The Mayan religion was based in the regions of Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and some southern parts of Mexico. It is a southeastern variant of the Mesoamerican religion. Beliefs about death and the afterlife have always played an important role in all religions. Some religions have similar beliefs while others are very different. The Mayan religion is very similar to Roman Catholicism. Many Maya were able to adopt Catholic beliefs while maintaining their own faith: many of their customs remain evident today. The first creation myths are found in the Popol Vuh, which in K'iche means “the Book of the Community”; involves the creation and genealogy of the rulers of the Mayan kingdom. It has been called the most important piece of Mesoamerican literature. It consists of a preamble and four sections describing the creation, history, and cosmology of the Mayan religion. The original Popol Vuh is said to have been lost and recently rediscovered. The alphabetically ordered Popol Vuh provided a “long play and account” (Tedlock, 1996, p. 29) written in two columns on each page; one in Mayan quiche alphabetic text, the other in a Spanish translation made by a priest named Francisco Ximenez in the early 1700s. The words of the Popol Vuh describe two creator Gods, Gucumatz and Tepeu, who were created from the sea. Once the Earth was created, animals came after; humans followed but were created from mud and eventually destroyed. Hence the creation of man from the sacred Mayan corn crop. These corn people could be worshiped and were also able to feed the people of the land. The Maya worshiped a number of Gods and Goddesses: their chief god, Itzam Na "incorporated within himself aspects of many other gods: not the only creation in...... middle of paper ...... that I found a new respect for the Mayan people. They were able to resist the forced transition to Catholicism without giving up their identity. The religion seems to make up the majority of this country, but it is surprising to see how other religions around the world compare to it. Works Cited Coe, Michael D. "The Hero Twins: Myth and Image In Justin Kerr ed.," The Maya Vase Book.New York: Kerr Associates, 1989.Keen, B., & Haynes, K., (2004) (1996). Daily Life in Mayan Civilization. New York: Simon and Schuster.