A lot of things in modern society can be traced back to ancient times, often where the inspiration actually came from. Throughout history there’s an abundance of evidence to support this theory but there’s one that not many people are actually aware of. Around 2,500 years ago, the ancient Maya worshiped a god that had the head of a bat but the body of a person. It had pointy ears and was referred to the Maya as Camazots. So who has this deity become in modern times? You guessed it; Batman!
The Original Batman
Camazots is a god which was worshiped in ancient Mexico by the Maya. The Hispanic deity symbolized night, death, and sacrifice, but there’s not an awful lot of information about it. In fact, no one really knew about it until it was brought back to the forefront of everyone’s minds for the 75th anniversary of Batman.
Reimagining
Back in 2014, Warner Brothers gathered dozens of artists in an attempt to reinterpret the looks of Batman for the 75th anniversary. The results varied but one particular piece stood out the most. Made by Christian Pacheco, owner of a design agency in Yucatan. the rendition reminded everyone that DC Comics was not the first to actually have their very own Batman. The design gave a heads up to everyone that the origins can be traced back to the ancient Maya, thousands of years ago.
Image Credit: Behance.
It’s quite an interesting idea but it’s clear that past figures are responsible for so many of our modern ones. Who knows what other figures might have been inspired by previous ideas. Given the little information that’s available on Camazots, it’s unlikely we’ll ever know for sure.
