Maya mythology is part of Mesoamerican mythology and comprises all of the Maya tales in which personified forces of nature, deities, and the heroes interacting with these play the main roles. Other parts of Maya oral tradition (such as animal tales and many moralising stories) do not properly belong to the domain of mythology, but rather to legend and folk tale.

Maya literally "illusion", "magic", has multiple meanings in Indian philosophies depending on the context. In ancient Vedic literature, Maya literally implies extraordinary power and wisdom. In later Vedic texts and modern literature dedicated to Indian traditions, Maya connotes a "magic show, an illusion where things appear to be present but are not what they seem". Maya is also a spiritual concept connoting "that which exists, but is constantly changing and thus is spiritually unreal", and the "power or the principle that conceals the true character of spiritual reality".