MAYA CIVILIZATION. MAYA TIMELINE Olmec1200-1000 BCE Early Preclassic Maya 1800-900 BCE Middle...

MAYA CIVILIZATION

MAYA TIMELINE

Olmec 1200-1000 BCEEarly Preclassic Maya 1800-900 BCEMiddle Preclassic Maya 900-300 BCELate Preclassic Maya 300 BCE - CE 250Early Classic Maya 250-600 CELate Classic Maya 600-900 CEPost Classic Maya 900-1500 CEColonial period 1500-1800 CEIndependent Mexico 1821 to the present

MAYA GEOGRAPHY

Lowlands– West borders Pacific Ocean, fertile plain– Yucatan Peninsula– Cenotes (excavated caverns) for water in east

Highlands – granite and volcanic area of Sierra Madre (Mexican

Chiapas, Guatemala, Honduras)– Rich land, abundant water– Concentrated settlement

MAYA HISTORY

Did not record history or daily lives, so much of what we know comes from archaeology and European (colonial) records

Many holes in our knowledge, and educated guesses

MAYA HISTORY

Never recognized themselves as one people

Related dialects – similar language City-states (Palenque, Copan, Chichen

Itza) No king or emperor but nobility City-states tried to dominate each other

(sound familiar?)

MAYA HISTORY

Olmec lived in tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico Provided basis for Mesoamerican civilizations Bloodletting, glyphs similar to Maya Distinctive art (colossal heads)

MAYA ART

Stelae – carved stone monuments

Rulers in elaborate costumes

Often with texts that described lineage and accomplishments

Headdress, ceremonial bar

MAYA ART

Pacal death mask

Love of jade Pottery

popular

MAYA ARCHITECTURE

Houses of poles and thatch (cool) Tikal (left) and Palenque (right)

MAYA SOCIETY

class society Caste (membership

hereditary and movement rare)

Little known about women, but evidence of city-state queens

NobilityPriests

WarriorsCraftsmen

Traders

FarmersWorkersSlaves

MAYA CULTURE

Corn (maize), beans, squash, chilies for flavour, domesticated turkey

Loved dance, music pok-a-tuk (pok-a-tok) Maya ball game Losers (including coach) sacrificed http://www.ballgame.org/main.asp

MAYA CULTURE

Pierced ears, tattoos, body painting, straight black hair,

Large headdress for importance (Pacal, leader of Palenque, to right)

MAYA TRADE AND ECONOMY

Salt valued from Yucatan coast (preserve food, medicine, religious ceremonies) from north

granite from low mountains of Belize Jade, volcanic glass, and obsidian from

Chiapas highlands of western Guatemala Tikal and Copan ‘middlemen’ cities in

trade cacao

MAYA ECONOMY/TRADE

Quetzal feathers for nobility headdress

Extensive trade over 1000 miles

Porters carry goods (no beasts of burden)

MAYA TEHNOLOGY/INNOVATION

Calendar 260 days Also tracked solar

365 calendar

MAYA TECHNOLOGY/INNOVATION

Math based on multiples of 20

0, 1, 2

5, 6

10, 11

15, 16

MAYA WRITING

Writing 800 glyphs (picture/symbol represents an object, idea, or sound

Read left to right and top to bottom Only elite could read as writing considered to

be gift from the gods Wrote many books (destroyed by Spanish)

MAYA RELIGION

Driving force behind every aspect of life

Public temples and household shrines

Organized religion Established schedule for

agriculture Polytheistic and revolved around

nature (eg. Chac – Rain God)

MAYA RELIGION

Priestly blood sacrifice Human sacrifice later in Post classic Period

(Mexican influence) Religious festival every 20 days World 3 layers – Heavens, Earth,

Under(Other)world Priest dressed as jaguars , scary masks to

scare demons of Underworld Belief in afterlife