Kukulkan Mayan Paper Snake Craft
Who were the Mayans?
The Mayans are a group of people who lived in the Yucatan Peninsula in what is today Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. They inhabited the area for more than one thousand years and were most powerful between 250 and 900 AD. Like the ancient Greeks, the people shared a language, culture and common gods. However, they lived in semi-independent city-states. Some people in this region still speak a form of the Mayan language today!
The Mayans were great builders and left behind more than 40 cities. In fact, archeologists are finding more cities hidden in the jungles of central America everyday! The largest and most famous city was Tikal in modern Guatemala. One of the cities most closely related to Kukulkan is Chichen Itza.
Let’s travel back in time to the world of the ancient Maya and learn about one of their god’s Kukulkan. He is known as the “feathered serpent” and historians do not have a lot of information about him. Kukulkan is thought to have a human form as well.
He is the god of rain, storms and life. The plumed serpent is one three main gods involved in the creation myths. We have a special fondness for him at MythologyCrafts.com because he is also the god of CRAFTS!
For our Kukulkan craft, we will make a feathered serpent.
Chichen-itza and Kukulkan
Try to find Chichen-Itza on the map above. This Mayan city is especially important to the god Kukulkan. Twice a year on the spring and fall equinox, the sun shines down on the temple-pyramid and casts a shadow in the form of snake descending the side of the steps. The light and shadow body ends at the bottom of the steps and unites with the stone serpent head. If you look closely at the picture bellow, you can see the light and shadow snake make his way to the ground. Look for the waves in the shadow coming down the temple steps.
To create this illusion, the Maya needed a strong understanding of astronomy, engineering and math. The equinoxes are an important time of year for many ancient civilizations because it is related to the planting and harvesting seasons for farmers.
Kukulkan was not only a Mayan god. The Aztecs who lived in Tenochtitlan, or modern day Mexico City, worshiped him as Quetzalcoatl.
Serpent heads are also found at the very ancient city of Teotihuacan outside of Mexico City. In the ruins, there is a pyramid though to be dedicated to the feathered serpent with carved snake heads on it. Teotihuacan was already in ruins when the Aztecs found it, and it is still unclear who lived there and what exactly they believed.
There is no doubt that the feathered serpent is a important image to ancient Central American cultures.
Make your Own Kukulkan:
Supplies:
- Construction Paper (We used light and dark green, but you can choose any colors you want.)
- Feather (We used red and yellow, but you can choose any colors you want.)
- Glue stick
- Scissors
- A pen
- Google- Eyes (optional)
Directions:
- Cut the construction paper into strips, but make sure to save one page.
- Roll the paper into a circle and glue the end so you have a ring.
- Attach another strip the ring, by looping the paper through the ring and gluing the end in a second circle.
- Continue gluing the strips of paper together to form a chain. You can make your chain as long or short as you like. Is your Kukulkan long and massive or smaller and sleeker?
- When you are done with your chain and have decided it is long enough, cut out a triangle and 2 ovals from your extra sheet of paper. These will be the head and tail.
- Add googly eyes to the front of the oval (the head).
- Now, add the feathers by pasting them on the back of the oval so they stick out from the sides.
- Glue the second oval to the back of head so the feathers are in between the two pieces of paper. It will be easier to glue the head to the paper chain to the oval construction paper than the feathers.
- Last, glue the triangle to the back to make a tiny tail at the end of your snake.
Now you are finished! Enjoy your Kukulkan serpent! Why not have him slither down some stairs and recreate the equinox shadow?
Check out these Mayan Coloring Pages for extra fun!
And, if you like snake crafts learn about how Cleopatra died and make a beaded snake.
