5. The Camazotz was a Maya God worshiped by pregnant women but feared by all others
The Camazotz (Death Bat) is a God in Maya mythology, with the bat in general associated with darkness, night, and death throughout Native culture. Depicted as an anthropomorphic creature, with the body of a human but head and wings of a bat, the Camazotz was worshiped by a minority of Maya, notably by pregnant women who might offer sacrifices to ensure a healthy baby; pregnant women are recorded as venturing to a cave in Veracruz, Mexico, to make offerings to Camazotz. It was also believed by South American Arawaks that Camazotz was a predatory hunter, targeting villagers who wandered with ill purpose at nighttime.
In the Popol Vuh, a creation narrative spread via oral tradition by the K’iche’ people preceding the Spanish conquest of Mesoamerica, the Camazotz are monsters encountered by the Maya Hero Twins. Forced to spend a night at the House of Bats, the twins squeezed themselves into their own blowguns for protection. However, one of the twins, Hunahpu, grew impatient and sought to see if the sun had risen, sticking his head out whereupon Camazotz decapitated him and the other gods used his head in a ballgame. Other legendary stories including the Camazotz involve the creature serving in a role similar to that as Kharon, the boatman of Greek mythology, wherein Camazotz resides upon a bridge between the heavens and the underworld and acts as a powerful sentry or guardian.