And did the Mayans et.al worship a God that’s in the form of a crocodile?
They’re called caimans.
Don’t know about gods and worship, but I’d imagine so.
Well, for starters the Mayans weren’t (aren’t actually, since their descendants still inhabit regions throughout Mexico & Central America). Did you mean the Incas?
Well, for starters the Mayans weren’t in South America (aren’t actually, since their descendants still inhabit regions throughout Mexico & Central America). Did you mean the Incas?
A crocodile god? I know of that being true of Egypt.
Earthling is right, that caimans are the likely candidates for the crocodilian creatures of the region. In the case that you are asking about Meso-American cultures, the Aztecs had a half human/half-crocodile rain god, Tlaloc. For the Mayans, the crocodile played an important role: they believed that the world rested on the back of either a turtle or crocodile, a cosmology which varied over time & place. From my studies of Quechua & Inca culture, I am not familiar with any crocs showing up in their pantheon.
Well, a little Googing also got me Cipactli, a part-fish, part-crocodile monster in Aztec mythology.
Crocodilia (also written -dylia) is an order of reptiles including crocs, gators, gavials, and caimans. Crocs proper consist of one family within it.
In addition to the six species caimans (members of the alligator family) that are common there, two species of true crocodiles inhabit northern South America. See this species list with links to individual species descriptions. One of these species, restricted to the Orinoco River, is critically endangered.
And, of course, any questions relating to crocodile gods must link to Offler. Or you may prefer this version.
Thanks. I didn’t mean South America, I meant Central America. My bad, but you guys still managed to answer my question. That’s why I love you all so much.
Thanks again.