Before age five, Maya children were cared for by parents and other relatives. At age five, they took on new responsibilities, such as helping with farming and household chores. A boy had a white bead braided to his hair. A girl had a string tied to her waist with a red shell attached.

These symbols remained in place until the children reached the age of fourteen. At this point, an initiation ceremony was performed to mark their passage to adulthood. A priest would pick a day when the stars were favorable. Then the priest would cut the bead from the boy’s hair. A girl’s mother would cut the string from her daughter’s waist. Then the parents would have a celebration with family members and neighbors.

After these ceremonies, boys moved into a house for unmarried men. There they would remain until they got married. Marriages were arranged. In the hard life of Maya farmers, marriages were not romantic affairs. They were more like business deals between families.

As with the initiation ceremonies, priests picked marriage dates. They checked with the stars and the gods to find a day that would bring good fortune. However, no Maya couple expected married life to bring only good fortune. The Maya believed that every aspect of life was controlled by the gods. Because some gods were good and some were bad, they expected life to include both joy and sorrow.