The Mayans: Bedletting Rituals

Throughout Mesoamerica, the Mayans performed bloodletting rituals for a millennium. Mayan rulers and their family members regularly spilled their own blood by opening wounds with obsidian knives, stingray spines, or sharped bones. Men commonly drew blood from their penis, like Chan Bhlum, while women often drew from their tongue (Bentley). Both sexes occasionally drew blood also from the earlobes, lips, or cheeks, and they sometimes increased the flow by pulling long, thick cords through their wounds.
The Mayan civilization believed that the shedding of blood was crucial because of its association with rains and agriculture. According to Mayan priest, the gods had shed their own blood to water the earth and nourish crops of maize, and they

expected human beings to honor them by imitating their sacrifice. By spilling human blood the Maya hoped to please the gods and ensure that life-giving waters would bring bountiful harvests to their fields (Bentley). By inflicting painful wounds not just on their own bodies as well, the Mayans demonstrated their conviction that bloodletting rituals were essential to the coming of rain and the survival of their agricultural society.
The life of a Maya was based on pleasing the gods. Every aspect of their everyday lives had a religious motive. They praised the stars to an extent, the Mayans would sacrifice their offerings during eclipses to show the sun god their worship.