deities is the Goddess Ixchel, who represented fertility, the importance of water, the moon, and medicine for the ancient Maya

"Goddess Ixchel represents fertility, water, the moon, and medicine".

The legends told about the Goddess Ixchel, present in several ancient codices, are full of magic. It is said that the ancient Mayan warriors were in love with her, as no one could resist her beauty since she was the perfect woman.

"A warrior, named Itzamná, was fascinated by the beauty of Ixchel. The love was reciprocal. However, another warrior, who arrived from distant lands, appeared before her with the intention of courting her. To clarify the dispute, Ixtab, Ixchel's older sister, organized a fight for Ixchel's hand between the two men.

Itzamná seemed to be the clear winner until the other warrior killed him by attacking him from behind. The warrior Itzamná died instantly and, at that moment, Ixchel entrusted her soul to her sister and committed suicide. The name of the other warrior has never been pronounced again. Ixtab was then known as the Goddess of Suicide. Meanwhile, Ixchel and Itzamná ascended as Gods and were together again. Itzamná became the Sun God and Ixchel became the Moon Goddess.

Itzamná

That love was so strong that day and night were born, and the stars shone. Both had 13 children, which made her the Goddess of Fertility, and women prayed to her to fill her womb with life.

Thousands of years later, when the Spanish troops of Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba arrived at Isla Mujeres in 1517, several sculptures of the goddess that the believers had left there to venerate her were found. Without knowing the context of the statues, the island was baptized by the Spaniards as Isla Mujeres.

The representation of Goddess Ixchel in Maya codices is sometimes confusing, but several researchers have agreed that this goddess is depicted in two ways, depending on the lunar cycle. When the moon is waxing, Ixchel is depicted as a young white woman holding a rabbit in her hands. When the moon is waning, she is depicted as an old woman with claws and bone skirts, weaving a loom around her waist and a snake crowning her head.

This duality suggests that Ixchel is both creator and destroyer

 She helps crops prosper, but she can also cause floods and water-related disasters. She sends disease, but she also sends healing. It is the destruction that gives way to purification.

These displays of power made the Maya resort to rites and offerings in lakes, cenotes, and seas that served to please the Goddess.

She is the representation of:

• The moon
• Fertility
• Water
• Marriage
• Purification
• Gestation
• Cycles of life
• The earth
• Vegetation
• Destructive water
• Sowing
• The rainbow
• The weaving
• The Love 

But also, and most importantly, she is the Mother Goddess and one of the Creator Gods in the Mayan culture.

At IXI Beach, we honor the legacy of the ancient Maya and take inspiration from the Goddess Ixchel in every part of our identity, from our name to our exquisite flavors. We invite you to visit the IXI Beach website to learn about our menu with influences from the local cuisine of Isla Mujeres.

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