Maximón, “The one who existed before the earth took form,” accord- ing to Tz’utijil beliefs. This pre-Columbian deity was the only one authorized for worship by the Spanish priests.

Maximón vies for importance with the principal Catholic saints, and the church has been waging war on him for five hundred years, with little success. The catholic church understood its power and how important it was for indigenous people. Therefore they let the Indians worship him as long as its representation would have a western aesthetic (Beard and catholic clothing). They called him SAN SIMON, but the name chosen by the indigenous people was MAXIMÓN.