The Maya creation myth depicts a battle between the forces of dark and light in the story of the Hero Twins, two brothers who are summoned by the Lords of Xibalba for a ballgame with them in the underworld. What follows is a classic and rich example of The Hero’s Journey.

In Mesoamerican theology, the sacred World Tree stands in the centre of the world, vertically connecting three horizontal levels – namely, the heavens above,…