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The presentation that I used for my class when we discussed the Maya Civilization.
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300-900 A.D.
Yucatan Peninsula & Central America
Settled in dense rain forests and cleared land for living and farming
Chichén Itzá- Center of Mayan tradeWe don’t know much about Chichén ItzáArcheological evidence suggests collapse was
violent
Largest Mayan city- Tikal (modern day Guatemala)
Arranged into city-states
Every city-state had a ruling chiefRuling chief usually a man though sometimes
women served
Nobles under the chief led the military, collected taxes, and enforced laws
Traders – No carts or transportation, carried goods on backTraded honey, cocoa, and feathers
Farming MethodCleared rainforests and created raised fields
that caught rain waterChannels drained excess water
Polytheistic – Over 160 Gods
God of Death
God of Rain
Sacrifices took place on top of tall pyramidsSacrifice needed to keep order in the universe
Three planes: underworld, sky, and earthUnderworld reached through caves and ball
courts
No clear concept of good or bad – decided by season
Suicides, sacrifices, women who died in childbirth, and warriors went straight to heaven
Chief at the topConsidered god-likeMoved on to sons – when sons born,
blood sacrifice of chief’s bloodTo be king, have to take a captive and
use captive as part of ceremonial sacrifice
Ruling nobles
Priests – important because only they could perform religious ceremonies needed for success in war and good harvests
Majority of Mayas were farmers – grew corn, beans and squashMen cultivated while women made foodPaid taxes in food and helped build templesBeauty standards – skull deformation,
piercings, and tattoos
Hieroglyphs – just recently deciphered
Books kept on bark
Ball gamesRubber ball – forbidden to use open
hands or feet – usually used hipsCaptain of losing team or other
members sometimes sacrificed
MathPriests decided
ceremony timesNumbering
system included zero
Calendar365 day solar
calendar260 day calendar
based on the orbit of Venus
Mayan 365 day calendar with 260 day calendar added
Around 900 A.D., Mayan cities abandoned – don’t know whyFrequent warfare causes Mayans to
abandon homesOverpopulation = over farming =
abandoning homesPeasant revolts from heavy taxing