The recording of time and the count of days among the Maya was a result of a pact made between the gods of the heavens and their greatest creation, human beings. The dark forces of the Xibalba, the fiery underworld, sought every means to become the masters of the universe. To resist them, the gods of the heavens commissioned three demi goddesses, half deity and half mortal, to paint and decorate the sky and place the stars and planets on high, creating beauty to stimulate the imagination of men and inspire them to seek illumination in all things. However, not without sacrifice and effort can humans exist, for joy and happiness is forever countered by sadness and pain, which is the very nature of the universe. Thus, must humans record the count of days, for abandoning this work will see the very collapse of the cosmos. This was the pact established for all time through The Covenant Of Heaven.
