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Maya Civilization: an Ancient Mesoamerican Civilization That Included Parts of Present- Day Mexico and Central America During the 3Rd to 10Th Centuries CE

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Maya Civilization: an Ancient Mesoamerican Civilization That Included Parts of Present- Day Mexico and Central America During the 3Rd to 10Th Centuries CE Maya Daily Life Activity In this activity, you will learn about the Maya culture, which thrived in Mesoamerica between the 3rd and 10th centuries CE. Then you will analyze a Maya ruin or artifact and create a brief presentation to describe what the ruin or artifact reveals about Maya culture. Vocabulary Maya civilization: an ancient Mesoamerican civilization that included parts of present- day Mexico and Central America during the 3rd to 10th centuries CE. Yucatán Peninsula: a peninsula that extends out from the mainland of southeastern Mexico. archaeology: the study of past societies through their material remains. codices: the plural version of codex—a book with handwritten content. stela: an upright, inscribed stone slab or pillar with a curved top. Background Information Over many centuries, Maya civilization flourished at a number of powerful centers throughout what is now southern Mexico and northern Central America. At such sites as Bonampak, Chichén Itzá, Copán, Palenque, Tikal, and Uxmal, archaeologists have found an array of evidence demonstrating Maya architectural skill, artistic creativity, cultural traditions, and military and political power. Such evidence ranges from observatories to pyramids to sculpture commemorating kings. Under Sources, review the Reference Article Maya Civilization to learn more about the Maya and their culture. Much of what has been learned about the Maya comes from archaeological sites and artifacts. Choose one of the images of an artifact or ruin under Sources to analyze from the perspective of an archaeologist. Consider the following questions: a. What was the purpose of the building or artifact? When was it created? How was it used? b. Why would archaeologists have been excited about finding this ruin or artifact? What does it help us understand about Maya culture and daily life? c. What questions remain about the ruin or artifact? d. How does this relate to other aspects of Maya culture? Use the Source Analysis Guide in the Activity Worksheet section to help you assess the ruin or artifact you have chosen. You may need to return to the Sources and/or conduct additional research. Share your findings with your classmates. If others have looked at the same image, discuss similarities and differences in your conclusions. Discuss with a small group of classmates what you learned about the Maya: a. How have archaeologists pieced together information from Maya sites to better understand Maya culture and daily life? b. What questions remain? c. If you were an archaeologist, how might you go about answering these questions? Source Reference Maya Civilization The story of the people known as the Maya stretches back more than 3,000 years. Within the forests and jungles of Central America, for many years there flourished a civilization whose accomplishments equaled many of the most impressive achievements of the better-known civilizations of ancient Europe and Asia. Maya civilization was not organized under one unified empire but rather was a set of separate political and social entities with a common cultural background. Linguistic evidence suggests that the Maya did not even all speak the same language, although the various Mayan languages were all related to each other. Physical Setting The territory occupied by the Maya included three main areas: The highlands of what is now southern Guatemala: this area was heavily influenced culturally by Mexico and is sometimes not considered part of the true Maya territory. The central area of the Guatemalan lowlands: this was the most developed and populous area of Maya civilization. The Yucatán Peninsula, which was also lowlands: this area was a source of salt, honey, cotton fabrics, slaves, and other specialized goods for other parts of the Maya region. After the abandonment of the Maya cities in the central area, this area became the principal site of a cultural blend known as the Toltec-Maya. One of the challenges of the Maya territory was growing enough food to feed everyone. In many areas, slash-and-burn agriculture was the only possible method, with farmers burning the forest, planting a crop—usually for only two years—and then letting the ground lie fallow for a number of years until the fertility of the land was restored. Other methods of agriculture included raised plots, terraced fields, and house gardens, all of which could be farmed year after year. However, those areas were limited, and those methods all required much more intensive labor. Rise of Maya Civilization By 1000 BCE, and probably earlier, the Maya were already practicing a form of village-based agriculture and growing corn, beans, chile peppers, and squash. Over the next several centuries, the population in the area grew, and the Maya began to develop larger community centers. By 200 CE, those centers featured