The ancient Maya pictured a luxurious afterlife. Those lucky enough to arrive would not need to perform punishing work such as the typical cutting of terraced fields from mountainsides or thick jungle, but could rest from the hunt or the long trading journeys they had made in their lifetimes. They would find luxury all around them and lie in the sweet shade provided by the cosmic tree. When they were thirsty they could gather cacao beans to make chocolate drink. These scenes are commonly depicted in Mayan pottery and carved in pyramids and monuments.

Unfortunately for most, Maya traditions held that only a few lucky souls would be admitted to this heavenly realm. Most souls were destined for the underworld where many grueling and terrifying tests awaited them. It was possible to ascend to heaven from there, but only by defeating the lords of the underworld. If successful in this task, the soul would emerge from the underworld in the appearance of a jaguar god and would be greeted by offerings. Thereafter, death could not hold him and could not expect to contain any of his descendants.

The Quiche Maya Popo Vuh (a type of Maya bible) tells the mythical accounts of the Hero twins. It narrates the Twins’ decent to the underworld where they faced many tests and a ballgame to the death. But the tests were stacked against the Twins. The lords of the underworld had learned the proper names of the twins, and to the Maya, knowing ones proper name gives power over the individual.

Eventually the Twins defeat death and rise victorious to the heavens. It was generally believed that their triumph paved the way for those that came after them.