Principal Bird Deity

One of the oldest deities in the Maya pantheon is a figure often referred to as the Principal Bird Deity (PBD). He is also known as 7 Macaw or Wuqub Kaquix in K'iche' Maya language. This deity is most often depicted as a bird monster who appears at a dark moment in the creation of the world. Among other things, the Principal Bird Deity claims the sun and the moon for himself, as himself, which suggests the level of arrogance he embodies. He is a bad dude. He has a special jewel in his feathers and he is generally regarded as resplendent. He is beautiful badness.

In terms of depictions, the Maya displayed 7 Macaw in a variety of medium including on pottery, on building facades, in small jade carvings, in wall paintings and in literature. One of the earliest known depictions is from about 200 BCE in Guatemala at Kaminaljuyu during what is known as the Miraflores phase of the Late Formative (300 BCE - 150 CE).

Stela 11
Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala
200-50 BC
Granite
198.1 x 67.9 x 18.1 cm
Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología, Guatemala City

According to Lawrence Bardawil of Yale University, there are three elements that distinguish the Principal Bird Deity from other deities in the Maya pantheon: the figure, the wing and the head. And, while aspects of the figure, the wing and the head have changed over the centuries, there are certain commonalities that remain. These include the jewel in his feathers, association with a serpent (either a serpent held in his mouth or what Bardawil calls a "serpent wing"), dangerous talons and a long-lipped or beak-like mouth. All of these are on display in Stela 11 at Kaminaljuyu, and according to Bardawil, "the long-lipped head and serpent wing designate the Principal Bird Deity as a supernatural" which relates it to the underworld and assigns to it the task of being an "overseer of significant events both in this world and the underworld." Although the Principal Bird Deity is not fully understood, it is considered by most Maya scholars as a "creature [which] must be an extremely important concept" in the Maya family of deities.

One of the most amazing, recent discoveries of a Principal Bird Deity depiction comes to us at San Bartolo, Guatemala. Found by sheer accident by William Saturno in 2001, this depiction dates to about the 1st century BCE and is the oldest known mural painting in the Maya world. In this instance, the Principal Bird Deity sits on the World Tree (Axis Mundi) in a foreboding position of power. He brings darkness to the world of flowers and beauty which surround the World Tree. He is danger in a world that would be beautiful without him. According to William Saturno, in a lecture he delivered in San Ignacio, Belize on 21 June 2011, the Principal Bird Deity represents chaos and uncivilized wilderness.  He is the symbol for all that is wild, thus he must be slain in order for humans to establish civilization.

Principal Bird Deity
Las Pinturas, San Bartolo, Guatemala
c. 1st century BCE

In keeping with Bardawil's elements, this depiction includes the serpent spiraling out of the PBD's beak and sharp talons clutching two fruit in the tree. He figuratively weighs down the World Tree with his beautiful badness.