Totilme'iletik
Tzotzil–Tzeltal · deity · Tzotzil–Tzeltal traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
The Totilme'iletik, 'fathers-mothers,' are the ancestral deities of the highland Maya — senior beings who dwell within the mountains encircling the ceremonial centres, above Zinacantán chiefly in Bankilal Muk'ta Vits, the Senior Great Mountain. They laid down custom in the first days, keep the corrals in which the animal-soul companions of the living are penned, and send illness and reversal to punish those who neglect ritual duty. Conceived as a celestial cabildo, they mirror and sanction the civil-religious hierarchy of the community below.
Domains
- ancestral authority
- sacred mountains
- animal soul custody
Powers
- guard the corrals of animal-soul companions
- send illness for neglected custom
- convene the celestial council
Epithets
- Totilme'iletik — Fathers-MothersVogt, Evon Z. 1969. Zinacantán. Harvard University Press. (secondary)
- Bankilal Muk'ta Vits — Senior Great Mountain (their chief seat)Vogt, Evon Z. 1976. Tortillas for the Gods. Harvard University Press. (secondary)
Relations
- ally: San JerónimoThey own the mountain corrals that the saintly herder tends.Holland, William R. 1963. Medicina maya en los Altos de Chiapas. Mexico City: Instituto Nacional Indigenista. (secondary)
Sources
- The ancestral fathers-mothers reside in the mountains, guard the animal-soul corrals, instituted custom and punish its neglect.: Vogt, Evon Z. 1969. Zinacantán. Harvard University Press. (secondary); Vogt, Evon Z. 1976. Tortillas for the Gods. Harvard University Press. (secondary)