Аннотация:The purpose of this research is to analyse the role of impersonation in the ritual practices of the Maya elite during the Classic period. Impersonations appear in texts and images proceeding from many Maya sites. The hieroglyphic inscriptions, in which this specific ritual is normally expressed by a special term b’aahil ɂaɂn (literally, “embodiment”), demonstrate that impersonation could be combined with almost any kind of ritual. Despite the importance of an impersonated supernatural being, the figure of the human being who impersonates never disappears from such inscriptions. According to the author, impersonation was one of the ways to materialize the idea of the sacred power of Maya lords.