English: Wonderful stories rank around this Mayan deity. Believers offer tobacco and alcohol in exchange of help. When the Spanish arrived in Guatemala in 1524 and imposed Christianism, Maximón was hidden by moving him from one private house to the next. A Jesus figure was kept in the same room so that the family could pretend they adhered to Christianity. In Santiago, a brotherhood (cofradía) of about a dozen men and women look after the deity. The women change and wash his clothes every two weeks; the men guard him and manage visitors. Maximón wears many ties as a sign of respect. This symbolism is also found in the local Christian churches, but Jesus and the Christian saints wear less ties. The glass box in the picture contains Mayan figures while near the wall behind the camera there are Jesus figures and Christian symbols. Visiting Maximón is a sensual and intriguing experience.