Maximón

Maximón
Maximón and candles, Santiago Atitlán
Venerated in	Traditionalist Maya Communities
Attributes	sunglasses, bandana, colorful garlands
Patronage	health, crops, marriage, business, revenge, death

Maximón (pronounced /mæʃiˈmoʊn/ or /ˈmɒn/), also called San Simón, is a Mayan deity represented in various forms by the Maya people of several towns in the highlands of Western Guatemala. Oral tradition of his creation and purpose in these communities is complex, diverse, and born of the ancient Maya traditions centuries ago.

The origins of his creation are not well understood by outsiders who often come to learn of the different Mayan practices, but Maximón is believed to be a form of the pre-Columbian Maya god Mam, blended with influences from Spanish Catholicism. It has been suggested that the name Maximón is a combination of Simón and Max, the Mam word for tobacco. Much of the misunderstanding and mystery surrounding Mam is due to the fact the much of what has been written of him has been done by visitors whose perspectives come from different cultures and faiths which attempt to use these as a foundation to understand him. This is limiting as these do not take into account nor honor the Maya Traditions as being of their own specific, sacred, and Indigenous origins and practices.

Mayan spiritual traditions and customs are lived through oral tradition, ritual, and the carrying out of continual fiestas and traditions. Thus, to understand him and these complex ancient traditions from an external perspective is difficult.

There are endless legends and oral stories about the creation of Maximon and his role in the community. Many of these are not shared openly by the Traditionalist Maya with visitors. Thus a certain mystery remains and surrounds him. His nature is one that respects and represents both the dark and the light. He is Grandfather, Venerable Wise Man, and Patron of the people. In many of the stories and rituals that surround him one could name his ways as those of a wily and wild "sacred trickster."