Mayan History

Mesoamerican Civilizations

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Explore

• Write down 5 things you know about the Mayan civilization.

• Write down 3 things you would like to know about the Mayan civilization.

MAYAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE

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Social Structure

Kings Priests / astrologers

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Social StructureKing

Priests, nobility

CommonersArtisans, shopkeepers,

merchants

Farmers and laborers

Slaves, war captives5

The King

King is high priest.• Expected to make annual

pain and blood sacrifices to the gods on behalf of the people

• If the sacrifices are accepted the gods will bless the people.

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Nobility

• The nobility were the aristocrats.• Rulers of the city-states• Priests• Only the nobility went to school.– Reading, math, astronomy, etc...– The King was also the high priest.

• His blood was the ultimate sacrifice required in their religion.

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Commoners

• The commoners did all the jobs that kept the civilization running smoothly.– Farmers, warriors, merchants, weavers, artists…

• They paid taxes to the ruler.– In goods– In work building roads, temples, etc....– Lived in grass huts

• Buried their dead under the floor of their houses.

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Slaves

• Captured in war– did menial labor

• Nobility were used as sacrifice victims because their deaths (blood) was more valuable than those who were peasants.

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City-states

• Linked by roads

• Individual kings

• Made alliances through marriages

• Religious complexes at the center of each city.

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• Prepared calendar that regulated agricultural activities• Gathered folk tales and recorded historical events• Served as members of the ruling class

Which members of Mayan society were responsible for the tasks outlined above?

A. priestsB. soldiersC. farmersD. merchants

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MAYAN BEAUTY STANDARDS

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Discussion

-What makes a person beautiful?

-Do all cultures have the same standards for beauty? Why or why not?

-Do religious beliefs play a role in what is considered beautiful?

Mayan Beauty Secrets

• The Mayan believed it was important to help a child develop lasting physical beauty traits.

• So starting in infancy parents would begin beauty treatments for their children.

• As adults, Mayans would continue the process, seeking out new ways to embellish their bodies.

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Beauty Secrets

• Heavily based in religion– Ritualized deformity

seen as beautiful.• Crossed eyes

Sun godThey suspended a pearl between the child’s eyes to force them into being permanently cross

eyed. 19

Beauty Secrets• Heavily based in

religion– Ritualized deformity

seen as beautiful.• Crossed eyes• Elongated skulls

Formed by placing the infant skull between 2 boards so the skull will elongate.

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Beauty Secrets

• Heavily based in religion– Ritualized deformity

seen as beautiful.• Crossed eyes• Elongated skulls• Inlaid teeth

Holes are drilled in the teeth and precious stones are then set in the holes.

No anesthesia was used during the procedure.21

Beauty Secrets• Heavily based in religion– Ritualized deformity seen as

beautiful.• Crossed eyes• Elongated skulls• Inlaid teeth• Filed teeth

Teeth are filed into pleasing shapes.

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Beauty Secrets

• Heavily based in religion– Ritualized deformity

seen as beautiful.• Crossed eyes• Elongated skulls• Inlaid teeth• Filed teeth• Piercings

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Discussion

• What are the differences between Mayan beauty standards and our society’s?

• How are they the same?

Ancient Maya Modern Society

Beauty Standards

ASTRONOMY & RELIGION

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Astronomy / Astrology

• Believed that time was divided up into eras.

• Their calendar has a specific start and end date.

• They believed that the stars influenced or controlled what happened in your life.

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Astronomy / Astrology

• Believed that there were lucky and unlucky days.

• Spent a lot of time studying the stars to predict:– Eclipses– Start of seasons– New moon– This calendar ended on

December 23, 2012 and a new calendar has since begun. 28

ReligionPolytheism• Worshipped nature gods

– Sun, Moon– Wind, Rain– Corn– Jaguar– Lords of Death

Sacrifices• Blood and pain highest forms

• Ritual ceremonies of blood letting needed to keep the gods happy.

• Most important ceremonies involve human blood.

Sun god 29

Customs & Beliefs

• Practiced human sacrifice as the ultimate form of blood offering to the gods.

– War was not killing the enemies, but capturing them for sacrifices.

– Monuments were used just for this sacrifice.

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Customs & Beliefs

• Skull Racks commemorated the sacrifices31

Customs & Beliefs

• Even sporting events ended in sacrifice.32

Ball Game

• Reenactment of a myth involving twin brothers who fought and won against the Lords of Death.

• The winners were ritually sacrificed after the game.

This ball game was invented by the Olmec.

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Customs & Beliefs

• Pain offerings were also accepted by the gods.

• Every year the king and his queen offered a public pain and blood sacrifice.

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Customs & Beliefs

• Without these sacrifices the Mayans would not prosper:

• Drought• Famine• War

• But even their gods could not stop the civilization from self-destructing.

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Which characteristic did Olmec and Mayan societies share?

A. laws that made slavery illegalB. families dominated by womenC. complex religious ceremoniesD. government by direct democracy

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The Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations each developed:

A. powerful seafaring traditions.B. monotheistic religions.C. democratic governments.D. complex religious rituals.

MATHEMATICS

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0 11

1 20

5 100

Reminder

445

Reminder160,000 (204)

8,000 (203)

400 (202)

20 (201)

1 (200)

168,901

Addition

20 + 405 = 425

400’s

20’s

1’s

Addition

37 + 29

8000's

400's

20's + =

1's

9449 + 10425 = 19874

Subtraction

425 – 20 = 405

400’s

1’s

20’s

Examples

10+1045+59100+63400+1841200+77

?

Mayan Civilization Ends

950 A.D.

• Not even rivers of human blood could save the ecosystem.

• The Mayan civilization disappeared into the forest.50