Cacao, or Kawkaw, is a Mayan god. He is the god of maize and the head of the Maya pantheon, as maize was a main part of the diet of the Maya people. Although not seen, it is possible he is still alive, as his deal continued to work in the present day. It is unknown if this deal would end with the god's death.
Powers and Abilities[]
As the head deity of his pantheon, Cacao is presumably a very powerful Deity.
- Power Granting - His only known ability is the power to grant immortality and superhuman endurance and stamina in return for annual human sacrifices, specifically offerings of human hearts. Inyo made a deal with the god Cacao thousands of years ago, granting him two sacrifices every year in exchange for immortality and enhanced physical attributes.
- Immortality - It is implied that Cacao has been around for thousands of years, and is immune to aging and disease.
Lore[]
In Mayan oral tradition, maize is usually personified as a woman[1] - like rice in Southeast Asia, or wheat in ancient Greece and Rome. The acquisition of this woman through bridal capture constitutes one of the basic Mayan myths.[2] In contrast to this, the pre-Spanish Mayan aristocracy appears to have primarily conceived of maize as male. The classic period distinguished two male forms: a foliated (leafy) maize god and a tonsured one.[3] The foliated god is present in the so-called maize tree (Temple of the Foliated Cross, Palenque), its cobs being shaped like the deity's head. A male maize deity representing the foliated type and labeled God E is present in the three extant Maya books of undisputed authenticity.
Whereas the foliated maize god is a one-dimensional vegetation spirit, the tonsured maize god's functions are much more diverse. When performing ritually, the latter typically wears a netted jade skirt and a belt with a large spondylosis shell covering the loins. On stelae, it is a queen rather than a king that tends to represent the tonsured maize god. The queen thus appears as a maize goddess, in accordance with the Mayan narrative traditions mentioned above.