This 10-foot statue of the Greek sea god Poseidon has got to go. At least, some people think so. Others like cozying up to it for impressive selfies. 

People put up the statue in May in the Gulf of Mexico next to the town of Progreso, Yucatán state, Mexico. Authorities slapped a “closure” order on the statue. Why? Because it was put there without the proper permissions. 

But another reason could lurk behind the scenes. Lawyers sued over the statue. They say it offends local Mayans. The Mayans have their own “little-g” god of water: Chaac. Chaac is a made-up god with fangs and a hook-shaped nose.

In the few months the Poseidon statue has been there, tourists gathered to take pictures with it. When Mexico “closed” the statue, some of those tourists posted slogans like “Chaac 1, Poseidon 0.”

Mexican law says that any building project that could change an ecosystem must have a permit. But Mexico often breaks its own rule. Authorities slap the “closure” stickers onto structures. But the stickers are just that . . . stickers. Officials almost never remove the structures. 

Storms have hit the Gulf since Poseidon went up. Tropical Storm Alberto formed near the Yucatán Peninsula in June. Hurricane Beryl barreled through next. Is a fight between these “sea gods” resulting in bad weather? Of course not. There is only one God—even though people throughout history have told stories about made-up gods. The only true God is the Creator God of the Bible.

Take our tour of the Greek gods at WORLDkids. You’ll see Poseidon there. He’s a bit of a grouch!

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. — Psalm 115:4-5