Camazotz

The Bat God of Death

Domain: Darkness, Caves & Death
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Element: Darkness
Relics of Power: Blade of the Wings

Speak with Camazotz

The People

People

Maya

Region

Mesoamerica (Yucatán & Guatemala)

Period

c. 2000 BC – 1500 AD

The Maya gods were worshipped in the city-states of Mesoamerica, such as Tikal, Palenque, and Chichén Itzá. Astronomer-priests read the skies and the calendar to honor them at the right time, in pyramid-temples now swallowed by the jungle. Many of their myths survive in the Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Quiché Maya.

Maya kings and queens offered their own blood in bloodletting rituals to feed the gods, and the ritual ballgame re-enacted the duel against the lords of the underworld. Cenotes such as the one at Chichén Itzá received precious offerings, guided by the 260-day sacred calendar.

The Sacred Scrolls

Bat god associated with night, death, and sacrifice, Camazotz dwells in the houses of darkness of Xibalba. With cutting wings and a thirst for blood, he is one of the monsters the Hero Twins had to face. He personifies the terror of caves and of deep darkness. As The Bat God of Death, this deity occupies a position of supreme prestige in the maias pantheon. Their domains over Darkness, Caves & Death reflect ancestral cosmic order maintained across millennia. In classical iconography, they are depicted with an aura of unshakeable majesty and sacred attributes that inspired reverence in emperors and peasants alike. Their influence extended beyond earthly boundaries, governing fates and harmony between the visible and invisible worlds. For ancient devotees, contemplating their essence was to understand the very fundamental forces of nature and human existence.

Sacred Symbols

The bat, the sharp wings, the cave and the sacrificial blade

Divine Lineage

Monster of Xibalba; guardian of the dreaded House of Bats in the underworld.

The Legendary Myth

In the House of Bats of Xibalba, the Hero Twins hid inside their own blowguns to escape the deadly bats. Curious to know whether dawn had come, Hunahpu peeked out, and Camazotz tore off his head in a single blow.

Legends & Deeds

A celebrated secondary legend preserved in the oral traditions of the maias recounts the journey when Camazotz intervened directly in the lives of mortals.