ANCIENT
MAYAN CIVILIZATION
Raquel,
Alexia, Isabelle
GEOGRAPHY
Uxmal, Mexico. Reputed to be one of the most
beautiful Mayan cities, it holds the only known pyramid with an oval base. The
Magician's Pyramid sits on one side of a square noted for its excellent
acoustics. Grand terraces offer remarkable views.
Chichen Itza, Mexico. The
most famous Mayan city, this was the capital of the second empire, which lasted
from about 1000 to 1450. Its enormous pyramids, including the giant Castillo
pyramid that houses a jaguar throne, hold remarkable carvings and murals. A
nearby cenote, or natural well, was used for human sacrifices to the rain god.
Tulum, Mexico. Between
1200 and 1450, this seacoast city became a major Mayan port and the center of a
vast trading network.
Tikal, Guatemala. The
largest known Mayan city, Tikal is believed to have been home to more than
55,000 people in the year 700. The 60-square-mile site holds numerous pyramids,
shrines, and ball courts, where Mayans played a sometimes dangerous version of
soccer, reportedly using as balls human skulls, which could do serious damage
if kicked into an opponent.
Copan, Honduras. A
southern outpost of the first Mayan empire, which lasted from 300 to about 900,
Copan boasts some of the best preserved ball courts ever found, along with the
longest known Mayan stone inscription. The document has helped archaeologists
decode some of the culture's mysterious hieroglyphs.
HISTORY & CULTURE
For a thousand years, they
ruled what is today a large part of Mexico and southern Central America. They
built huge cities and enormous pyramids that vaulted hundreds of feet into the
skies. Then, seemingly in an instant, the Mayan Empire, the focus of the second
episode of SPIRITS OF THE JAGUAR, collapsed, leaving thousands of elegant stone
carvings hidden in the region's lush tropical forests. Even today, the ancient
monuments are still being rediscovered.
The Mayans believed that
they were created by gods who added their own blood to flour made from corn, a
plant native to their Central American homelands. Thus, they were children of
the corn, and along with gods personified by the fierce jaguar and the
life-giving rain, they worshipped the tall grass that fed them.
In fact, it was their
skill as farmers that allowed the Mayans to prosper. Reliable crops of corn,
squash, and beans provided enough food for the Mayan population to grow and for
some residents to specialize in new skills, unburdened by the need to tend the
fields. Some of these specialists became architects, while others helped push
Mayan mathematics and astronomy to remarkable heights.
Today, Mayan cities
highlight just how much knowledge this society accumulated at its height 1,200
years ago. Ornate wall carvings are actually astonishingly detailed calendars
that can still be used to predict eclipses and other astral events. Similarly,
massive temples are also astronomical observatories designed to track the
movements of the night sky. Windows and doors are perfectly aligned to channel
the light of the sun at different times of the year or to highlight a sparkling
planet.
By necessity, the Mayans
were also expert geologists. Each of their great cities is situated next to a
cenote, or natural well. The cave water was essential because, although they
lived in a tropical forest, fresh surface water was rare. Water from the cenote
not only sated the Mayans thirst, it also provided irrigation water for their
crops when rain was scarce.
Despite their knowledge,
however, the Mayans were only human. By 900, political disagreements and civil
wars -- together with crop failures, disease, and other natural disasters --
apparently forced the Mayans to abandon many of their great cities. Some fled
to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, where they built a new empire ruled from the
military citadel of Chichen Itza. But this society also fell in the 1400s, a
victim of internal strife and invasion from hostile neighbors.
Though their empire is
long gone, the Mayans live on. An estimated 1.5 million to 4.5 million
descendants of the Mayans inhabit southern Central America. In Mexico's Yucatan
region, many residents still speak Maya languages and wear clothing virtually
indistinguishable from that depicted in ancient carvings. And, like their
ancestors, they pursue a spiritual life still colored by ancient beliefs in the
gods of the corn and the jaguar. In the words of noted local poet Mediz Bolio,
many locals may speak in Spanish -- but they think in Mayan
DAILY LIFE
Class Society: The Maya
had a class society. There were slaves, peasants, craftsmen, nobility, priests,
and leaders. There were also warriors. At the top were the nobles and priests.
The middle class had the craftsmen, traders, and warriors. At the bottom were
farmers, other workers, and slaves.
Craftsmen: The Mayas wove
beautiful fabrics. They made musical instruments like drums, shell horns, and
castanets. Their statues were incredible and huge. Archaeologists can tell a great deal about
the ancient Maya from their wonderful pottery and well crafted clay figures.
The art they created honored their gods, their leaders, and their daily
life.
Slaves: Slaves were people
who were captured from warring tribes. Slaves worked in the homes of noble
families. Some slaves cared for the children. Some cleaned the house. Still
others worked in the fields.
GOVERNMENT
One noble family
controlled each city. When the ruling
noble died, his job passed to his son.
No one else got a shot at it. The noble families’ right to rule
originated with the Hero Twins. Each noble family was supposedly a direct
descendant of one of the Hero Twins. That gave them the justification they
needed to keep their job. They were directly related to the gods.
The ruling noble did not
do his job alone. Part of his job was to select a council of elders and
warriors to help him rule. Other people
were additionally selected to help run the government. Some people were chosen
to enforce laws. Others were chosen to act as judges. So the Mayas ruled
themselves via a system of city-states.
Like the ancient Greeks,
the Maya city-states were both independent and intertwined. The Maya people all
spoke the same language. They used the same system of counting. They worshiped
the same gods. They told the same myths. They had the same laws. They wore the
same style clothing. They thought of themselves as one people.
Unlike the ancient Greeks,
Maya cities were interconnected with marvelous roads. Archaeologists believe
that once, long ago, there were hundreds of Maya cities. Each Maya city had a
palace, some temples, some pyramids, a central marketplace, and of course, a
ball court.
The Mayas built an empire.
The Maya civilization lasted for 1500 years. No one knows why this empire
failed. It remains a mystery.
ARCHITECTURE
The Mayas were master
builders. They did not use metal. Their
tools were made of stone, wood, and shell.
Without metal tools, they built huge cities with strong buildings and
pyramids that were 200 feet high. Here
are some of the things they built:
Cities: The Mayas built many cities. Each city was built in a similar way. Each
Maya city had a central marketplace. Every city had a large plaza where people
could gather. Every city had huge pyramids, temples, at least one ball court,
and a palace fr the city ruler.
Each city was a center of
learning and religion for the people who lived nearby.
Cities were connected with
extremely well built roads that run for miles through the jungle and swamps.
Two of their largest
cities were Tikal (tee KAHL) located in the present day country of Guatemala,
and Copan (ko PAHN) located in the present day country of Honduras.
Stela: A stela is a very
large stone slab inscribed with hieroglyphics. Stelas were always built to
celebrate the K'atun, the special festival held every 20 years. But a stela
might be built to honor any important occasion. The hieroglyphics inscribed on
the stela told about the event.
Stelas were placed where
people could see them. Often, stelas were designed with drawings so that people
could better understand them.
