The planet Mercury was important to the Mayas. They named the planet after a god called Piltzintecuhtli, meaning Prince. He was young and had hair that shone like the Sun. He was thought to be very changeable. Mercury always appears to be changing from a morning star to the evening star. The Prince always tried to become a king. He always failed. In the same way, Mercury appears to try to climb across the sky. It always fails, appearing only close to the horizon.
Chinese
In China, Mercury was considered the hour star or the god of time. The planet was also known as the Water Planet.