temples, pyramids, palaces, and more—the beginning of the famed cities of the Classic Period. The Classic Period of Maya culture began in about 250 CE and lasted until about 900. Technically, it is considered to begin and end with the use of a particular calendar system (the "Long Count") in stone inscriptions. More generally, it was the period when the great Maya cities, which could have populations in the tens of thousands, and their culture were at their height. It was once believed that the Maya cities were relatively peaceful, largely independent, mostly cultural and trade centers rather than centers of political power. Today the picture is very different, thanks in large part to the decipherment of Maya writing by David Stuart, the world's leading expert on the written language of the ancient Maya. It is now known that each city- state was ruled by a hereditary line of kings and that the cities fought with each other for territory and power. Historians currently believe that the Maya never consolidated their territory into a single state; during certain periods, however, individual cities might have established control over a large region—dominating other cities and their rulers. Cultural Accomplishments For many years, scholars believed that the Maya produced their cultural achievements in isolation. More recent archaeological discoveries, however, have confirmed that the Maya shared a variety of basic characteristics with other civilizations in the area. For example, the famous Maya calendar—perhaps the most accurate one known to the ancient world—was actually based on a system developed by the Olmec, prior to the Maya Classic Period, and shared with other cultures in Mexico. The Maya did apparently bring the calendar system to its highest point of development, which has made it possible to date events from the Classic Period with a precision that is impossible for many other ancient civilizations. The Maya also were accomplished architects and builders. The step pyramids of the Maya are probably their best-known structures. Maya construction skills are evident as well in their carved monuments, palaces, and ball courts. Religion was an important part of Maya life. The rulers and a class of priests practiced a variety of religious rituals, including bloodletting and human sacrifice. The Maya religion was a complex set of myths and beliefs featuring many different gods drawn from nature. Itzamná, the principal Maya god, ruled over the rain, sun, and moon deities, as well as such other gods as the Bacabs, who held up the sky, and Kukulcán, the feathered serpent (worshipped as Quetzalcóatl in other Mesoamerican cultures). It is now known that the Maya used the most advanced system of writing that has yet been found in the New World. Nearly all the pleated books they created were destroyed by the Spanish conquests, but a few remain, together with inscriptions on stone stelae and other more permanent media. Maya astronomy and mathematics were also highly advanced, as were Maya arts and crafts, particularly pottery. Trade between the Maya and their neighbors was extensive, particularly with the civilizations of central Mexico. Some of the most important Maya exports included cacao beans (from which chocolate is made) and feathers of tropical birds, which they exchanged for copper tools and ornaments. For the most part, the Maya conducted trade via sea routes, as roads within the Maya territory were generally not well developed. Abandonment of the Maya Cities During the period from about 800 to 925, the Maya abandoned the great cities of the central Maya area—ending the Classic Period. Although cities continued to flourish in the Yucatán Peninsula, the great days of the Maya civilization were largely over. Archaeologists have advanced a variety of theories to explain what happened to the Maya civilization. A combination of factors that could have played a role include warfare between the Maya states, overpopulation and exhaustion of environmental resources (e.g., deforestation and erosion), and drought. Nevertheless, descendants of the Maya people survived. Even today, more than a million people in regions of the Yucatán and Guatemala speak various Mayan languages. Ellen Bialo Source Image Maya ballgame player Maya carved stone depicting a ballplayer in a ceremonial ballgame, 550-950 CE. The ballgame, called ullamaliztli, probably originated with the Olmec culture, as early as 2,000 years before the Aztecs came to power, and was played by many Mesoamerican cultures, including the Maya. Source Image Calakmul mural showing scenes of daily life One corner of the painted pyramid structure at Calakmul, present-day Mexico, ca. 620–700 CE. The painting shows scenes from everyday Maya life, including preparing and eating food. Source Image Communal area of Joya de Cerén Communal area at Joya de Cerén, including a temascal (sauna) on the right. Cerén was a pre- Classic Maya farming community in El Salvador. The village was buried in ash following a volcanic eruption in 590 CE. Ash from the volcano preserved personal belongings, houses, public areas and religious structures, offering unique insight into the daily lives of the early Maya.
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