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How did Maya rulers use bloodletting and sacrifice in religious rituals?

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Mythologies of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas Haida argillite carving, c. 1890, depicting a folktale in which the Bear Mother endures a cesarean birth; in the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Haye Center, Smithsonian Institution, New York City.

In Maya society, bloodletting and human sacrifice were fundamental religious rituals believed to be essential for maintaining cosmic order and preventing chaos. These practices were deeply tied to the role of Maya rulers, who served as vital intermediaries between the people and the gods.12

Ritual Bloodletting

Because the Maya believed that human blood nourished the gods, rulers were required to perform ritual bloodletting to achieve contact with the divine. This self-mutilation involved drawing blood through various painful methods, such as:2
* Piercing the ear or penis with spines.1
* Drawing a thorn-studded cord through the tongue.1

The resulting blood was often spattered on paper or collected as an offering to the gods.1

Human Sacrifice

Sacrifice was also a central component of Maya religious life, though it was not practiced on the same scale as among the Aztecs. Warfare was frequently conducted with the primary purpose of capturing rival rulers, nobles, and other aristocrats. These captives were subsequently tortured, mutilated, and sacrificed to the gods. These acts were intended to demonstrate piety, propitiate the deities, and ensure continued fertility for the civilization.123